What's your favorite "GO TO" chute(s)

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AfterBurners

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I think first off for me is Topflight's "X" chutes. They pack nicely and depending on the day have very little drift which means less walking to get your rocket. They are very affordable and you can choose your colors. I always like the a neon color with black. It really seems to make them pop.

Second would be Wildman Recon Chutes. EXCELLENT chutes and they do their job. I once put a 20" in G-FORCE and it brought it down nicely and no damage and this is on a dry lake bed. For what you get and the quality of materials used you can't beat the price.

Third would be the military flare chutes. They pack nicely and are very efficient. Lets not forget the price. Where else can you get a 60" chute for $12, that deflates on landing? No where! I've used the smaller 36" and 42" chutes and they work great, but the only compliant I have is sometimes the shroud lines are pretty frayed and you will break a couple over a few flights. They do work well.

In general what I could never understand about all flat chutes that I've seen (octagon shape) why are the shroud lines sewn the way they are? Lay one flat on a table. The lines are sewn corner to corner instead of across from one another. If they were sewn across from one another when you gather them and pull them tight, they wouldn't cross and tangle. IDK - I think it's just easier to rotate the chute and sew them corner to corner, this is the main reason why I don't use flat chutes. I have some, but they came in kits that I bought over the years.
 
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I sew most of my own, using a modified patterns based on the Vatsaas Brothers design. It's similar to a Rocketman.

Beyond that I've been really pleased with Spherachutes and find that I do indeed often "go to" them when deciding on a chute to grab from the pile. They're high quality and very nicely made, are an efficient design that provides a lot more drag for a given packing size and weight than "parasheets", easy to pack clean and small, and I've found them to be a great value - not too expensive for the function and quality you get.

s6
 
I went to Topflights site and Wildman's site to look at the chutes but there aren't any photos at least not one that I can find. I think Topflight had a photo of the x chute but it is not a good one. Widman;nothing.

I would think that vendors would put a little more effort in the marketing of their products.

The photo is a chute I made with 16 shroud lines. I really like the look of the filled chute

.Chute.jpg
 
I went to Topflights site and Wildman's site to look at the chutes but there aren't any photos at least not one that I can find. I think Topflight had a photo of the x chute but it is not a good one. Widman;nothing.

I would think that vendors would put a little more effort in the marketing of their products.

The photo is a chute I made with 16 shroud lines. I really like the look of the filled chute

.View attachment 277007

That's a beautiful chute. Ain't nothing prettier than a clean full blossomed chute.
 
My go-to is a Fruity Chute Iris for the main and a classic elliptical for drogue. The materials and workmanship are to high standards, and I usually opt for the compact line option, which results in a very compact package. Also because of their relatively high CD I can usually down one size compared to a more traditional chute. So a 48 from another manufacturer would easily compare to a 42 Iris.
 
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My go-to is a Fruity Chute Iris for the main and a classic elliptical for drogue. The materials and workmanship are very high standards, and I usually opt for the compact lines option, which results in a very compact package. Also because of their relatively high CD I can usually down one size compared to a more traditional chute. So a 48 from another manufacturer would easily compare to a 42 Iris.

Fruity chutes are really nice looking chutes, just out of my price range :)
 
recon....low price and strong! My wildman jr uses a drogue chute as a main chute, perfect size and indestructible.
 
Depends on recovery weight. Fruity Chute 30 Elliptical, 48 Iris and 96 Iris seem to get the most usage out of mine, with the 36 Iris and 24 elliptical rounding out the top 5.


Later!

--Coop
 
Generally, I have been a Sky Angle guy. I have never had an issue with them.

That said, I have quite a few Top Flight chutes for smaller rockets. I really like his standard chutes in the thin mill fabric- I can easily fit a 30" chute into a 38mm rocket. Heck, I have a 9" standard I am using as a drogue on a Wildman Junior- they work great, you cannot beat Gary's prices, and his service is top notch.
 
This is a very interesting thread. Everything I have flown, thus far, has really just been MPR that was capable of HPR flights. The largest chute I've used was an 8 shroud line, 24" octagon. But I'm about to have 2 true HPR kits. I ordered the recommended chutes for my MadCow kits. I guess I'll get to see what comes stock.

I may need to explore other chute options. Images of the different chutes would be a plus. Maybe someone could start an image thread? Would be a great boon to newcomers.
 
This is a very interesting thread. Everything I have flown, thus far, has really just been MPR that was capable of HPR flights. The largest chute I've used was an 8 shroud line, 24" octagon. But I'm about to have 2 true HPR kits. I ordered the recommended chutes for my MadCow kits. I guess I'll get to see what comes stock.

I may need to explore other chute options. Images of the different chutes would be a plus. Maybe someone could start an image thread? Would be a great boon to newcomers.


Mot of the chute manufacturers have images of their chutes, I think Giant Leap actually has a video as well as Fruity Chutes
 
I go to whatever chute the rocket requires. Big heavy rockets get a Skyangle. Smaller rockets get a Top Flight. Then again, I put my Recon Recovery in mid sized rockets.
There really is no one single "GOTO" chute.
 
Depends on rocket. For 3-4 in. rockets I like Spherachutes for their compact packing and price. For a heavier 6 in. rocket Sky Angle is the choice chute. I have a 5.5 in. AGM Pike where payload bay is small but still need a chute to recover a 35 lb rocket. Fruity Chutes Iris fits the bill perfectly. Its hard to have a go to chute when there are so many variables from rocket to rocket.
 
I make my own out of surplus army parachute fabric. I use brass eyelets for the cord attachments.
 
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