To Rent or Travel with Gear?

[guppykf 0]

Decisions decisions..rent gear or take new gear through Nashville airport to AZ?? Going out on business but have some open time between some tunnel training and work. Thinking I may be able to get 5 or so jumps everything.

$80 / day to rent (thinking 2 jumping days)..but so far only 3 jumps on new gear...what do you all think?

anyone travel through Nashville lately with their gear? I've read the posts with the airport recommendations such as having my AAD x-ray scan card and making sure the hook knife is checked baggage. Just wondering if anyone has went through Nashville as of late with their stuff and any other helpful suggestions?

THRIVING IN MY DASH!!

[robblack31 0]

Take your rig. Traveling with your rig is not that big of a deal. I always try to put mine in a gear bag as a carry on. Print this out

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1147.shtm

in case they give you a hard time. Happy travels. AZ is great!

[wildcard451 0]

My hook knife stayed with the rig last few times I flew. Not a second look.

[countzero 7]

take your rig. don't know about the DZ you are going to, but at my DZ the rental gear is also the student gear and students get priority. so there have been times a fun jumper renting has to sit out a few loads while student uses the rig they are renting. with your rig with you you'll be sure to make all the loads you want to flex the mad skills you leaned in the tunnel.

diamonds are a dawgs best friend

[BIGUN 1,085]

Take you own gear... even with only a few dives, there will be less rental gear fear and your dives will go better. Gear & airports really aren't much of a problem anymore.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[FrEaK_aCcIdEnT 0]

Quote

Take your rig. Traveling with your rig is not that big of a deal. I always try to put mine in a gear bag as a carry on. Print this out

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1147.shtm

in case they give you a hard time. Happy travels. AZ is great!

Clicky:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1147.shtm

ExPeCt ThE uNeXpEcTeD!
DoNt MiNd ThE tYpOs, Im LaZy On CoRrEcTiOnS!

[freefalljason 0]

I have flown out of BNA (Nashville) several times with my rig. Most recently was summer 2009. I have never had a problem with it.

The first time, I packed it in a hard suitcase and checked it. When I got to my destination it had a tag on it saying that it had been opened by the TSA. I was not notified they were going to open it but everything seemed OK (unlike some other horror stories I have heard about).

After that I ALWAYS carry it on so it's never out of my sight. I usually put it in a gear bag to cut down on the odd looks and questions that you get when you board the plane with a rig over your sholder.

I keep my hook knife on the rig and I do have an AAD. I just carry the info that USPA recommends on their website.

About renting gear.... Would you rather jump your gear that you are familier with and have 3 jumps on or would you rather jump some gear that you know nothing about that you have NEVER jumped before?

Hope this helps.

Blue Skies,
Jason

[guppykf 0]

That was one of my questions..i know when I go to a jump vacation my gear would be an easy thought process. but since this is a "business" trip and onlydoing a few jumps I was battling whether which to do ...rent or take. Good point about rental gear fears. Plus the more time I can have under my gear probably the safest

THRIVING IN MY DASH!!

[guppykf 0]

GREAT POINTS!! Thanks for all the insight.

THRIVING IN MY DASH!!

[halorob 0]

I put my rig in a ski/hiking bag one time. It went through the scanner and they were like what the heck is this? I said it was a parachute and the guys were like oh, ok. Called some dude and they did a swab check for explosives. They failed to see my rig was INSIDE the backpack. They thought my backpack was my rig, lol. So I just went with it. Took like 2 minutes total.

[CygnusX-1 42]

First, if it were me, I'd take my own gear. But here are a few points to think about.

1) You only have 3 jumps on your gear right now. So in reality you don't know your gear that well, imo. So going from that to rental gear isn't that big of a difference.

2) What are you going to do with your gear while you are on business? Are you going to leave it in a hotel room? Are you going to lock it in your rental car? Are you going to take it with you to your business meetings?

3) How long is this business trip? Is is possible to jump more or less days? You say you could jump 2 days. Could that possibly become no days due to business and/or weather? Could it become 4 days due to the right conditions?

The main points I'm trying to make here are is it worth the risk and/or hassle of taking your own gear vs renting gear. How would you feel if your gear was stolen (from your car or hotel) while you were doing business stuff? I would look at renting gear as more of insurance against something bad happening to your own gear while you are on business. But only you can make that decision for yourself. Like I said, if it were me, I'd take my own gear.

[edit to add:]

Oh ya, forgot one thing. How would your company feel if you got injured while jumping on a business trip? Some may look at that as an unnecessary risk and if you miss your flight back, you may have to find (pay) your own way back and/or any other expenses along the way.

[guppykf 0]

1. Yes, new gear, just finished paying the credit card this month...woo hoo!
2. while doing business it would be in the hotel; It is a nicer hotel due to the business trip side of things, but you are right you can never be too safe
3. Travelling Wed - Sat. so free on Wednesday, but the other days depends on how the meetings go, but I think 1 day will be full with work but the others may only be partial days...it just depends.

THRIVING IN MY DASH!!

[CygnusX-1 42]

If it is a nicer hotel then, I would suggest you put it into their "lock-up". Not sure what the right terminology is for it, but usually they have a room where you can put stuff and you get a ticket for said item and the hotel is then responsible for the item. Talk to the concierge.

If you were planning on jumping on Wed, then I would really find out what your company policy is. I know with my company, if I was jumping at the start of a trip and got injured such that I couldn't attend the meeting, I would not have a job when I got home.

I know these things, because I debated doing exactly what you are doing on one of my business trips. But after finding out the company policies, I determined it just was not worth it. I did stop by the DZ, though.

[davelepka 4]

Another quick thought, make sure you check on the distance from your hotel to the DZ, and check on what time sunset is.

Remember that being a newer jumper, when you arrive at a new DZ you need to leave time for signging the waivers, and getting an orientation to the DZ, landing area, and how the place operates. If you plan on renting gear, add time to get that squared away as well. You could be looking at an hour or two on the DZ before you're ready to manifest for a load.

If you're not current by USPA standards (what is it, 60 days between jumps for an A license?) you'll be asked to do a currency jump with an instructor. You can save time by calling ahead and seeing if you can make an appointment with an instructor so you don't have to wait in line with the students when you arrive.

Also, if you're planning to jump during the week, call and make sure the place is open during the week. Even the big DZs generally have a day off, or a short day or two during the week.