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. Arrr! I'm glad I did this as I am sincerely impressed. I actually received two o' their chute, the CR-3 and CR-4. Begad! I tested only t' former, rated at 1 t' 2 lbs (13 t' 18 fps descent).

T' material used is very slick, shiver me timbers, me bucko, almost like it's oiled. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It be obvious the chute would have less problems gettin' stuck in t' body than others. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' chute is very well sewn. T' shrouds are thicker than any others I've used for the chute size since thar are only 4. Arrr! As you can see from t' picture, it's a 4 panel spherical chute. 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. Aye aye! By comparison, t' TAC-1 is built like a high speed drogue, me hearties, me bucko, me bucko, shrouds rated at 1400 lbs and swivel at 1500. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' 24" version has a descent rating of 17 fps for 1 pound weight. Avast! Begad! It weighs 5.4 oz. 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, me bucko, ya bilge rat, 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". Begad! Blimey! With some careful maneuverin' I be 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. Aye aye! T' sim had it ejectin' at 26 fps, arrr, 0.8 sec. Begad! before apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! T' wind be 7-8mph on t' ground and by previous flights was about twice that speed at altitude. Begad! Ejection be as predicted, just prior t' horizontal. Blimey! Chute inflation was almost instantaneous and the fluorescent red-orange and chartruse panels were very visible against the overcast sky. There was no spinnin' and very little rocking. Arrr! T' rocket hung nearly straight down t' entire way. Begad! 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. Aye aye! Ahoy! As it landed, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, it was clearly comin' down a bit fast, me bucko, ya bilge rat, maybe 20-22 fps, arrr, but I be after all stressin' it by testin' it heavier than its rating. Upon retrieval, no shrouds were tangled, despite havin' used no swivel. Begad! Close examination later revealed two small threads hangin' loose near one o' t' shrouds. Avast! At first I thought there was some unraveling. Begad! Begad! 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. Ahoy! 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, and it be unbalanced by about half an inch. Begad! 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 was a bit high. Now, I don't think so. Avast! Blimey! $15.00 for somethin' weight rated equal t' and more than the TAC-1 (at $20) is a good price. 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, however, thar would more than likely be a zipper or other airframe damage.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5