proky100

Thank you all for input on this subject. Good or bad. This wasn’t about buying new versus old equipment. It was more about looking at some numbers for people like me purchasing new rig. It hurts up front but not so much in a long run. I was looking into everything that was said, some was little harsh and do agree that 170 would be good for me in future but not just yet. Order has been changed to 190 and unfortunately Dacron lines had to go. I just came back down from few jumps and can’t wait to go next weekend again. I love this time of year in Florida. to nutellaontoast: I know that feeling but remember that we only live once. How, is up to us. I refuse to lay low, I want to live. Hope you stay in one piece.

There are more DZ's in FL than anywhere else. And about the Dacron lined main.... Even if you could not find it used and had to buy it new..... That does not mean you could not buy a used container and reserve. ***I was just really excited about getting my gear and maybe even hoping for WL approval here on this forum. 1. Stop trying to shop for approval. Especially here. You have no idea who any of us are. 2. Then ask that question, don't try to make a claim that you are making a smart economic choice. If you WANT new gear and can afford it..... By all means, buy it with a smile. But the economic factors do not support a new jumper buying new gear for a first rig. All I was trying to say is that if you take price of a new gear and divide it by years you could use it, it doesn’t look so bad. I’m not here to cause trouble and definitely not encouraging anyone to buy new stuff just because. It was a lot of money for me to come up with as well. If anyone wishes to buy used rig I hope they will find one. I wish them the best. I didn’t so I’m sorry. Instead of trying to bring me down, helping would be a better solution. Just because I’m getting my gear doesn’t mean I have to use it right away. But I guess that doesn’t make much sense to some neither. Safe gear I could depend on was my only intention. So this is my promise. If my instructor or I don’t believe that I’m ready to jump it I WILL NOT. I don’t care if it takes 50 or 200 more jumps. If my wife in any point asks me to stop jumping I WILL STOP. Why? Besides the fact that I love her, money is not that important. My family and health is. As I said before. I have 3 months to jump as much as I can and we’ll see what happens then. I can always scrap Dacron lines for a while and fit that 190 in. Maybe even used.

Seems sort of odd that they don't make a container that a 190 will fit in. I would go with a different company to get the proper main. But that is just me. It was elimination game. I don’t want to go into details why I choose one brand container over other since it creates many strong opinions amongst all the folks here. My problem was Dacron lines. Added bulk of these lines made it impossible to fit in container normally designed for 7 cell 190. Dealer called Wings just to be certain.

I live in Florida and people don’t know how to drive here. My neck and back is proof of it. I was looking for used gear but couldn’t find what I needed. Spectre for slow openings, Dacron lines just in case, not abused for ease of my mind. Would use rig cost less? Absolutely. But it is a puzzle of components and you can consider yourself very lucky if you get gear you want or need with all the variables that go in to it. Your height, weight, shape. Size and style of reserve and main etc. This fits but that doesn’t. In my case I know there is no speculation about my Spectre or Dacron lines. I do need those. It took only 16 jumps and one hard opening to realize that. I just trust my instructors with their decision on size and WL. So if I would be average Joe without injuries that wants to swoop one day my odds of finding something would be much higher. And once I start spending 3 or 4 thousand on used gear it just made more sense to spend few more and get something that fits well with components my body appreciates. I was just really excited about getting my gear and maybe even hoping for WL approval here on this forum. Getting it approved by my wife was another story.

I’m finally getting my own gear. I wanted to buy used at first but when I started to think of used-abused and played with numbers, new rig was making more sense. Each time I rent, it costs me$25 plus $7 at the end of the day for packer to do his thing before the rig can go back on shelf. With the amount of jumping I can realistically do in a month or a year, this puts it to $28.50 on average per jump. So, if I pay $7500 for new gear and sell it say half price or so down the road (if I will be forced to quit), all I have to do is jump it 131 times. I do not count reserve repacks since those are going to be my additional EPs. How often do you get to pull on that silver handle, huh I’ll be jumping the same rig all the time and that is another plus. With my neck and back problems after few car accidents I decided to get Spectre 170 with Dacron lines (here goes 12 weeks of waiting). Wings container is on its way(40% off promo), PD Optimum reserve 176 is next. Just have to decide between Vigil or Cypres. My originally wanted Spectre 190 wouldn’t fit inside of container and my instructor told me that I’ll be fine under 170 so I have 3 months to jump and learn as much as I can. He likes to give me hard time and that proves that he cares and could be trusted. Spectre will be loaded at 1.1 to 1.14 depending on amount of pancakes I eat so hopefully all goes well. I only have 16 jumps so far but by the time all the stuff gets assembled I hope to have 50+ and B license. So please for all of you out there putting 1.14 loading and 16 jumps together try to go easy on me. I’m not a fan of small high performance canopies and I didn’t buy one. I just listen to instructors around me and try to suck some of their knowledge as well along the way. Most importantly, I want to be safe and enjoy skydiving for many years to come

It is slowly going away

I have 4 herniated discs in my neck and after my hard opening I know what you go through. Try this. http://neckpainexercises.com/2010/08/mckenzie-neck-exercises/ This is what keeps me from getting surgery. Good luck

I do SCUBA and first thing they teach you is to equalize. Rapid pressure change will hurt. Don’t jump with cold. Your head will explode. Try this next time. If you are stable to can fly with no hands, grab your nose and gently blow your ears. It will release pressure and stop the pain. When I was doing my AFF I had to do it before 7K otherwise headache took over so much that there was nothing else I could think of. Grab your nose, blow and relax

This is what I‘ve got out of this so far. Enjoy it while it lasts because around jump 50 it might be gone. Still there but for most part gone. If you have bad experience on any jump it could come back again. Anytime you pack your own chute expect to be nervous and be ready to chop it. Relax, smile and enjoy. The gear I jump is rental. I hope it gets maintained well but I don’t believe so. It is old and abused.

I just started skydiving few months ago after being hooked on indoor wind tunnel. I spent over two hours in there and loved every second of it. I can fly absolutely stable on my belly using hands or not. Back fly and everything fun in between. Naturally I’ve decided to go for the real thing. Every time during my AFF I was asking myself the same question: “What in the world am I doing up here?” I was nervous as I could be. I thought it would go away after I get certified but it’s not. I know that something draws me back week after week but it drives me crazy to have these feelings on the way up. I was doing my packing class last weekend and before I jumped my firs pack job, anxiety took over me on plane to a point that I felt tingling in my fingertips. I was just saying to myself: “Relax, you know the drill. It wants to open. Look, locate, peel and punch in case it won’t”. This was jump #15. People tell me it is normal to be nervous and that it will go away. When? How many jumps do I have to go through like this before I feel happy like in the tunnel? How many was it for you guys?