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What's In Your Gear Bag?

What's In Your Gear Bag?

Besides your rig, jumpsuit, altimeters and helmet, what are your must-haves, have-to-haves and can't-leave-home-withouts that you take with you to the drop zone, wind tunnel or boogie?

We took a look into the Gear Bags of the ChutingStar Crew this week, and posted the photos of what we've found plus a list of items that each crew member declared "essential." If it's available at ChutingStar, the item is linked to where you can get it online. Otherwise, the common items listed you can find at many local retail shops.

We hope this helps you prepare better for a day, weekend or week of skydiving or flying in a tunnel this year!

Skydiving Gear Bag Essentials

Laura's gear bag (above) has the widest variety of items of all of us, but that's because she jumps mostly at boogies during her time on the ChutingStar Boogie Tour. Her list of essentials include:

Unpacked RigSleeve (when jumping locally)
Standard RigSleeve (when traveling to a boogie)
Spare altimeter batteries
Analog altimeter
Extra closing loops and washer
Extra elastic keepers
Power tool and pull up cords
Fog wipes for helmet
Neck gaiter
Dry wicking shirt
Hair ties
Deodorant and other personal hygiene items
Rubber bands
Drag mat
KT tape, ankle brace and ace bandage
Tylenol
Chap stick
Breath mints and gum
Bug spray
Koozie and wine bottle opener
Extra pair of shoes
Extra shirt and shorts

Mike's skydiving gear bag (above) just has the basics. But the essentials include:

Pullup cord
Rubber bands
Water bottle
Excedrin
Extra shoes

Henry's weekend gear bag is packed into a roller bag with everything he needs as a tandem instructor for himself and his students:

Analog altimeter (Alti-2 Galaxy) in case digital dies
Extra rubber bands, different sizes
Packing tool, at least two
Sunglasses "never leave home without them"
Ankle brace "Because I'm old and broken"
Extra pairs of goggles for tandem students
Sunblock!!!!
G3 helmet
ChutingStar neck gaiter

Steve's weekend jumping essentials include:

Spare batteries
Memory cards for cameras
Small towel to wipe off sweat

Wind Tunnel Essentials

Mike's wind tunnel helmet bag (above) has contains just the basics he needs at the tunnel. Ideally, he always brings:

Wrench/Screwdriver for changing out springs
Spare G3 Springs
Anti-fog wipes
Neck gaiter
Cash

When Laura is at the tunnel, she always has:

Neck gaiter
Ear plugs
Hair tie

Besides his G3 Helmet and Tonfly Suit, Henry's tunnel must-haves starts with the Almighty Dollar:

Rigger-In-The-Field Essentials

Since not all rigging happens at your loft or home, you gotta have that traveling kit. The ChutingStar Riggers are no different. Henry doesn't keep any of his tools in the loft, so his full rigger kit (above) is always with him for repacks, repairs and parts.

Steve's "go bag" rigger kit (above) varies on items since he works mostly inside ChutingStar Rigging Loft...but he takes mostly reserve packing essentials when jumping on the weekends in case a weekend reserve repack is needed.

And Steve's must-have for being at the drop zone on the weekend is:

Fids, because he has to fix fingertraps very often

Mike's travelling rig kit (above) must have these items below...and then he's prepared to inspect and repack a reserve anywhere (including once on his honeymoon in South Africa...true story).