The
parachute that you deploy if your
main chute gets
messed up and you have to
cut it while
skydiving. In
civilian rigs, the
reserve is packed in the compartment above the
main chute, and usually has a slightly faster deploy time than the
main. Reserves are
pulled after you have cut your main - if you deploy a reserve while still attached to your main, there is a good chance the two chutes will tangle as they vie for dominance above your head.
You had
damn well better
hope that your
reserve works right or you are
screwed,
game over,
that's all she wrote,
the end of the line,
see you on the other side,
tell God I said 'hi' for me, will you?