A Federal Aviation Administration Senior Rigger opened this pilot emergency parachute system, which had seen many years out of service and was stored in an unknown manner, and found that all of the rubber bands had rotted and that many of them had melted onto the suspension lines. While most sport parachute reserve systems do not use rubber bands, most main parachutes do. This illustrates why it is important for jumpers to store their parachute systems correctly and to inspect and repack them after storage. Placing the container and parachutes in a clean, dry area with climate control for long-term storage can help to ensure that components are not damaged.