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dontlikemustard

can you do payments on skydiving gear?

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Im getting my AFF soon and I am planning on doing my get my A license by the end of summer.

I really don't want to keep wasting money on renting equipment past my first 25 jumps, and I also dont think I can afford to drop around 5k on gear by the end of summer.

Do companies take any kind of monthly payments or financing considering the high initial cost?

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Buy USED gear & finance lift tickets! B|



+1

After you've done your first couple of jumps, and are sure you want to continue, talk to a few people around the DZ, there is bound to be a bunch of decent 2nd hand gear for sale. You also have the advantage of being able to show the gear to your instructor so he can inspect it and tell you if its decent and suitable.

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Buy USED gear & finance lift tickets! B|



+1

After you've done your first couple of jumps, and are sure you want to continue, talk to a few people around the DZ, there is bound to be a bunch of decent 2nd hand gear for sale. You also have the advantage of being able to show the gear to your instructor so he can inspect it and tell you if its decent and suitable.


+2

And don't buy a canopy that's to small for your weight & experience level.

Take care of it and you'll be able to sell it to another young jumper, and trade up if you want to.B|
One Jump Wonder

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Im getting my AFF soon and I am planning on doing my get my A license by the end of summer.

I really don't want to keep wasting money on renting equipment past my first 25 jumps, and I also dont think I can afford to drop around 5k on gear by the end of summer.

Do companies take any kind of monthly payments or financing considering the high initial cost?



People selling used gear (which you'll be buying since you can't afford new gear. I paid $1700 for my first used rig complete and $700 for the second with container and reserve) generally don't take payments.

People selling new gear usually take credit cards.

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I also dont think I can afford to drop around 5k on gear by the end of summer.



Buy used and cut that number in half. For one, $2.5k is less than $5k, so that's good. The other thing is that you'll want to downsize or change your gear within the first 100 or 150 jumps, and if you buy new you'll lose a ton of money on resale with so few jumps on the gear.

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Not sure of the details but Chicagoland Skydiving Center has a gear store that finances gear.

Pretty sure there are others but the problem, as many has stated, is that you will likely have to by new.

I'd figure out a way to buy used.
Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

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thanks for the replies... just wondering, is it at all risky to buy used?



If you just rock up and buy the first thing you see, yes it is.

If you get advice from your instructors and a good rigger, and get the kit inspected by a rigger, not so much.

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thanks for the replies... just wondering, is it at all risky to buy used?

im not really planning on going cheap considering its my life on the line.



I've had 12 rigs so far only 3 were bought new/custom made.

There is a LOT of good safe gear out there at a reasonable price. Look around, learn, ask question and seek advise.










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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thanks for the replies... just wondering, is it at all risky to buy used?



It might be safer than buying new.

A woman I knew didn't know about the missing stitching in her new rig until after she jumped it and found herself under canopy in an odd position. She got a free container as a result of the experience but I wouldn't want to try that.

As Spectra "microline" replaced Dacron it took us a couple deaths to realize that grommet seating that worked with the old style lines wasn't good enough for the new lines.

Some of the first popular electronic AADs fired when they shouldn't have until they got temporary external shielding and permanent internal shielding on their next factory service.

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im not really planning on going cheap considering its my life on the line.



You'll do fine if you get advice from competent parachute riggers on what to buy and have a pre-payment gear inspection (people often run deals through a rigger who holds money and gear in escrow until he does that) to catch wear/assembly/manufacturing issues.

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Deland has a buy to own program... put down a payment and never pay for rentals for like 6 months...a great way to progress without paying for a rig all at once. The only problem is you don't always get to jump the rig you want...sometimes it is being used by someone else.
I bought my container...then added a main and reserve over a few months. Worked great for me.
Fear is the thief of dreams.....

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