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Yung_Seezy

How much do you save when buying stock gear?

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After this season is up i would like to save up for my own rig by next season. I have been doing my research and thinking of all my options and don't think i want to go with used gear. Money will be a little tight just because I am only 19 so i was wondering would buying stock be worth it? How much would I be able to get a stock wings container or a stock sabre 2 canopy for?

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The only advantage of ordering a PD stock canopy is that you have a delivery time of a few days instead of a few weeks. As far as I know this is the same for containers.

Stock is not cheaper and you will not safe money by ordering stock. Try to look into some gear bundles from the big dealers instead.
Nice words are not always true - and true words are not always nice.

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If you want to save, consider also the dedicated "custom but stock" containers such as Genera / Dolphin / Shadow Racer (to be honest, Wings is also positioned close to that segment if you don't choose extra options). They're designed to be inflexible in the looks department, which makes them cheaper to manufacture and thus own a custom container tailored to you. Really, if you want to buy new, a container is probably the most important part, because it's fitted to your body. There's no such difference in canopies, which differ in colours only, but are otherwise identical for the given size and model. So buying a used canopy in good condition has none of the downsides a container made for someone else does.
"Skydivers are highly emotional people. They get all excited about their magical black box full of mysterious life saving forces."

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Alright thanks, i actually found a vector v344 with a pdr 160 reserve in the classifieds section that im also considering. It says it fits me and the canopy sizes i would need. It was manufactured in 98, is that a big deal? Like is there any difference in a vector from 98 compared to like a newer one? Sorry for such a nood question i literally got my A license 2 days ago so now im starting to look into getting my own rig.

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There will be differences, as gear is constantly tweaked, but as long as it's airworthy, you can jump in it just fine, and it's going to be generally the same stuff as any other V3. Myself I currently jump a 22-yo Vector II, so old gear can totally do its job still :).

If you buy gear not through a store, remember to run it through a rigger you trust. The details of how to do it will differ based on your exact location, but many riggers will do escrow for you -- seller sends gear to the rigger, rigger inspects it and tells you what the condition is and whether it fits the description, you pay, the rigger releases the gear. That way you don't buy blind, and the seller doesn't send valuable gear to a random guy who's then free to make a run for it. You will want inspection anyway, so it's not even much of overhead for you. Be mindful of the reserve -- how many repacks and rides it had, and also check what environment the rig was used in. A nice grassy DZ with enclosed packing area isn't the same as ocean sandy beach landings or middle of Arizona desert.
"Skydivers are highly emotional people. They get all excited about their magical black box full of mysterious life saving forces."

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I don't know, I'm not a rigger, I've not seen the reserve nor can I inspect one, I don't know what canopy it is, and I don't feel confident at valuing reserve canopies. The right person to do so is a rigger. Talk with your friends, find a rigger with good reputation, then talk with them to find the best solution. It might be escrow, it might be having the seller commission an inspection by a rigger of their own choice, then trusting them they're relaying the truth if the person is in your network and you have enough mutual friends who can vouch for their honesty. But I'm not the one to make the call.
"Skydivers are highly emotional people. They get all excited about their magical black box full of mysterious life saving forces."

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Yung_Seezy

Does this sound alright for $1500?



Depends on a lot of things you can't tell over the Internet. But in principle, the price is in the ballpark, so you're at least not wasting your time looking into it more closely.

It's a pain, but paying to have it shipped to you and inspected by someone local might be worthwhile, on the condition that you ship it back if it's not good.

In principle you could have someone trusted by both parties near the seller do it, but the problem with being new is you don't have many contacts yet. But you could ask at your DZ to see if anyone you know, knows someone at the other end - it's a small fishbowl we all swim in around here.
--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

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maggyrider

The only advantage of ordering a PD stock canopy is that you have a delivery time of a few days instead of a few weeks. As far as I know this is the same for containers.

Stock is not cheaper and you will not safe money by ordering stock. Try to look into some gear bundles from the big dealers instead.



Stock rigs from wings are 40% off base price with options at full price so they are cheaper if you were going to add those options anyway. And what's wrong with us small dealers? We do package deals too!
www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

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The advice I give to most young jumpers is to purchase some used gear with the view that you'll use it for a season before downsizing to the canopy/rig that really suits you. I also think it's worthwhile to consider more popular containers like Vector or Javelin because they're easier to resell than some others.

I did 280/260 for the IAD program, a couple jumps on a 210 then 170 for about 200 jumps, then 150 for 600 jumps now on a 129 and I'm not interested in going smaller than that.

I don't recommend such a rapid downsizing at the beginning but it gives you an idea of how the curve generally works. 170 and 150 will generally fit in the same size rig 210 and 170 would be extreme.

-Michael

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