(Steve B) wrote in message . com...
I am looking for a parachute and welcome any suggestions.

Any thoughts regarding Back or Seat style?

I understand that Strong and National are popular...

Thanks
Steve

I got a very good Strong parachute via Ebay. It took some looking, but
the price was right ($450) and the parachute everything the seller
claimed.

Some suggestions: 1)set your Ebay search criteria so you look at the
most expensive items first. That eliminates trolling through countless
"Parachute pins".

2) Be sure the deal includes a complete refund if the chute fails to
pass a full inspection by a qualified rigger. You can email the seller
to set that up. In my deal, the seller shipped the chute to Alan
Silver in Freemont, CA & Alan passed it. My $$$ were held in escrow
until the pass.

BTW, Alan's web site has excellent articles on buying a used chute and
how to figure what it's worth. As a rule of thumb, consider 20 years
the useful life of a parachute & deduct about $50-$70 a year for the
age of the chute.

3) Be patient. It took me a month to find what I wanted on Ebay. I
passed up a lot of deals, & got beat up on a couple. Don't bid too
early -- you'll probably only drive up the price. I waited until the
last hour to bid on the chute I finally bought. Then sat with baited
breath while the count went down, waiting for competing bids, which
never came.

Style is a matter of taste. I tried a number of chutes and found a
back pack to be the most comfortable. That gave me the option of
handcrafting my own cushion for my particular butt. Borrow a couple of
different chutes and try them in your glider -- better still, fly with
them.

In addition to STrong and National, Paraphenalia makes good chutes.

Good luck!