Paragliding Gear for Beginners

Video Transcript

"My name is Patrick Eves. We are going to be talking about what gear is needed for paragliding. A couple of basic obviously you need is your wing (your instructor can pick out which one is right for you), your harness and most harnesses now come with a back protection. You want to find one with foam back protection or nice airbag back protection. A reserve parachute is another thing that is needed. Having a nice reserve parachute is a good thing. Gloves, you always want to have gloves when you are flying because some of the maneuvers you do when you go to stop your wing in case you are dragging, the lines can really cut your fingers so you want to make sure you have gloves. You want to have thin gloves that will protect your fingers but still allow you to still have some dexterity. A hook knife is a good thing to have just in case you get in an emergency you will be able to cut lines and usually I try to mount the hook knife somewhere on my harness where I can get to it really easily. A helmet, you can get an open face helmet or a full face helmet. I recommend getting a nice full face helmet. You can buy one specifically made for flight and paragliding. A radio is a great thing to have for emergencies and to hear what else is going on in the air. There is a two-meter radio; this is what most paraglider’s use. You do need a license, a hand license to use one of these radios for transmitting. It is real easy to get the license. Contact your local club and they will help you pass the test. The other thing you can have is an instrument panel. This instrument panel has a vireo. A vireo is an instrument that beeps when you are going up and beeps when you are going down so you will know how fast you are going up and how fast you are going down and will be able find thermals better. I also have a GPS on here so I can see how far I have flown in a day. Another thing you want is possibly a flight suit. Flight suits are awesome because a lot of times at launch it is going to be real hot and you want to be warm. Once you get up high I guarantee it is a lot colder. You should also have a sturdy pair of boots; something with stiff ankle protection that will protect your feet in case of hard landings and something you are able to hike in. One last thing I find is essential is a bag to put my paraglider in when I am sitting around waiting. UV rays will damage your paraglider so anytime you are sitting at launch and not quiet ready to launch yet, fold your wing up and put into one of those stuff sacks. You don’t have to totally pack your wing but you will still have it ready and in a bag protecting it from the sun. One last thing, avoid buying used gear unless your instructor specifically recommends it."