Post by Bruce "Face' Dale on Jun 21, 2019 10:43:09 GMT -5
Purpose of the drop down rope was essentially for tree landings to allow the paratrooper to tie off and ascend the rope safely to the ground. Modern practices began to emphasize deployment of the reserve chute, feeding it down to the ground and using it to descend instead. The drop ropes were frequently discarded upon a safe landing. Adding one of these to round out your paratrooper display is a nice touch.
Directions for forming the rope coil.
1. Hold one end between your thumb and forefinger. I'm right-handed, so I use my left thumb and forefinger.
2. Loop the rope between your hand and your elbow several times, but not all the way.
3. Take the unlooped part and wrap it around the middle of the looped part. One trick is, when you first start wrapping, wrap the rope back upon itself so it won't come undone.
4. When you get to the end, tuck the tip into the last wrap, so it doesn't come undone.
From here, there are two ways to attach it to your equipment.
Style A:
- use the suspender straps for the bottom of your musette bag and feed one through each of the looped ends of the rope, then clip the suspender straps to the bottom of the musette bag; this is the most common method.
Style B:
- use the straps that hold the musette bag top flap close and feed them through the looped ends. This works best for smaller/thinner pieces of rope, such as parachute cord.
Another option is to just stuff it under the musette bag top flap, but I find this bothersome when walking because I'm afraid it will fall out.
