Salty

People are unlikely to see status, but if you go to the Articles section (available from the main dropzone.com page), there are several that are applicable, starting on page 2 "Know Your Gear" parts 1 and 2. Page 5 has articles on buying new and used gear. Page 8 has an article on buying your first gear.

Normally, the advice is to buy something that you're comfortable jumping NOW, rather than one you'll downsize into. Because you can make a lot more mistakes on larger canopies without hurting yourself, and you will learn from those mistakes.

In the forums, you can find a lot of discussion (and places to talk) in the Gear and Rigging section. It's searchable, so you can look first to see if some of the questions have already been answered -- but it's fine to ask them, too, because gear has changed with time, so what was a current canopy 15 years ago may no longer be.

Good luck, and enjoy skydiving

Wendy P. (moderator)