Old Raven 1 Reserve

[freefall-fast 0]

Been out of the sport for about 7 years, C license. Sold my gear due to divorce type situation. I want to piece another rig together, I see a seller from Poland has a Raven 1 reserve manufactured from the mid 90s with few jumps and a good price. Any thoughts? His ad states age does not affect the canopy nor does FAA regulate the age.

[sammielu 3]

Ask your rigger. Some will decline to deal with reserves older than 20 years.

Personally, it's quite a gamble to buy from another country and risk getting gear that is not serviceable that you may or may not be able to use (after inspection and dealing with customs).

[freefall-fast 0]

Thank You, I agree. Im in the military and I see that manufactures are giving some good discounts on new gear, no need to cheap out on safety.

[DJL 232]

Yeah, you'll find that the gear has gotten much more slick, comfortable, safe, improved. No need to grab that old shit.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[pchapman 261]

I think in Poland they have a 20 year rule, so older reserves do become available at a moderate price. (One such seller is a regular poster here.)

I'm ok with older reserves in general, but you would want to think about how long you want to keep the gear... after all, in 10 years it'll be 30 years old. Also, whether the Raven 1 is appropriate to you in terms of wing loading, as it is an older design. And if you were getting into higher speed flight (eg, head down), perhaps a canopy with more modern features like spanwise bracing would be more welcome (even if another canopy might actually be certified to the same level -- like TSO-C23c cat B -- and could be argued to be similar).

Is it a better deal, for example, to pay more for a 10 year old PD reserve or similar?

[riggerrob 558]

Ravens are okay canopies as long as you load them within the manufacturer's recommendations.
Anyone who hangs more than 185 pounds under a Raven 1 is a stupid, fat, white man.