I've put together the following gear price comparison information for skydivers in the market for new or used gear. This is a brief but direct overview on some of the more popular skydiving gear that we see come through ChutingStar. The following info will give you a brief education on how to value used gear against new gear, and then you can determine which is the best choice for you.

Read more: Gear Price Comparison Info

(Published in the September 2009 edition of Blue Skies Magazine.)

You’ve talked to your local instructors, scoured dropzone.com, clicked through the gear shop web sites and even ventured into the risky E-Bay waters. Yet that first rig continues to elude you. Although you’d love to go all new, the cash isn’t there. So finding something used or continuing to rent seems to be your only remaining options.

Read more: Best Fit/Value for 1st Rig

(Published in the June 2006 issue of Skydiving Magazine.)

If the used skydiving gear you are buying isn't local or hasn't been serviced by your local rigger recently, a "pre-buy" inspection should be a condition of the final sale. Having an established rigger, rigging loft or drop zone owner act as the middle-man in all used gear purchases not only protects the buyer, but also the seller.

Read more: Used Gear Inspections/Escrow

(Published and reprinted from the June 2006 issue of Skydiving Magazine. Also published in Australian Skydiver Magazine.)

I spend as much time talking to new skydivers about how and where to buy gear as I do actually rigging, instructing and skydiving. There is a good amount of basic gear information that applies to all new skydivers. If the new skydiver had this basic knowledge first, it would make finding the right gear easier, faster and a safer transaction for all parties involved. So what does the new skydiver looking for gear need to know?

Read more: Gear Buying Tips

U.S. Skydivers today have a choice in the Automatic Activation Device (AAD) to have installed in their reserve container as a backup safety device. An AAD cuts the reserve container closing loop if the skydiver is exceeding a set speed at a set altitude. For most sport skydivers, the activation speed is the same (78 mph or greater), but activation altitudes vary from 750 to 840 feet.

Read more: AADs: Which One To Buy?

Every month or so our loft has a new jumper come through who wants to find the “best deal” on a rig. They usually are interested in finding used equipment either online or through a classified ad.

This is fine, but start locally to reduce the hassle. Most DZ’s and gear shops have used gear available from jumpers who skydive right there and local riggers know a lot about the condition and history of the rig, AAD and its parachutes. And gear bought through a gear shop has usually been inspected by a rigger.

Read more: Online Used Gear