Need an AAD during the time your unit is in for maintenance? Or just one to get you by until you can save for a new AAD, or find a great deal on a used one?
ChutingStar has 11 CYPRES 2 Changeable units available for rental at just over $2 a day!
Here's the scoop on how the rental CYPRES unit program works:
It's time to boogie, boogie, boogie, boogie, boogie! And the ChutingStar Crew will be out there with you at drop zones all over the US, providing all the support and goods you could ask for.
The one and only Laura Bales is packing up the van with demos from Freefall Data Systems, LB Altimeters, Cookie Helmets, Alti-2, and many more. Laura is available for container, canopy and jumpsuit orders as she'll be able to measure you up and walk you through the ordering process for any of your custom gear needs, including the helmet sizing kit for the Tonfly TFX Full Face Helmet.
UPT has stock Vector sport rigs available if you're looking for a container faster than the current custom turnaround times. These never last long, so here are the details below (as of February 6, 2026).
Click Read More below to see the full article. Click on the production forms to enlarge to see more details on each container. Contact ChutingStar to confirm availability, get help with sizing, get final pricing and to place an order.
Check back here for special deals from skydiving gear manufacturers and ChutingStar throughout the year!
Discounts usually are a rare thing in skydiving, and even more rare in the current supply shortage climate. We're focusing on making sure we have available items in stock and shipped to you by the time you need it for your next jump. Currently, ChutingStar has the following sales and ways to save listed below.
Here's the rundown on current deals:
Save on Limited Edition ARES II Digital Altimeters
Flat Broke Skydiver Deals
Discounted stock of all PittZ Freefly Suits & Pants
GoPro Camera Discounts
UPT Stock Containers
30% off the base price of any In-Stock Wings Container
PD Europe Used Canopy Sale
Save on EVO2 + RUSH Reserve Package
Top 11 Ways To Save $$$ @ ChutingStar!
Deal Details
Here are the links to more info and the ordering process for these deals from ChutingStar:
While ChutingStar may seem to some like some huge corporate monster of a company, we are a group 7 people serving the skydiving community out of one location in Marietta, Georgia. For the most part, we're available 24/7 in some manner be it in the shop, on the phone or online.
Since 1999, we've mostly been able to provide seamless support by staggering breaks for our staff and covering for each other's "specialty" so that you rarely know when one or two of us are gone for a few days.
Many skydiving manufacturers have a summer and a winter shutdown that may be a week or more. ChutingStar has always stayed open during those times to support skydivers with info, advice, parts and gear. That will be changing slightly this year.
For 2026, there will be a couple of staff breaks to give our group a breather. This will delay custom orders processing and some shipments, but we've scheduled these breaks around holidays and manufacturer shutdowns where we are limited in what we can do at that time anyway.
Vmag, which makes the magnetic breakaway GoPro mounting system, has released an updated version that includes an integrated button lock. The Vmag V2 now requires a center button on the mount to be pressed to release the camera from the base mount. This will help prevent an accidental release from bumps and knocks to the mount or camera.
Vmag is currently offering a trade-in exchange program for those that have the original Vmag mount. For $35 USD plus shipping, you can send in your original Vmag mount and receive back the V2 version. A new Vmag V2 is currently $150, so this is saving you $115 if you were planning to upgrade.
As of April 5, 2025, a new baseline 10% tariff was levied on all imports into United States. Some items, such as jumpsuits and helmet accessories, are being tariffed at a 25-30% rate. U.S. President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency with the U.S. trade deficit. Additional tariffs were announced and then paused for 90 days. On the heels of the tariffs, the American dollar has fallen in value.
All of this combined is already affecting the price on the gear you use to skydive. Skydivers use a wide-range of gear from manufacturers across the globe, so it is impossible for pricing to not be affected by the tariffs or falling dollar.
ChutingStar imports gear directly from some of your favorite manufacturers outside of the United States. And most manufacturers inside the United States use parts or materials that are sourced from overseas.
These are the Mirage Packing Tips I have given since 2007 during my seminars at the Parachute Industry Association Symposiums (most recently in 2025 in Daytona Beach) as well as during each ChutingStar Senior Rigger Certification School.
I've added a link at the end of this summary of the presentation so the entire text and photo presentation of the seminar can be downloaded for reference. Keep in mind these tips and techniques are only meant to supplement the Mirage owner's manual. I have found these techniques to lead to a cleaner, consistently better-looking Mirage reserve container.
FAA Advisory Circular 3-1 now requires all current and future FAA Parachute Riggers to have a U.S. Agent For Service if they do not have a U.S. physical address.
This requirement was effective as of April 2, 2025, which was the date the USAS website for U.S. Agent registration went live at this link. That is where foreign riggers and rigger candidates designate their U.S. Agent For Service.
