How much does a parachute cost? Skydiving gear prices in 2026

Published on October 7, 2026 · 9 min read

A new sport parachute currently costs between roughly €8,700 and €12,800, once you add up the four parts that make up the system: the harness and container, the main canopy, the reserve canopy and the automatic activation device (AAD). Add a helmet, altimeter and jumpsuit and the total comes to roughly €9,300 to €15,000. These figures come from European retailers' price lists checked in October 2026, VAT included. Prices change often, so treat them as a ballpark rather than a quote.

If you were actually looking for the price of a skydive rather than the gear: a tandem jump with us costs €180 on weekdays and €200 on weekends and public holidays, with equipment and instructor included. Full details are on our [prices](/prezzi) page.

Key points

• A complete new parachute system (container, main, reserve, AAD) costs roughly €8,700 to €12,800 from European retailers.
• The container is usually the biggest single cost (about €3,050 to €4,600), followed by the main canopy (about €2,750 to €4,700).
• Reserve and AAD together add roughly €2,900 to €3,500.
• Helmet, altimeter and jumpsuit add anywhere from about €670 to over €2,000.
• Every year you also need to budget for reserve repacks and, depending on the model, AAD servicing.

How much does each part of a parachute cost?

A parachute does not have a single price tag. It is the sum of parts that are almost always bought separately, often from different manufacturers and in many cases made to measure. Below are the price ranges for new gear, one item at a time. What each part does is covered in our guide to new or used parachutes; here we stick to the numbers.

Harness and container

The container is the pack you wear: it holds the main and the reserve and houses the AAD. On the price list of Sky-Shop, a European retailer, sport containers range from €3,050 for the Wings by Sunrise Manufacturing to €4,599 for the Aerodyne Icon V. In between are the most popular models: the UPT Vector3 Micron at €3,950, the Sun Path Javelin Odyssey at €3,990 and the Infinity at €4,349. Spain-based SkydiveShop lists the Javelin Odyssey at €4,000 and the UPT Vector 3 at €4,090.

Bear in mind that these are almost always base prices. Containers are built to your measurements, and colours, materials and options can push the bill up. Prices also vary from shop to shop: the UPT Vector SE student container is €3,800 at Sky-Shop and €4,048.04 at Wingstore.

Main canopy

The main canopy is the parachute you open on every jump, and its price depends mostly on the model. Performance Designs lists the Sabre3 at $2,990 on its own website; Sky-Shop sells it for €3,390. On the same list, sport mains start at €2,750 for the Icarus Equinox, go through €2,950 for the PD Navigator and €3,049 for the Aerodyne Pilot, and reach €4,690 for the PD Valkyrie, a high-performance canopy for experienced jumpers.

Newly licensed skydivers fly large, forgiving canopies, which generally sit at the lower end of the range. Competition and swooping canopies cost more.

Reserve canopy

The reserve is the second, emergency parachute. It costs less than the main because it is designed to be used rarely. At Sky-Shop, sport reserves range from €1,680 for the MarS WP to €2,190 for the PD Optimum, with the Aerodyne Smart at €1,749, the Icarus Reserve at €1,790 and the PD Reserve at €1,920 in between. The same PD Reserve costs €2,092.12 at Wingstore.

AAD (automatic activation device)

The AAD is the small computer that opens the reserve on its own if the jumper has not deployed by a set altitude. The three main brands are priced close together: at Sky-Shop the MarS m2 is €1,190, the Vigil Cuatro €1,260 and the CYPRES 2 €1,288.05; Wingstore lists the CYPRES 2 Expert at €1,261.65. In the United States, according to an article in USPA's Parachutist magazine, a new AAD costs from about $1,000 to a little over $1,200, with prices tracking the dollar-euro exchange rate.

Altimeter, helmet and jumpsuit

These are the most affordable items and usually the first things a skydiver buys. At Sky-Shop a wrist altimeter starts at €285 for the L&B Viso 2+ and goes up to €589 for a GPS model; an audible altimeter, which beeps inside your helmet at preset altitudes, costs between €205 and €359. Helmets range from €109 for an open-face model to €630 for a full-face one; jumpsuits from €279 to €595.

Parachute price table by component

Prices include VAT and were checked in October 2026 on the Sky-Shop, SkydiveShop and Wingstore price lists and on the Performance Designs website. They are starting prices: sizes, colours and options change them.

How much does a complete new parachute cost?

Adding up the four parts of the system, a new parachute costs from about €8,670 (combining the cheapest model in each category) to about €12,770 (combining the most expensive). That matches the ready-made packages: SkydiveShop sells complete rigs from €9,480 (Javelin Odyssey or Aerodyne Icon A) to €10,180 (Aerodyne Icon V).

With an altimeter, helmet and jumpsuit, the initial outlay rises to roughly €9,300 to €15,000. In the United States, Skydive Danielson puts a complete new setup at $8,000 to over $14,000: a similar order of magnitude.

What about a used parachute?

There is no price list for used gear: the price of a second-hand rig depends on age, jump numbers, condition and paperwork, and the figures you find online vary too much to give you a reliable range. One thing you can work out yourself, though, is how much life the AAD has left.

The CYPRES 2 has a service life of 15.5 years from its date of manufacture (12.5 years for older units made before 2016), the MarS m2 also 15.5 years, and the Vigil 20 years. An AAD close to expiry will soon need replacing, so a used rig with an almost-expired AAD is worth roughly €1,200 less than an identical one with a young AAD. How to assess everything else is covered in our guide to new or used parachutes.

What running costs should you budget for?

The purchase price is only the beginning. Every year there are a few fixed costs:

• Reserve repacks. These must be done regularly by a qualified rigger. In the United States, FAA rules require a repack within 180 days; elsewhere the interval is set by national rules. On cost, Skydive Danielson quotes about $100 per cycle and the UK's Skydive Langar £85, including a main inspection.
• AAD servicing. This depends on the model. For CYPRES 2 units made from 2017 onwards, the manufacturer recommends optional checks at 5 and 10 years; according to Parachutist the service cost $160 plus shipping, while Skydive Langar lists around £250. The Vigil has no scheduled inspections over its 20-year life, whereas the MarS m2 needs an annual check.
• Replacing the AAD at end of life. After 15.5 or 20 years you need a new unit: roughly another €1,200 at today's prices.
• Main canopy wear. A canopy that works on every jump will eventually need repairs or replacement: plan for it with your rigger's help.

Why do parachute prices vary so much?

Three reasons. First, the exchange rate: many manufacturers are American and price in dollars, so euro prices move with the currency. Second, almost everything is built to order, and every option adds to the cost. Third, the shop: as the Vector SE and PD Reserve examples show, the same product can cost a few hundred euros more or less depending on the retailer and the country.

Before buying, always ask for a written quote including every option, and show it to your instructor.

How much does it cost to become a skydiver?

The parachute is the last expense, not the first. To jump solo you need the AFF course: with us it starts from €1,500 and covers the ground school and the 7 practical levels. All equipment is included during the course, so you do not need to buy anything. If you want your own parachute, you can buy it later, once you know which canopy suits you. Every step is explained in our guide on how to get a skydiving licence.

And if you just want to try freefall without spending thousands of euros, a tandem jump is the simplest way: you can book with no advance payment and it commits you to nothing else.

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