buying a first rig

[superstu 0]

hey everyone, i'm new to the sport (30 jumps) and i am now looking for a good first rig that is under $2000. i've looked in the classified section and have seen a few that have interested me but had some questions. one is how do you know if it's a good rig before you actually buy it? Can you test it out some how and if you don't like it send it back or something? basically if anybody can give a me a run through of how this work that would be great.
and for those of you out there looking to sell your complete rig, i'm 5'11'' 160lbs. i'm looking at a main in the 170-190 range preferably a sabre, a PD reserve above 190, and a cypres. my price range is around $1500 to $2000, or less would be nice but i know that's asking a lot.
thanks a lot, and have fun

Slip Stream Air Sports
Do not go softly, do not go quietly, never back down

[hobbes4star 0]

yes most people will let you jump the rig you are interested in. also have your rigger check it out and ask him/her if it is a good asking price for it's condition.

if fun were easy it wouldn't be worth having, right?

[Jessica 0]

When I bought my rig two years ago, this is what happened.

I found an ad on enclave.com (sorry HH!) that roughly fit my specs. I e-mailed the owner to see if he still had it. He did. I asked my instructors if the gear and price were good. They said yep. So I telephoned the gear's owner, and we arranged for him to ship it directly to my rigger care of the dropzone.

The rigger checked it out, I demoed it a few times, my instructors gave me the thumbs up, and I sent the guy a money order.

Skydiving is for cool people only

[PhreeZone 15]

I did the same as Jessica on my irg,b ut I found it on here. The thing was I had to get a copy of the cashiers check emailed to the seller before he would mail me the rig. This proved to him I had the money and it let me inspect the rig. I mailed him the check 5 hours after getting the rig.

For under 2000 you probally won't get a Cypres. Figure a good condition Sabre is 500, Reserve is 600ish and a container is 600-1200 (Dolphin- Vector 3). THat leaves little money for a cypres. Just be aware that the Cypres only has a life span of 12 years then they have to be retired... A 10 year old unit that is up to date is only worth about $150...

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[scottbre 0]

Quote

For under 2000 you probally won't get a Cypres.

If you look around long enough you can find some good deals. My first rig (vector 2, raider220, firelite174, cypres) cost me less than 1200 bucks. Course the cypres was like 7 years old at the time, but it's doubtful that I will still have that rig in 2006 when the cypres is not airworthy, so it was a good deal for a first rig.

BTW, I'm closing in on 200 jumps, and am still jumping the same rig, except now I have a spectre170 main, and my cypres is currently out of the rig because I just got it back from getting its 8 year check.

Just remember, your first rig is the one that you are going to do a lot of learning on. So you will likely beat it up more than rigs you will buy later. Plus you will eventually want to downsize, so don't spend a lot of money on your first rig. Wait until you're experienced enough to know what you want, so that what you get will last you a long time.

"Your mother's full of stupidjuice!"
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