Buying Your First Skydiving Rig

We know new skydiving gear is expensive, and that it's very tempting to buy a used rig from someone you don't know on Facebook because the price is so much lower. But before you end up spending money on a rig you'll never be able to jump, make sure you read the August 2018 interview with ChutingStar owner Mike Gruwell in USPA's Parachutist Magazine at this link. A used container can be a great deal, as long as it fits you, is in good condition and will fit the canopies you can currently jump. But it can also be the worst deal ever if you can't jump it or get your money back.  Continue reading →

Confused by the volume and names of container options when ordering a new rig or looking through the list on a used or stock rig? Fear not, the ChutingStar Crew has put together a series of 17 short, one-minute videos that explains each option available on a skydiving rig. These include videos on articulation, back pads, MARDs, free fly mods, riser covers, riser types and more! Check out this playlist! Continue reading →

Submitting an order for complete skydiving rig has changed dramatically over the past 20 years, and while online technology has made the orders more accurate, it's not an exactly straight forward process for those ordering their first rig. So in this article, we'll break down the process and make it a bit easier to know you're on the right path to jumping out of a plane with your own rig! The process is summarized in these 8 steps:

• Choosing the Container, Canopies & AAD
• Finding the price for the complete skydiving rig gear package
• Submitting the manufacturer container order form
• Submitting the manufacturer canopy order forms
• Submitting the complete skydiving rig package order
• Confirming the details
• Waiting for the rig to be manufactured and rigged
• Receiving the rig and jumping it!

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ChutingStar receives daily emails, phone calls and social media messages on skydiving gear pricing, mostly related to complete gear packages as they'll see new advertisements, supposed "special offers" or web listings that claim to have the "best" price. It's difficult sometimes to cut through all of those claims because of how the pricing is bundled together and/or final pricing add-ons for options, shipping, rigging and the like. But we're going to try to make sense of it all for you to give you peace of mind that you're not getting ripped off. First off, all skydiving gear dealers are skydivers like you. We're out jumping, rigging or flying in a wind tunnel every week using the gear we purchased from the same manufacturers that also sell us the gear you're buying from us. We've all been in your shoes buying that first piece of skydiving gear, our first rig or the latest new gadget to make skydiving, rigging or wind tunnel flying even more enjoyable than it already is. We all started selling and/or servicing skydiving gear to fill a need of skydivers needing gear advice, and because of the great service we provided ended up growing a small service into a full-time job...usually with the help of a drop zone, manufacturers and other gear shops. It's a small industry, and almost everyone knows everyone.  Continue reading →

(Published in Parachutist Magazine and Canpara Magazine) So you’ve decided to delve in the realm of freeflying, but you bought a used rig that’s just a tad big on you and that one main riser cover is always opening on you during exit. Is that a big deal? Probably. Can it be fixed? Maybe. Will I have to buy a whole new setup? Not likely. Lets take a look at a couple of things to consider before subjecting your body to the possibility of a premature opening at 150 mph.

Fit

It’s more critical your harness fits you appropriately now that your body will be moving around the sky in a multitude of positions. Throughout a freefly dive, you will expose all sides of the rig to the relative wind at some point. If the rig doesn’t fit you properly, it can push the rig from side to side, down your legs or up your back. At a minimum, this can affect your ability to learn new freefly skills. At worst, this can put you in a dangerous position of coming out of your rig. Continue reading →

(Originally published in Blue Skies Magazine & then updated periodically)

You’ve talked to your local instructors, scoured dropzone.com and Facebook, clicked through the gear shop web sites and even ventured into the risky eBay 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.

But your thoughts keep coming back to a container that fits like a glove with all the latest, greatest options. So how do you combine the two?

Why not a brand new harness/container built to your body measurements and filled with used canopies and a used AAD? Not only do you get a rig with the latest technology, but also one that fits you properly. And you still can keep your costs low as you find a used main, reserve and AAD.

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(Published in Skydiving Magazine and 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?

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(Published in 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. As the potential buyer, you want to know the used container, canopy or automatic opener is as advertised and is airworthy. You also want to make sure the container actually fits you. Continue reading →

The first Skyhook-equipped Sun Path Javelin Odyssey was dropped off at Chuting Star Rigging Loft in April 2008 for a full assembly. I had seen the new Javelin Odyssey updates at the Parachute Industry Association 2007 Symposium in Reno, but this was the first time I was able to really see how the updates work with a fully-assembled and packed rig.

From the outside, the Javelin look remains the same. It has always been a rig that has little flash, but gets the job done. The Javelin reserve container has also been one that is what I consider to be rigger-friendly and easy to make look good. It's a combination of the limited reserve container flaps (4) and the fact that the reserve freebag sits fully against the side flaps. This keeps wrinkles in the reserve container nearly non-existent with a smooth pack job.

The new updates do not change the looks of the reserve or main container. A smooth pack job still leads to a nice looking rig.

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