Reserve repacks and the repack cycle

A reserve repack is a full inspection and a fresh pack job on your reserve parachute, performed by a certificated parachute rigger. The rigger opens the reserve, inspects the canopy, lines and container, checks the automatic activation device, repacks it to the manufacturer's specification, and signs the packing data card.

It is not optional maintenance you can defer. A reserve that is out of date is not legal to jump in most jurisdictions, and a dropzone will ground the rig until it is brought current.

The reserve must be repacked on a fixed interval regardless of whether it has been used — the clock runs on calendar time, not jumps. In the United States the FAA sets that interval at 180 days. Other countries set their own; many use six or twelve months. The repack is due that many days after the date the rigger last signed the card.

Because the cycle is calendar-based, a rig that sits in a gear bag all winter still goes out of date. Plan the repack before the season starts, not on the morning of your first jump.

Only a certificated rigger may pack a reserve — in the US, an FAA Senior or Master Rigger. This is a legal restriction, not a courtesy: a reserve is life-safety equipment, and the rigger certification exists precisely so the person packing it has been trained and tested to do so.

Packing your own main canopy is a different matter — most licensed jumpers are cleared to do that. The reserve is the line you do not cross without a rigger.

The practical failure mode is simple: the due date slips past unnoticed and you discover it at the dropzone. Note the next-due date the moment the rigger hands the rig back, and set a reminder a few weeks ahead so there is time to book another appointment.

Your AAD runs its own clock — most units have a manufacturer service interval measured in years. Track it alongside the repack so neither one surprises you. Your rigger and your gear's manufacturer are the authorities here; this is an orientation, not a regulation.