I talked with a guy at BRS today. My question was did I have to buy the whole thing. He told me that I could buy the lines and the firing mechanism, without the actual chute and ballitic charge. This is good because it take years to build the Kr and the parachute has a repack interval.
He sent me 3 pages of installation instructions that I have yet to read for I am at work. You can incorporate the kevlar lines in the fusalage and also install the control cable, then finish your plane, and install the "guts" when you are ready to fly. For a KR the chute would be installed behind the seat. Chutes have saved the lives of people when deployed at just a couple hundred feet. If I recall correctly the weight is about 25 lbs.