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bdawk

Current recommendations on where to buy rig?

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I know this has been covered but many posts that I've seen are 5 or 10 plus years old. I would guess that some companies have changed as well as some of their sales people who I've seen recommended in other threads.

From a cost and service standpoint where should I be looking and/or who should I be talking to?

Oh also, objectivity.

If there are any other thoughts on something to spend a few extra bucks on vs what to skip. Let me know.

The 2 things I am leaning towards are articulated harness and a MARD - hope to never need it but if I do, every foot may count.

Thanks.

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Talk to your local rigger who will do your assembly, repacks, and maintenance. They might have preferences or references for dealers and manufacturers and can advise you on articulation vs not for your container and body sizes.

As for MARD, I personally go rsl definitely, MARD maybe (but I bought used).

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And don't forget to shop the ads in Parachutists, Blue Skies and on DZ.com. Paragear, Chuting Star, Square 1 and many others are all reputable dealers with great prices and huge inventory. I've dealt with many of them over the years and have had some great service and prices. B|

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Just make sure that you get the right container to fit your main and reserve at the proper wingloading. You don't want to have to go with a smaller reserve because you made the mistake of finding a great deal on a container and then you find out that the reserve you want will not fit inside your container.

Other than that just make sure it fits you for you height, weight and body size/type and you will be good. Articulated harness is nice but not a necessity my Vector II fits great and it isn't articulated.

That brings up another thing you may want to think about is what discipline? You may want to get a rig that is free-fly friendly.

Here is a good article I found that might be helpful. http://www.desertskiesrigging.com/newsletter-1.pdf

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Thanks.

I am still looking at used gear which is quite a process but also new.

It seems that the more recent used gear is not THAT much of a discount over new. Maybe I'm wrong but recent gear (last 5-10 yrs) with new AAD seems to be at least 5500-6000 and new bring maybe 1k higher.

I am looking for a container that will be good for at least one downize.

Thank you for the feedback so far.

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You're correct.
Used gear saves money and time (vs a custom rig waiting to be built). The $1k savings is a lot of skydives to me (or jumpsuit, helmet, altimeter), so I bought used.

Really it's all a damn trap though. Before you know it you'll want a new gadget, alternate helmet, different jumpsuit or spare canopy. Might as well pick up a second rig for quick switches to crw/wingsuit/freefly/whatever your thing is. Eventually you'll get to some training camps and start spending money on travel, lodging, boogie fees, coach jump tickets, and camera fliers... and that's all separate from that damn windy tube and competitions. :)

Just keep jumping while you are shopping for gear and you'll be fine.

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I have personally bought lots of stuff from Chutingstar and Paragear. I can highly recommend them both. I would not recommend handing over any money to an individual middleman who promises great discounts. Many sad outcomes with that route.
"Here's a good specimen of my own wisdom. Something is so, except when it isn't so."

Charles Fort, commenting on the many contradictions of astronomy

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Quote

And don't forget to shop the ads in Parachutists, Blue Skies and on DZ.com. Paragear, Chuting Star, Square 1 and many others are all reputable dealers with great prices and huge inventory. I've dealt with many of them over the years and have had some great service and prices. Cool



Talk to a Independent rigger/instructor (not the person selling it to you) about equipment choices if buying used. I have been seeing people recently buying gear which not right because:

a. Too small for there ability level. (I doesnt matter if the harness fits you. If the smallest canopy you have jumped is a 170 - don't go thinking a 126 reserve is an ok choice).

b. The components are not appropriately sized. The canopies may be oversized for the container. An overstuffed container will look crap and potentially compromised functionality. And your rigger won't appreciate the tight pack jobs or may just plain refuse to pack it.

c. Thinking size is just a number. All canopies are not the same. Some older designs have wing load limitations. A swift is not the same as a PD Reserve. They perform totally different. One is still in production, one is not.

Both were preventable by having an knowledgeable independent 3rd party (rigger) play devils advocate and do you own research.

You can buy some parts used and some part new - its not an all or nothing situation.

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Talk to your rigger and/or instructors about canopy size and style. Have your rigger help you measure for harness sizing.

I'll take a minute to promote Chutingstar. I bought my first rig new. That isn't recommended, but I'm a big boy and wasn't finding anything my size in the used market, and Chutingstar advocated on my behalf with the manufacturers I was looking at to help me get some awesome discounts. I ended up paying barely more what a good used rig would have cost me. Their sales rep, Laura Bales is an A+ person. She handled everything with the manufacturers for me so I had a single point of contact for all my orders and questions and so on.

Here is a link to Chutingstar's expert advice article on gear buying. Here are others like this, just google them.

http://www.chutingstar.com/blog/skydiving-gear-buying-tips/

You can also email the manufacturers and see if they have any deals, discounts, or sales going on. You mentioned Mirage, hey have a Facebook page with completed harness/containers that are on sale. Wings almost always has some kind of 30-40 percent off deal going on, so shop around and ask questions.

Ideally you are average skydiver size and used rigs are a dime a dozen. If you aren't buying new through one of the big companies, go through your rigger. You also don't have to find the perfect rig. If you find something with 3 out of 4 (main, reserve, AAD, harness/container) that is good for you, buy it and swap out components. Example, maybe you find a rig that has all the right sizes but a Katana main and you need something like a Pulse or whatever. Buy he rig and a used Pulse and sell the Katana. Or save the katana for when you start feeling saucy.

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RopeaDope

Example, maybe you find a rig that has all the right sizes but a Katana main and you need something like a Pulse or whatever. Buy he rig and a used Pulse and sell the Katana. Or save the katana for when you start feeling saucy.



I'm dying to see the beginner rig which has all the right components and can house all the appropriately sized canopies, but somehow has a Katana installed in it.
"Skydivers are highly emotional people. They get all excited about their magical black box full of mysterious life saving forces."

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mathrick

***Example, maybe you find a rig that has all the right sizes but a Katana main and you need something like a Pulse or whatever. Buy he rig and a used Pulse and sell the Katana. Or save the katana for when you start feeling saucy.



I'm dying to see the beginner rig which has all the right components and can house all the appropriately sized canopies, but somehow has a Katana installed in it.

Katanas come in 170 sq. ft.;)
I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

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mathrick

***Example, maybe you find a rig that has all the right sizes but a Katana main and you need something like a Pulse or whatever. Buy he rig and a used Pulse and sell the Katana. Or save the katana for when you start feeling saucy.



I'm dying to see the beginner rig which has all the right components and can house all the appropriately sized canopies, but somehow has a Katana installed in it.

It was an exaggerated example, but it would be possible for someone to have a Mirage G4 M5 with Katana 170 and Optimum 193. The same container could hold up to a 210 on some LPV or hybrid canopies.

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When you look at adding all the options that most everyone orders - those prices are way above mine by several hundred dollars.

No games - no advertising a low price for a no optioned rig to get you hooked - just honest prices by an honest dealer.
Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

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Its tricky, but thats how manufacturers decided to deal with.

For example:

Wings base set contains non collapsible pilot chute, cadmium hardware, limited coloring for rig (stripes, pinstripes are optional $$$). So, if you add collapsible pilotchute, ss hardware, it will be among most expensive rigs :)))

Icon NeXgen has almost all options as standard, UPT Vector has magnetic riser covers, quilted back as standard, simple V split coloring is free.......etc. Choosing rig and options you have to compare lot of things, cheapest can be most expensive at the end.

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