ChutingStar

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.

Note: Canopies/brands listed below are those that ChutingStar has had the most success with and are the most common within our area.

Also, please see our other articles on buying used gear and using ChutingStar as an Inspection/Escrow service to prevent the seller or buyer from getting scammed.

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ChutingStar did start out as the Rigger Rant & Rave...so true to form...it's time for some ranting...and then some raving.

To all you complainers out there who have been living under a boulder or in some weird bubble, we're living in the middle of a freaking pandemic. COVID-related deaths, disruptions and shutdowns are real. Be happy you're even alive to read this.

Some skydiving gear manufacturers, stores and drop zones have gone out of business, some are having staffing issues and others just can't get the materials needed to complete manufacturing. Some are communicating well to dealers and customers, and some are a complete overwhelmed mess of misinformation.

Anything skydiving-related not currently in stock at ChutingStar, and still available to order from manufacturers, is on the way to us, being manufactured or on some sort of backorder awaiting the manufacturer to manufacture. We are in touch with the manufacturers about delays and backorders on a daily basis so we can communicate to you expected ship dates. But even then, those get pushed back due to more manufacturing or shipping delays.

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Cookie's Fuel is the easiest "plug and play" option for a skydiving camera helmet available today.

The majority of the available options can easily be installed through the modular mounting system on the top and sides. Additional options for larger camera mounts are available that require drilling into the helmet or attachment via VHB tape.

Check out our video below that outlines many of the options for the Cookie Fuel, and then click through the links below to order the helmet and/or the additional options.

Cookie Fuel Camera Helmet Set Ups from ChutingStar.

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While you can always see our comparison of current audible altimeters at this link, we wanted to hear from you on what you love, hate and/or desire in an audible altimeter!

And did you ever let us know what you think! More than 200 of you took our survey that was open April 1-15!

For the swag pack winners, we decided to award four of you, instead of one, and chose those who identified in the COVID-19 question as a person in the medical or first-response fields. Thank you for your support during this time! See our related blog article on those stories at this link.

The short and sweet from the survey is that the majority of you use and love anything made by Larsen & Brusgaard, and L&B's Protrack II is the audible that is being most considered as your next purchase. Still, the Alti-2 N3/Atlas also received high marks as well the AON2 Brilliant Pebbles. And most importantly, we think the written feedback and comments from all of you is an invaluable resource for other skydivers and the manufacturers.

So lets dive into your responses on these and all the others...

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It was just more than 20 years ago that ChutingStar came into existence, originally as just a skydiving rigger inspecting, assembling, repairing and packing reserve parachutes on nights, weekends and in-between my "real job" of the time of being a newspaper reporter and editor. My first year rigging grew quickly as I became the main rigger on the drop zone, and was a skydive instructor as well as a rigger, fun jumper, swooper and 4-way competitor. My wife Stephanie pushed me over the edge into giving ChutingStar my full-time attention as I was running out of time to get everything done each day between my newspaper job, skydiving/rigging and still trying to play drums in local bands. I had to choose between one of those three to fully pursue...and ChutingStar it was. Continue reading →

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 →