30" Printed Nylon Parachute

The areas that we fought with our Chinese supplier were the sewing on the edges and how the suspension lines are attached. For the line attachment, they wanted to attach only a short length of cord because it was cheap and easy for them. We wanted something strong that would survive a high-speed deployment. So we had them increase the length three-fold, and double up the cord as shown in the photo here. Now we feel it is overkill -- just like modelers like it.

On the perimeter edges, the supplier wanted to do a serged stitch. A serged stitch is strong, but we wanted something that didn't have loops of thread that could catch on a sharp edge inside the rocket, like a shock cord anchor that is glued to the inside surface of the tube. We wanted something that would slide out of a rocket with less of a chance of getting snagged. So we told them to fold the edge over twice and stitch on the seam. Now it has three layers of cloth on the edge, and there are no loose threads that could get snagged when the chute is ejected from the rocket. The production house thought I was crazy to ask for this, and they told me a story of another silly American that went against their recommendation and never re-ordered again. But I wanted a parachute that I would feel confident of using myself for my own prized rockets. This parachute, and how it is put together, is exactly what I'd want for myself, and I'm confident that after seeing it yourself, you'll want it too.

One thing you'll love about this chute is how soft it feels. It packs up tight, so you can get it into smaller tubes, and it slips out easily. And because the fabric is so thin, the ink that they use for printing the color pattern bleeds through easily, so that both sides of the cloth are vibrant. You will have a hard time telling the side that was printed on from the underside. See the photos here on this page to compare the colors on both sides of the fabric, and to see the quality of the stitching of the edges and where the lines are sewn on.

So if there is a drawback to this chute, it is that we had to have it made in China. I would rather use domestic suppliers, but we know the price is also a concern for customers. We have and sell other great chutes that are made here in North America. But if you want something a little different, you might consider this chute. We put as much work and effort to have it made as we would any other rocketry product. We're proud to have the Apogee logo printed on it because we stand behind it.