Skydiving Gear Guide: Parachutes, Helmets, Goggles, and More

Key Takeaways
“What gear do I need for skydiving?” As a tandem student, you just need yourself and a positive attitude! Solo skydivers need containers, parachutes, altimeters, AADs, helmets, and much more. Skydiving gear is life-saving equipment and costs thousands of dollars. 

Skydiving gear is a mystery to many, and that ‘unknown’ makes it intimidating. We’re here to inform you about what gear is commonly used in skydiving, why it matters, how much it costs, and who needs to invest in it. Let’s go! 

Skydiving Equipment Necessities 

What are the nice-to-haves and the absolute-musts of skydiving gear? Let’s break it down.  

• Container
  The backpack-looking part of a skydiving setup is called a container. The container houses the main and reserve parachutes, and the AAD. A harness secures the skydiver to their container. Tandem skydiving students also wear a skydiving harness to attach themselves to the instructor and to the container on their back.

• Main parachute
  The main canopy is pretty darn important! There are many parts of a main parachute that work in congruence to help it function properly – the risers, pilot chute, three-rings, and many more. 

• Reserve parachute
  The reserve parachute serves as a backup to the main parachute in the event that the main has a malfunction and needs to be cutaway. How often do parachutes need to be repacked? Main skydiving parachutes are repacked after every skydive. Reserve parachutes must be opened, inspected, and repacked every 180 days, regardless of whether they’ve been used. 

• Rig
  The skydiving rig is the container/harness + main parachute + reserve parachute! 

• Automatic Activation Device (AAD)
  An AAD is like the airbag in a car … you never plan to use it, but if you have to, you’re so thankful it’s there. The automatic activation device skydiving mechanism is a small computer that is fastened inside the skydiving rig. It works on air pressure and speed metrics to determine how fast the skydiver is falling and their altitude.
  
  The AAD is designed to fire if a skydiver is determined to be too low and too fast, indicating that they are in freefall when their parachute should be open. When this happens, the mechanism cuts the reserve closing loop and initiates deployment of the reserve canopy. The vast majority of skydivers will never have to experience an AAD functioning, but in the event of passing out, losing altitude awareness, or being unable to deploy their canopy, AAD’s save lives! 

• Altimeter
  This device tells you how high you are … an important thing to know while skydiving! Altimeters are typically worn on the left wrist or top of the hand and can be digital or analog. There are also nice-to-have audible altimeters that fit snugly into the side of a helmet.

• Helmet
  If using an open-face helmet, you would also need goggles. Many skydivers opt for a full-face helmet, which look sort of like motorcycle helmets.

Are Jumpsuits Required?  

It depends. Skydiving students pursuing their solo skydiving license are generally required to wear jumpsuits while going through their student progression. Jumpsuits make holding onto solo skydiving students easier for instructors, help them remain stable in freefall, and aid in them controlling their fall rate. 

Jumpsuits enable predictability, which is super important in skydiving. Think of it like this: if you time your mile run wearing sweatpants, then shorts, then a jacket, etc., it may be difficult to determine what’s affecting your performance. If you wear the same thing every day, you have a better sense of the variables. This is why many skydivers looking to advance their freefall skills opt to invest in a jumpsuit and wear it every time they jump! 

What should you wear skydiving if you don’t have a  jumpsuit? Some skydivers opt to wear flexible exercise clothing, such as leggings, shorts, T-shirts, and skydiving jerseys. Is it better to wear shorts or pants when skydiving? If you’re wearing a jumpsuit on top, your skydiving outfit underneath doesn’t really matter – but pants are suggested for tandem skydivers because they generally slide their landings in.

Licensed jumpers are not required to wear skydiving jumpsuits – they can wear whatever they want!

How Much Does Skydiving Gear Cost? 

How much does a full set of skydiving gear cost? Skydiving is an expensive sport to get into – a full set of new skydiving gear will run you around ~$15K. This is why many people buy their entire setup used! BUT, once you’re set up, the price dramatically drops, with each skydive costing around $30. 

Here are some common questions about skydiving gear costs: 

• How much does a parachute cost? (Better question: How much does a good parachute cost?!) New parachutes cost around $2,500. Used parachutes are generally cheaper and priced based on their DOM (date of manufacture), jump number, and overall condition of the wing. 

• How much does a skydiving container cost? A new container can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000 (plus or minus a couple hundred bucks). A custom container specifically made to your measurements will drive the price up. 

• How much does a skydiving helmet cost? A skydiver helmet can cost between $100 and $1,000. There are beginner skydiving helmets, and more advanced ones that videographers wear. 

• What much is a jumpsuit? Jumpsuits cost anywhere from a couple hundred to thousands of dollars. Think of buying a jumpsuit sort of like buying a dress suit – you can get one off the rack or, for more money, get one tailored to fit you perfectly.

• How much do skydiving goggles cost? Skydiver goggles cost between $20 and $100. 

What Equipment Is Used For Skydiving Tandem? 

Tandem skydiving instructors have a full rig: the container, two parachutes, and an AAD. Tandem skydiving students wear a harness that has four attachment points to fasten to the skydiving rig that the tandem instructor is wearing. Tandem students also wear goggles – it gets pretty windy up there, and goggles enable you to take in all the sweet views. 

Ready to see what skydiving gear looks and feels like in real life? Let us make your wildest dreams come true. Book your jump today!