Brief:
T' Covert Rocketry High Tech chute is a 13", 4 panel, 4 shroud parachute made o' ripstop nylon.

Construction:
I was invited t' test some High Tech Chutes parachutes for a new manufacturer Covert Rocketry. Aye aye! I'm glad I did this as I am sincerely impressed. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I actually received two o' their chute, shiver me timbers, the CR-3 and CR-4. Well, blow me down! I tested only t' former, me bucko, rated at 1 t' 2 lbs (13 t' 18 fps descent).

T' material used is very slick, almost like it's oiled. It be obvious the chute would have less problems gettin' stuck in t' body than others. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' chute is very well sewn. Arrr! Begad! T' shrouds are thicker than any others I've used for the chute size since thar are only 4. Avast! As you can see from t' picture, me bucko, it's a 4 panel spherical chute. Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Laid flat it's about 18" betwixt opposin' shrouds. Inflated, it's about 13".

This is similar in design t' a 24" TAC-1 chute I have but a lot lighter. Arrr! By comparison, t' TAC-1 is built like a high speed drogue, arrr, shiver me timbers, shrouds rated at 1400 lbs and swivel at 1500. Ya scallywag! T' 24" version has a descent rating of 17 fps for 1 pound weight. Begad! Arrr! It weighs 5.4 oz. Avast! Aye aye! T' CR-3 weighs less than 2, with a similar swivel.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
To give you an idea o' how small these chutes pack, t' two I received (13" and 18" models) and their relatively heavy (canvas?) deployment bags were packed into a box 3/4" x 4" x 6". Avast! With some careful maneuverin' I was able t' fit t' CR-3 into a 29mm body and easily blow it out by blowin' on t' other end.

Recovery:
I put it up in me 2.5lb LOC Vulcanite on a G40-7. Begad! T' sim had it ejectin' at 26 fps, 0.8 sec. Aye aye! before apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! T' wind was 7-8mph on t' ground and by previous flights be about twice that speed at altitude. Ejection be as predicted, arrr, just prior t' horizontal. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Chute inflation was almost instantaneous and the fluorescent red-orange and chartruse panels were very visible against the overcast sky. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! There be no spinnin' and very little rocking. T' rocket hung nearly straight down t' entire way. Arrr! T' descent had clearly less drift than the other flights o' t' day.

We've all seen flights where people commented on how well t' boost went. I've never before had comments on how well t' descent went and I had not mentioned before t' flight that I was testin' a new chute. As it landed, matey, me bucko, it was clearly comin' down a bit fast, me bucko, maybe 20-22 fps, arrr, but I was after all stressin' it by testin' it heavier than its rating. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! Upon retrieval, ya bilge rat, no shrouds were tangled, despite havin' used no swivel. Close examination later revealed two small threads hangin' loose near one o' t' shrouds. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! At first I thought there was some unraveling. But it turned out t' be only excess thread from the sewing. Pullin' on t' panels didn't cause any unraveling.

I generally favor X-form chutes for keepin' drift t' a minimum. Unfortunately if they are unbalanced they tend t' rock and spin a fair amount so that if a swivel isn't used will cause severe windin' o' t' shrouds (tightenin' t' opening) and/or windin' o' t' shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! And when I use them I leave t' shrouds loose t' slide through t' quick-link t' try t' keep them self-balancing. T' shrouds on t' CR-3 came knotted and I left them that way. After gettin' it home I checked it, me bucko, and it was unbalanced by about half an inch. T' CR-3 had at least as much drift reduction as t' 24" X-form I've previously used on this rocket and none o' t' spinnin' or tangling.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
When these were first announced I thought t' original MSRP be a bit high. Now, I don't think so. $15.00 for somethin' weight rated equal t' and more than the TAC-1 (at $20) is a good price. Avast, me proud beauty! T' TAC-1 might be able t' handle a higher speed deployment but I suspect that t' speed where t' TAC-1 would survive high speed deployment where t' CR-3 would nay survive, shiver me timbers, however, me hearties, me bucko, ya bilge rat, thar would more than likely be a zipper or other airframe damage.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5