I'm told the 20 year rule comes from the military.
my packer tels me there is no life limit as long as
it passes inspection, which he does for $50 bucks.
JJ

At 01:00 21 December 2004, Duster wrote:
I'm planning on purchasing a new or used parachute
to replace mine that
does not fit the contours of my ship. My question
pertains to the
accepted longevity of emergency parachutes which I've
often heard is
about 20 years. Because mine is 27 years old, I was
just about to toss
my Security 250 in the dump. However, I recently reread
an article by
John Good on parachutes published in Soaring (March
2003) which quotes
Ted Strong (of Strong Parachutes) and a colleague as
saying, '...there
is no need to impose a limited service life on an emergency
parachute.'
What's the consensus by others in the sport? Should
I try to sell it
or trash it?

Duster