Many times in your rocketry career, you will find yourself with a pile of fabric and shroud lines you would like to put in your rocket. The perennial question of rocketry is "What is the best way to pack my parachute?" This question does not have one best answer, but rather many conditionally correct ones. For most of your needs, this is an acceptably good way to pack a parachute.
Step 1:
Lay the parachute out flat. Gather the shroud lines as best you can. Inspect the canopy for damage and the shroud lines for tangles.
Step 2:
Fold the parachute in so the shroud lines converge at a single point. If there are four shroud lines fold in quarters, if three, thirds.
Step 3:
Fold the parachute so that the shroud lines are on one edge. This step may be unecessary depending on the number of shroud lines and gores.
Step 4:
Add a ''z-fold." This trifold packs the parachute tightly while also reducing the distance any given piece of the parachute has to travel to unfurl.
Step 5:
Fold the parachute perpendicular to the z-fold.