The parachute is probably the most important piece of equipment in the sport of skydiving.  Modern parachutes are classified as rigid wings as they are designed to become rigid upon deployment through their ram-air construction.  In other words the parachutes are designed with two layers with multiple cells pushes air between the layers making the parachute inflate resulting in a firm and maneuverable design.  There are many other types of parachutes that are designed for other purposes outside of the sport and are sometimes used for special purposes.

Parachutes are typically made out of lightweight nylon and must be able to endure quite a high temperature from the friction caused by deployment.  In the past, a ripcord design was used and is still used today during training.  There are various types of training available today and the one referred to above is one with practice ripcord pulls.  Other types of training may circumvent this type of parachute design.  Typically, the training shoots are packed with a spring coil inside that propels the shoot away from the skydiver.  This allows for a wider range of mistakes made by the student.  The reserve shoot is packed by a rigger.  The rigger is someone that is certified to pack parachutes.  The packing is typically done in a more conservative fashion to ensure deployment in the event there is a malfunction with the first shoot.  Regulations require that the reserve shoot must be repacked periodically, whether it is deployed or not in order to ensure greater safety of the skydiver.

A term know as wing loading is used in aviation as well as in skydiving to measure how much weight per surface area is supported by the fabric.  Starting out one pound per square foot to one and a half pounds per square foot is typical.  As a skydiver gets more advanced these numbers increase to around two to two and a half pounds per square foot as they allow for a more rapid decent and greater maneuverability of the canopy.

The parachutes are designed and packed to open softly rather than a rapid and abrupt opening.  This is accomplished through the use of a slider that works its way down the lines from the canopy to the skydiver.  The slider essentially opens the parachute more slowly rather than having an abrupt close to open sequence.  The careful folding of the parachute, lines, and slider ensure safety and reliability of the parachute.