jlyons

I think you will like having a new container. I also was baffled when it came time to buying gear (being a newbie and all) and spent many a night harboring over different gear sites, new and used, and reading responses to threads such as these. In the end, I decided on a new custom container and bought the CYPRES, the reserve, and my main used. There are some great deals to be had if you search long enough. My advice is to order your container and while you are waiting for five to ten weeks to receive it (in my case eleven weeks) you will have more than plenty of time to shop the web and local deals. Don't be disconcerted...there is cheap equipment out there. I was able to buy everything but my container for so cheap that I was able to spend much more on customizing my rig (i.e. colors, hip rings, etc.) I paid $150 for my Sabre 170, $400 for my CYPRES that was good for five more years, and $200 for a PD160R with zero jumps on it! As for the wounds you might put on your rig...it is inevitable...I biffed my rig so badly in my first 50 jumps... way more than anyone at the DZ, but no matter how many grass stains or cement scuffs I acquired, a little Woolite always did the trick (even on light gray). Sure I was pissed a few times in the beginning, but the people at the DZ simply made me realize that those beauty scarrs are what give your rig its joie de vivre, or its personality. It will be, after all, a new part of your family.

I hear you...it's not the cold that keeps me away, it's usually the clouds or wind that come with the cold in Missouri. Also the dz is only open on the weekend which narrows the window considerably.

Tom, it would be great to get down to Eloy, in fact, some of my jumping buddies from Kansas were down there during New Year's. Unfortunately, I only had enough money and time this winter season to make one trip and that was reserved for skiing in Colorado. $200 is a killer price. Where are you finding these? I looked at flights to Florida at the same time, just in case, and haven't found anything less that $280. In respect to the "currency" concept with the A license, I can relate. I live in northern Missouri (for now, not long), outside of Kansas City and the winter weather usually is cold and bleak. I have run passed the sixty day currency rule twice and it sucks, so it's great that you can eliminate this annoyance by going to Eloy. However, if you ever are not current, the satisfaction that someone is simply there to make sure you aren't too rusty while flying is quite nice. It's always good to to be a current jumper, especially as new jumpers to the sport which we both are. Being a rusty jumper (like I am right now) sucks. Have fun in Eloy.

Just wondering if anyone else out there in the cold climates of the earth just get a bit irritated when they have to spend months out of the air due to shit weather? This complication caused me to apply to graduate schools for next year where it is warm year round. Blue skies...please.

I am going to be traveling with my rig for the first time as a carry-on for a flight and will be traveling with it extensively for about four months. All of you out there that have traveled with your rigs before, does it cause problems? I have read the FAA document and know that it is fine legally, but do you still get harassed sometimes? I am just wondering if it is common to have to unpack your main? I know they can legally ask you to unpack your reserve as long as they escort you to a private place in which you can unpack it...but does this happen frequently? I am under the impression that it does not, but I would like to know.

*** Excuse my ignorance (still a rookie). Don't ever think that you can't ask questions in this sport. This sport relies on the passing on of information about fine detail. There are no dumb questions, the only dumb thing is when someone hurts themselves because they don't ask. No matter how many jumps I have I will always ask questions and I learn from people who have less jumps than myself.

I have a little less than a hundred jumps so I am still a rookie, but let me tell you that when you are nearing your A license you will want a canopy and a rig quickly afterwards. I don't know what your financial situation is but I decided to order a new container and put the rest together used. Yes, all canopies act differently and of course the older ones are not going to be as efficient as new ones, but none of them are going to straight out suck. Just stick with a square ZP canopy for your first. I bought a twelve year old Sabre 170 with over 1200 jumps on it. The flare was weak, but hell, I didn't REALLY know that until I just bought my Hornet 170 which only has 200 jumps. Now I understand how easy flaring can be, but hey, I picked up that Sabre for $100, you can't beat that, and I also kept it as an alternate chute to jump. As long as you don't over wing load you should have descent landings, even with an old canopy with weak flare. Blue skies.

I own a Sabre and a Hornet. I like them both and both are very different. The Hornet definitely does NOT have a smaller pack volume. It always fits in the bag much tighter.

I bought a Vector 3 M-Series for my first rig and I love it. There are many good things about this rig. The reserve pin flap is the most secure I've seen. The way the flap pinches up and under is very secure and it has never even looked like it was about to come open, even while sit flying; some other rigs on the market are not as tight, like the Mirage, it seems to always have a hump that you can see through. The Vector 3 M-Series has coverage on all four sides so that nothing can penetrate the pin. Also, the shape is extremely aerodynamic and looks awesome. The first reaction I had from someone at my dz was that they couldn't believe that a 170 would fit in it. The internal riser covers and the riser cover flaps are also very secure; nothing exposed. There are only two things that I wish were different on the M-Series, and they seem to be what many other people feel should be changed also, that the CYPRES could be visible (like on the mirage) instead of being covered in the yoke, and that the shoulder straps were a bit more comfortable (like Wings), although they aren't truly uncomfortable. If the Relative Workshop were to make these slight changes I think they would probably have the best rig on the market, although I think they still do. My next rig will be another Vector from RW.

You have a nice little web sight, the Porter ride looked fun.

No offense taken in the least, and those were MY words, not the DZ, I think they have made their point abundantly clear. J.

So you're one of those people that like to stereotype other groups of people without actually knowing who they are and what they're about eh? A little word of advice, if you're going to call people names like we all did in elementary school and label the midwest as "Hicks," you should do it in the privacy of your own home, that way the hundreds of people who read this won't find out how much ignorance you actually retain.