You passed your AFF, got your A-License, and you are officially a skydiver. Awesome job. But now you face a harsh truth: renting gear every weekend drains your bank account fast. It is time to buy your own skydiving equipment.
Stepping into the used gear market can be incredibly stressful. Parachutes are not just backpacks. They are highly regulated aviation life-saving devices. A complete rig can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000. With gear sales shifting heavily to Facebook groups, finding the right setup feels like a massive chore. Even worse, scammers actively target newer jumpers who do not know what to look for.
Whether you are piecing together your first used setup or ordering a custom container, this guide will show you how to buy skydiving equipment safely and get exactly what you need.
When Should You Buy Skydiving Gear?
Your purchasing strategy should match your experience level. Buying a bulky student rig brand new is usually a bad financial move because you will outgrow it quickly. Here is a recommended timeline:
- Phase 1 (0 to 50 Jumps): Do not buy a main rig just yet. You are rapidly improving and downsizing your canopy. Instead, spend your money on personal gear that fits you perfectly: a high-quality closed-face helmet, a digital altimeter, an audible altimeter, and a custom jumpsuit.
- Phase 2 (50 to 200 Jumps): This is the ideal time to buy a complete, used container system. Your wing loading has likely leveled out around a docile 1.0 ratio. Buying used saves thousands of dollars, as long as you verify the gear is airworthy.
- Phase 3 (200 Plus Jumps): At this stage, skydivers usually unlock advanced disciplines like wingsuiting or freeflying. Here, jumpers often order custom-tailored containers and seek out highly specialized components on the secondary market.
The Anatomy of a Skydiving Rig
When you buy a rig, you are not just buying one single item. You are actually buying a complex assembly of four distinct components. Each piece has its own lifespan, sizing rules, and depreciation curve.
1. The Container and Harness
Finding a used container is mathematically the hardest part of buying gear because it relies on two completely independent sizing factors:
- Harness Sizing: The harness must fit your physical body to prevent ejection during opening shock. The most important measurement is the Main Lift Web (MLW). This is the vertical torso length from your collarbone down to your hip. If the MLW is wrong, the rig is unsafe. Period.
- Tray Volumes: The internal deployment trays are engineered to hold a specific volume of nylon fabric. You cannot stuff a 190 square foot canopy into a tray designed for a 135. Doing so guarantees dangerously tight deployments and highly probable pilot chute in tow malfunctions.
Pro Tip: Look for containers equipped with a Main Assisted Reserve Deployment (MARD) system, like a Skyhook. A MARD uses your cutaway main canopy as a drogue to instantly extract your reserve. This dramatically increases your safety and boosts the resale value of the rig.
2. The Main Canopy
Modern sport canopies are zero-porosity ram-air airfoils. When looking at a used main, focus on three specific details: the Date of Manufacture (DOM), the total jump count on the original fabric, and the jump count on the current suspension lineset. Friction degrades suspension lines rapidly, which means you need a rigger to replace them every 200 to 400 jumps.
3. The Reserve Canopy
This is your ultimate failsafe. By aviation law in the US (under FAA TSO C-23) and internationally (like British Skydiving), reserves must be inspected and repacked every 180 days by a certified rigger, regardless of whether you used them or not. Look into Low Pack Volume (LPV) reserves. These use proprietary thinner nylon to pack a larger, safer canopy into a smaller, sleeker container tray.
4. The Automatic Activation Device (AAD)
The AAD is a microprocessor that automatically fires your reserve if you are still at terminal velocity at a fatally low altitude. Because they are highly calibrated digital devices, they have strict expiration dates. A mid-life AAD functions exactly like a brand-new one, making them highly sought after on the used market.
| AAD Manufacturer | Maximum Lifespan | Maintenance Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| CYPRES 2 (Post 2017) | 15.5 Years | Voluntary 5 year service (highly recommended) |
| Vigil | 20 Years | Battery replacement every 5 years or 2,000 jumps |
| MarS m2 | 15.5 Years | Zero factory maintenance or battery changes required |
Where to Find Used Skydiving Gear
Now that you know what to look for, where do you actually find it? While your local dropzone notice board might have a few hidden gems, the vast majority of transactions happen online.
- Facebook Groups: Groups like "Skydiving Gear For Sale and Wanted" are the primary hubs for global gear trading. Be prepared to act fast, as well-priced beginner rigs sell within hours.
- Dropzone Classifieds: Traditional forums like Dropzone.com still host active classified sections, often favored by older jumpers selling well-maintained equipment.
- Your Local Rigger: Master riggers often know who is sizing down, quitting the sport, or upgrading their kit before the gear ever hits the internet. Always ask your local loft what they have hanging on the racks.
The Golden Rule: Always Use a Rigger Escrow
The shift of gear sales to Facebook groups has created a massive problem with fraud. Scammers clone the profiles of real skydivers, post photos of high-value gear at deflated prices, and demand payment via Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal Friends and Family. Once you make the irreversible transfer, the seller disappears entirely.
To avoid this, the accepted industry standard is the Rigger Escrow. Do not ever bypass this process.
In a rigger escrow, you never send money directly to a stranger on the internet. Instead, you send funds to a neutral holding account, and the seller ships the gear directly to a mutually agreed upon, certified Master Rigger. The rigger performs a detailed pre-buy inspection to verify airworthiness, porosity, line wear, and safety hardware. Most importantly, you can meet the rigger to try the container on and confirm the MLW actually fits your torso. If the gear fails inspection, you get your money back.
If a seller refuses to use a rigger escrow, walk away immediately. It is a guaranteed scam.
Understanding Wing Loading and Regional Regulations
Your wing loading dictates the speed and responsiveness of your canopy. You calculate it by dividing your total exit weight (your body weight plus clothing plus the 25 pound rig) by the square footage of the canopy.
If you weigh 200 lbs on exit and fly a 200 square foot canopy, your wing loading is 1.0. This provides a docile, forgiving ride. If you downsize to a 100 square foot canopy, your wing loading doubles to 2.0. That canopy will dive steeply, fly at blistering speeds, and require expert input to land safely.
How wing loading is regulated depends entirely on where you jump:
- The USPA Approach: In the United States, downsizing is largely up to the individual, relying on education and the approval of your local Safety and Training Advisor.
- The British Skydiving Approach: In the UK, progression is rigidly enforced by Form 330. You physically cannot board an aircraft with a canopy smaller than your mandated Canopy Training qualification grade allows.
Specialized Gear for Advanced Disciplines
As you pass 200 jumps, your chosen discipline will dictate your equipment needs. A standard belly flying rig is not safe for high speed dynamic flying.
- Freeflying: Reaching vertical speeds of 160 plus mph requires a freefly friendly rig. The pilot chute must be tucked tightly into a Bottom of Container (BOC) spandex pouch, and closing pins must be secured with stiff tuck tabs or magnets. Never use velcro, as it can cause a catastrophic premature deployment.
- Wingsuiting: The massive wake created by a wingsuit requires a significantly longer pilot chute bridle, usually 8 to 9 feet in length. Wingsuit containers should also feature dynamic corners for snag-free deployments, and they are usually paired with docile 7-cell main canopies to avoid violent line twists.
Ready to Gear Up?
Buying skydiving equipment is a huge step in your skydiving journey, but it requires patience and extreme attention to detail. Never compromise on harness fit, always respect your wing loading limits, and protect your hard-earned money by demanding a rigger escrow for every used transaction.
Once you have secured your perfect rig, you are going to need places to jump it. Check out the DZSpotter global directory to find your next dropzone destination, research aircraft types, and review local dropzone rules before you manifest.
