Plastic Chutes

The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues...

 I was just chatting with a fellow rocketeer about FlisKits and the need to cut your own balsa (not a big deal) and assemble your own plastic chute.   And that's when it hit me:  Here's a topic for this week's blog entry!  What follows is a quote or two from our discussion on Facebook.

 A couple of years ago, I realized that if I melted a plastic chute while out on the launch range, I'd be screwed as I didn't have another. So I saw Jon Rockets.com had a 10 pack of 3 mil plastic parachutes for a very reasonable bulk price. So I got on-line and ordered a bundle.

When they arrived, I pre-made them into 12"-15"-18" chutes and labeled them, folding them into small snack-sized zip-lock baggies.

I think I've still got one or two, having melted or ripped a chute over the years!

I found this to be a good, cheap investment!




Now, I know some rocketeers who swear by nylon chutes, and want to buy the best for their sport rocket. And there are others who have advocated replacing EVERY Estes chute with one that they cut and assembled themselves. I have heard of individuals who take those thin Mylar bags from Kroger and make a chute from them, but they would seem to be so flimsy, I'm not sure that I would trust them. And I have also heard a rocketeer advocate making his chutes out of the thick garbage bags that are sold for yard waste!

 Now, after this was posted, another facebook rocketeer shared that during competition, some rocketeers prefer to make their own chutes out of dry cleaner bags! This would be extremely lightweight and compact, but do they hold up?

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