New skydiving gear

Skydivers today have the widest choice ever in which 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. Regardless of the unit, it's a "last chance" deployment for a skydiver who has become incapacitated to deploy or has lost altitude awareness. For U.S. skydivers, there are four AADs that are in the majority of sport rigs world-wide. This article will focus on the CYPRES2, m2 Multi and Vigil Cuatro.

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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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(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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