beginners equipment

[taylor.freefall 0]

I'm new to skydiving and I've been looking around at equipment etc, anyway I was wondering if anybody knows a company/companies that sell beginners stuff and then maybe you could trade that back in/do a deal to upgrade as you get better. Ive been looking around but not really found anything like that but I'm sure there must be?

[PhreeZone 20]

If you are in California then look at Square1. They do a deal where you put down the money to buy a rig and then can rent rigs for a given time peroid for free until you decided what you want then use your money on deposit to pay towards the new gear.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[councilman24 37]

Fill in your profile and maybe we can help more. Aside from square 1 or maybe some other dealers at large DZ's not so much what your looking for. But at smaller active DZ's newbie rigs often get sold to the next guy every season or two until they're worn out or out of date. We had several rigs at our DZ that went through 5 or 6 owners, all newbie first rigs that got sold to the next guy.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[maurice1369 0]

hey man you should check out the Evolution Program offered at www.zoodive.com. It seems like a good system and they offer good canopies and the container they offer is also very good.

EXPECT THE WORST, HOPE FOR THE BEST!!!

[DrewEckhardt 0]

Quote

If you are in California then look at Square1. They do a deal where you put down the money to buy a rig and then can rent rigs for a given time peroid for free until you decided what you want then use your money on deposit to pay towards the new gear.

What's fun in 100 jumps isn't going to be safe now, so the average male skydiver is going to go through 2-3 rigs and 6-7 canopies arriving at a combination they're going to keep indefinitely. Some people skip sizes although that's false economy since even a tibia/fibula fracture is going to set you back your $2000 share of the $20,000 total the insurance company negotiated plus the thousands of dollars in lost wages your short term disability insurance doesn't cover (1 week exclusion and 60% of wages is typical). Without insurance it would be very expensive. It also hurts and means no skydiving for a few months.

Since many people prefer $600 used canopies with 600 jumps and fresh lines over $1200 parachutes with 200 jumps that fly the same, resales are going to be easier and the total cost to you lower for all those rigs and canopies when the new jumper buys used gear they can resell for what they paid (or at least that less only $1 a jump for depreciation). With patience and an eye for deals the new jumper may even make money in the process.

Used gear is a much better idea when the new jumper doesn't want to spend $5500 up front (I paid $1700 for my first set of gear), be sitting on nearly double that when they change containers + reserves, and potentially be loosing hundreds of dollars on canopy changes and more on rig changes.

Odd body shapes and sizes may call for a new harness, although that can be a few hundred dollar alteration instead of a $1200-$2000 new container.