Snoa 0 #1 January 21, 2013 Hiya guys. I'm not a skydiver yet, but I plan to be once I turn 18 this August. Since this is a hobby I'll most likely be having to fund myself, I've been wanting to know how much money to save and allocate towards skydiving gear. Out of all the research I've done on Skydiving, I know next to nothing when it comes to parachute models or what to buy used or new or even what makes up a rig (equally clueless as to what's required in a rig or what's optional), so it'd be a huge help even if you just tell me what makes up a rig xD. I realize I'm planning waaay ahead here, but I don't know how much money I'm going to spend so I figure it's good to plan early. My height is 6' 2" currently, but I'm still growing so I may be 6' 3" by the time I actually buy anything. My weight is 240lbs, but I'm dieting down to the 220-230 range or lower if I can (I've already lost 5lbs and I only started a few days ago So there y'all go. Like I said I have no idea where to start and it'd be a HUGE help to me if you guys could point me in the right direction in terms of gear. Thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trev_S 0 #2 January 21, 2013 Hey man, I've just bought all my gear. I spent $1200 on Alti + audible + helmet and a few other things but you can do it for far less ($500ish new or a couple of hundred 2nd hand). I'm buying a 2nd hand rig for $3500 I think gear wise you can get away with 3k all up if you go real cheap but honestly, would you feel confident jumping some dodgy $1500 rig? Don't forget to factor in your training. AFF in Aus costs about $2500 and B rels are 10-15 jumps at $195 each. For me to get my B license + my own gear is costing me about 10k. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snoa 0 #3 January 21, 2013 You said you're in Australia? Are those dollar amounts in AUD or USD? And yeah, I can understand how a rig would be something you would NOT want to skimp-out on. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiverbry 0 #4 January 21, 2013 IMHO I would just worry about getting through AFF cost wise and getting my "A" For me to name and try to explain all the parts of a full rig it would take up pages. Such as your container system is made up on the container,main canopy,reserve canopy. Then from there thing can get a little complicated to try and explain here. Remember ASK QUESTIONS of your instructors,them and your rigger is the best sources of info because not only can they explain but show you what they are talking about. Another source of alot of great in depth info is The Parachute Manual by Dan Poynter-------------------------------------------------- Growing old is mandatory.Growing up is optional!! D.S.#13(Dudeist Skdiver) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trev_S 0 #5 January 21, 2013 QuoteYou said you're in Australia? Are those dollar amounts in AUD or USD? And yeah, I can understand how a rig would be something you would NOT want to skimp-out on. 1 USD = 1.04 AUD (not much difference) gear was in USD Rig was in AUD but it's only a difference of a few bucks. just pay for your AFF and use student gear. Worry about getting you're own towards teh end of it. I should really wait till I finish Brels but I'm hooked and want everything now now now ;) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snoa 0 #6 January 21, 2013 QuoteQuoteYou said you're in Australia? Are those dollar amounts in AUD or USD? And yeah, I can understand how a rig would be something you would NOT want to skimp-out on. 1 USD = 1.04 AUD (not much difference) gear was in USD Rig was in AUD but it's only a difference of a few bucks. just pay for your AFF and use student gear. Worry about getting you're own towards teh end of it. I should really wait till I finish Brels but I'm hooked and want everything now now now ;) True, but when talking about thousands of dollars it makes enough of a difference to me at least. And is it smart/plausible to buy equipment one piece at a time? I mean I get that a container and canopies and the like would have to be purchased and used together, but Im sure there are other pieces you could buy to swap them out with pieces you're renting, right? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiverbry 0 #7 January 21, 2013 Containers don't have to be purchased together but the pack volume of the chute must have correctly sized container. The the container harness must be of correct size to fit the jumper. Just like the wing loading of the canopy has to be the right load for the jumpers experience.-------------------------------------------------- Growing old is mandatory.Growing up is optional!! D.S.#13(Dudeist Skdiver) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #8 January 21, 2013 Getting in to specifics now is a huge waste of time. Here are some ball park figures for 'planning ahead'. Figure on $2000 to $2500 to get an A license. That's 25 jumps, all the instruction, coaching and gear rental included. That will make you a 'skydiver'. A used rig will run you between $2500 and $4500, depending on what you want. That does not include an AAD (Automatic Activation Device), which is the computer that will deploy your reserve for you (more or less) if you get too low. Add in another $1200 for an AAD. Assorted accesories like a jumpsuit, helmet, goggles and altimeter will run you between $400 and $1000, again depending on what you want. You will learn a ton about gear and skydiving in general as you earn your A license. I would suggest focusing on that goal to begin with, and then formulate a plan for buying gear when you're most of the way through with your training. In terms of saving, come up with as much money as you can, no joke. Even if you save enough for your license, a rig with an AAD, and all the goodies to go with it, you still need to pay for jumps. Once you have all your own stuff and a license, jumps will run you about $25 each. It's not uncommon to make 4, 5 or 6 jumps in a day, and it's also not uncommon to jump both Sat and Sun every week. Add it up, $125/day for 6 or 7 days per month, it's in the area of $700 to $800 month on jumps alone. You don't have to jump that much, but you'll want to. There's a joke about how much skydiving costs, and the punch line is something like 'everything you have right now, and 50% of every paycheck for the rest of your life'. It's not far from the truth. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #9 January 21, 2013 AAD (Automatic Activation Device), which is the computer that will deploy your reserve for you (more or less) if you get too low. Quote You mean open the reserve container right? ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scrumpot 1 #10 January 21, 2013 Quote AAD (Automatic Activation Device), which is the computer that will deploy your reserve for you (more or less) if you get too low. Quote You mean open the reserve container right? No, he means will cut the reserve closing loop. coitus non circum - Moab Stone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiverek 54 #11 January 21, 2013 Quote Quote AAD (Automatic Activation Device), which is the computer that will deploy your reserve for you (more or less) if you get too low. Quote You mean open the reserve container right? No, he means will cut the reserve closing loop. And even that's not promised or guaranteed . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quagmirian 40 #12 January 21, 2013 Quote Quote AAD (Automatic Activation Device), which is the computer that will deploy your reserve for you (more or less) if you get too low. Quote You mean open the reserve container right? No, he means will cut the reserve closing loop. No, he means operate the cutter. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #13 January 21, 2013 QuoteYou mean open the reserve container right? Not really. Talking to what is essentially a 'whuffo', I thought it was simple enough to explain it as 'deploying the reserve for you', even if we know that the AAD just cuts the closing loop. Let's face it, even if the literal function of the AAD is to cut the closing loop, the intention of the device is to deploy the reserve parachute, so when explaining it's purpose to a whuffo, that's what I'll go with. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snoa 0 #14 January 21, 2013 Quote There's a joke about how much skydiving costs, and the punch line is something like 'everything you have right now, and 50% of every paycheck for the rest of your life'. It's not far from the truth. Funny, it seems that most of my hobbies have a variation of that phrase >.< I swear I'm going to be broke my whole life with hobbies like this xD Oh well, at least I'll be having fun. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trev_S 0 #15 January 22, 2013 QuoteQuote There's a joke about how much skydiving costs, and the punch line is something like 'everything you have right now, and 50% of every paycheck for the rest of your life'. It's not far from the truth. Funny, it seems that most of my hobbies have a variation of that phrase >.< I swear I'm going to be broke my whole life with hobbies like this xD Oh well, at least I'll be having fun. I have the same problem, sportsbikes and skydiving. I figure if I don't get married or have kids I should be OK. Worst case scenario, I become a male prostitute. Bidding starts at $10. Go Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
uberchris 0 #16 January 22, 2013 Quote There's a joke about how much skydiving costs, and the punch line is something like 'everything you have right now, and 50% of every paycheck for the rest of your life'. It's not far from the truth. youve SEVERELY understated the cost of skydiving with that line. youre forgetting the cost of booze/ travel to boogies. so id say about 75% percent of your paycheck for the rest of your life, no?gravity brings me down......... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snoa 0 #17 January 22, 2013 Considering I don't currently have a job and only have a few hundred bucks on me, I guess skydiving will be fairly cheap for me. Whoo. What a bargain. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #18 January 22, 2013 Quote I think gear wise you can get away with 3k all up if you go real cheap but honestly, would you feel confident jumping some dodgy $1500 rig?. Hey! I resemble that remark. I have TWO rigs under that price. One 1993 and the other 1994, So...My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
