Who can I talk to?

[Bth67 0]

I am about to finish up to get my A license and am looking toward getting my new rig. However, I have been jumping at Eloy, Arizona (Skydive Arizona) and it isn't the most personal place. I dont exactly have a rigger to talk to for advice on rigs or anyone to send links to see if something is right for me. I know trusting people online either through here or the subreddit is not advised. So now I am kind of at a loss of what to do in my search for a new rig as I have found some good looking gear but not sure if I should follow through with them.

[firstime 0]

Art Sherry at "the skydive store"

[fluffyduckie 6]

Talk to your instructors. They should have a good idea of what is appropriate for your skill level and ask them to introduce you to some of the local riggers that like to help young jumpers get into the air.

Also a case of beer at the end of the day is a good way to break the ice.

"I love when humans fly,"

[jackwallace 3]

First try stuff on. See if its comfortable, standing and sitting.
When you find something comfortable, borrow or rent it, for a couple jumps.
Ask people why they jump the gear they have and not some other brand. Don't ask really famous people cause they are jumping what's free.
When you have heard the bad stuff about gear, analyze that data and see if its so bad you don't want it.
You will find a lot of brand loyalty. Some DZ's you will see everyone jumping brand A. Go to a different DZ and see all brand B.

U only make 2 jumps: the first one for some weird reason and the last one that you lived through. The rest are just filler.
scr 316

[piisfish 140]

There are 2-3 knowledgeable people in Eloy (or a couple hundred). My first suggestion would be to talk to your instructors, maybe after jumping hours, talk to Square 2, ask around at the Bent Prop. You will already have some real people advice.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Traveling_Clyde 0]

Talk to Margy at Square Two.

[piisfish 140]

My suggestions were for more "neutral" advice, but also remember that if you throw a rock in any direction in Eloy, chances are pretty high you will hit a rigger.
Also you have 2 civilian manufacturers for rigs (1 of which also manufactures canopies) right there, at 5 minutes by foot from manifest. (Rigging Innovations and Firebird).
And if you want a nice and inexpensive rig, ask RI if they would make a Genera for you. It is not fancy bling bling, but very efficient and at a very good price (or used to be).
Before buying, put in the balance : what you need, what you want, what is available on the market and what is your budget.
I do not recommend buying new (or expensive) gear at an early stage (better save on the gear and spend on the jumps). You will get a better notion with time of the evolution you want to give to your gear renewal.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[CrashProne 4]

First rig? “Buy used” is the correct answer probably 90% of the time.

[PhreeZone 20]

Another option is Carmen, she is out at the BentProp and is a master rigger. She can get you thoughts on gear also.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[Moosie 0]

Lyman at Desert Sky, Carmen at the school, Aviva just down the road, and about a million others. RI and Firebird practically (but not quite) on site. There are a ton of knowledgeable people/riggers in Eloy. You just have to ask around.
Wander into the Prop on a Thursday (Taco night), grab some $1 tacos, a beer or two, and ask around. Most of those people will send you in very good directions. And your bartender may even be Carmen herself.

[RockSkyGirl 10]

I got my A at SDAZ a bit over three years ago and like you I felt a bit lost when it came to who to ask for help when I had questions. I felt cast to the wind, so to speak!

First, Square2 has a great rental program. They have a LOT of different gear you can try, and renting in the beginning is a good idea for three reasons: 1) it gives you a chance to try different things and see what you actually like; 2) you'll put a lot of wear and tear on the gear you jump for awhile while you are learning and it's better when it's not on YOUR gear; and 3) many people transition at least a couple main canopy sizes (and hence container sizes) fairly quickly after getting licensed, and you'll save money in the long run if you buy gear that you're not going to quickly outgrow. #2 and #3 are also very good reasons to buy your first rig used! As you progress and experiment, Margie at Square2 will be a great resource for you. John Lyman who runs Desert Skies Rigging (attached to the school building) is also a fantastic resource, and he has two sections on his website about shopping for used gear. He also sells used gear on consignment, and does inspections on gear you might be interested in purchasing (for a fee of course), as will Aviva Maidman, who owns Red Sky Rigging.
Here is the link to the section of Lyman's website which talks about buying used gear. Scroll down the links on the left side of the page and you'll find parts 1 & 2. http://desertskiesrigging.com/education-and-training/

Another great resource for you after you get your A is AXIS Flight School. You'll take your B license canopy course from them. Niklas helped me decide on which canopy to buy when I was trying to decide on my first main, based on how I'd been flying with the ones I'd been demoing and what he'd seen of my skill level when I took the B course.

Carmen does AFF at the school, flies video, and she is also a rigger, so she is also a great person to ask. Rich LaBarr is one of the more approachable instructors and unless he's swamped he'll take the time to give you a thorough answer to your questions.

A few of the very experienced local jumpers, like Alex Swindle (who sometimes works for the school, and also teaches wingsuit first flight courses through Phoenix-Fly, once you've hit #200; he was the one who told me to make sure my main canopy was highly visible colors) and Remi (Remster on dzdotcom) can also give solid advice without showing too much brand bias as many of the sponsored jumpers will.

There are three local gear manufacturers. Firebird and Rigging Innovations, who make containers, have already been listed in other posts on this thread; and Sandy Reid from RI will be around the dz on 10/28 evening because he judges the Halloween costume contest (the overall winner gets a free Curv container - so you might want to think about building a wicked costume and going for the grand prize...). You can ask Sandy all your container questions if you're there when he is (or you can walk over to the RI building near the hangars and ask for a tour). The other local manufacturer is IPT (Innovative Parachute Technologies). They make awesome main canopies. Square2 has IPT Axon canopies as a rental option, and Ken and Rachel Sego, owners of IPT, are on the dz almost every weekend and are always keen to discuss gear.

If there's someone on the list above that you haven't yet met and would like to, shoot me a message after you get your A and the next time we're on the dz at the same time I'll introduce you.