BigTom99

Lots of good advice on here. One thing that comes to mind is that it sounds like you were pretty distracted and freaked out before you even got on the plane. It's fine to be nervous, but if you are really having some issues on the ground you can always talk to your instructor and ask to get put on a later load while you re-center yourself. He might be grumpy, but remember that it is your call when/if you are going to jump. Remember, you are ultimately the one in charge of your own safety and you should never let anyone or anything (including yourself) pressure or rush you into something you aren't ready for or feeling up to.

Stanford huh? How about that game on Saturday? :) Anyway OP, I was at USC from 05-09 and I remember I briefly looked into starting a club, but if I remember correctly 1) I think most colleges are pretty hesitant about officially endorsing skydiving for students. Even if they don't have any liability, it could be bad PR if a member of the "USC Skydiving Club" goes splat. 2) I had trouble finding any other skydivers in school. It seems like most people wait until they're old enough to have a bucket list before they give it a shot. :) But I'm down in San Diego now if you're looking for somebody to jump with.

You got it. It's a very decked out Vector 3 (Skyhook, articulated harness, stainless, and probably some more goodies now that I know what options to ask about). But I wasn't asking about whether it was a deal, just whether gear shops are firm on their prices for used gear. I think I have a decent sense now. Thanks everybody.

I'm looking at buying my first rig and I had a couple of quick questions. I've searched the forums and come up with a bunch of things to look for, but I was curious about a couple of things. If I'm buying a used rig from my DZ's gear store, how much room for negotiation is there, or is their listed price really "the price"? Specifically, the rig I'm looking at consists of the container ($2150) and a reserve ($950), I'll worry about the main and AAD later. Both are the right size/fit for me and the prices seem fairly reasonable according to my research, but is it worth throwing out a lowball offer for the set (say 2800-3000) or would I be wasting my time? Thanks

These come out sometime this summer. I'm probably going to pick them up unless anybody has a good reason they wouldn't work for skydiving. http://www.macvideo.tv/camera-technology/news/index.cfm?newsId=3209887&pagType=samechandate

you should add "the movie Point Break" to the list

haha, oh man. I did a tandem as my first jump and just thinking about doing another one now is giving me major butterflies in my stomach. I would probably be more nervous now than I was the first time. so weird...

hey, at least it isn't as much of a road trip as NC

well i do love a good road trip...

haha. yeah my bad. i meant in the U.S. There's no way the parents would let him go outside the country

hey. i have a sixteen year old brother who wants to do a tandem. we live in San Diego and i wanted to know where the closest DZ is that allows 16 year olds to jump. thanks