Guide to Buying Your First Paragliding Gear (2025 Edition)
- Kim Tran
- Oct 29
- 18 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Choosing your first paragliding gear can feel overwhelming—countless brands, conflicting advice, and big price differences make it hard to know what really matters. In paragliding, small technical details and subtle nuances can make a big difference in safety and how a wing actually flies.
This guide cuts through the noise with clear, practical insights, helping you understand the gear, compare options confidently, and spot both good deals and red flags.
A complete paragliding setup includes several components, but not all are equally critical. The first three are absolutely essential for flight safety:
🪂 Paraglider (Main Wing) – your aircraft and the most important piece of gear. It defines your safety, stability, and progression.
🧗 Harness – your seat, protection, and connection to the wing. Comfort and stability matter far more than weight or looks.
⛑️ Reserve Parachute – your emergency backup, required for all solo pilots.
Other supporting items include:
🪖 Helmet (lightweight, EN966 certified for paragliding)
📡 Radio (UHF/VHF, for communication and safety)
📟 Variometer (Vario) (for detecting lift when training thermal or XC flying)
➕ Accessories (gloves, boots, speed bar, flight deck, hook knife, bags, etc.)
This article is long and detailed — it’s meant to be a complete reference. Don’t worry about finishing it in one go. Bookmark it and come back anytime as you learn and compare options.
🪂 Paraglider – The Heart of Your Setup
Your paraglider wing is your aircraft — it’s what keeps you in the air, responds to your inputs, and defines how safe or demanding your flight will be. For most pilots, this will also be your most expensive piece of equipment and the one that affects your confidence the most.
You should choose your paraglider in the order of: Type, Class, Brand, Size, and lastly Color. Let's talk about each in turn.
🧩 Choosing Paraglider TYPES:
Different wings are built for different flying styles, to name a few:
Hike & Fly Wing: Lightweight and compact, ideal if you plan to hike up mountains and fly down. Note: lighter fabric means shorter lifespan.
Cross-Country (XC) Wing: Built for longer flights and higher efficiency — not suitable as a first wing.
Acro Wing: Highly dynamic, used for aerobatic flying. Only for experts.
Mini / Speed Wing: Specially designed and flown at a smaller size to increase speed and dynamic for super fast down hill and close-to-terrain flying
Tandem Wing: For two-person flights (pilot + passenger), with special certification.
Paramotor Wing: Equipped with a trimmer system and made with stronger materials for the use of powered flights with an engine.
👉 It can get complicated really quickly. But for you, first-time buyer, it's simple. Just get the type called "First wing", "School wing", "Beginner wing", or "Standard wing".
⚙️ Choosing First Wing CLASS:
Now that you are getting a "First wing", the next step is to choose a class. Again, there are different terminology systems. This chart will help you better understand them.
The Aspect Ratio:
Aspect ratio (AR) is simply the ratio between the wingspan and the width (chord) of your paraglider, or simply how "skinny" your glider looks.
Aspect ratio is kind of like the engine size (cc) of a motorbike. The higher the aspect ratio, the more “performance” you get: faster, better glide ratio, more dynamic — but also, the more demanding and dangerous the wing becomes.
There's the flat aspect ratio (the real measurement of the wing lay flat) and the projected aspect ratio (taking into account the curve of the arc, a.k.a: how the wing is projected to the ground). But for our purpose, let's just take "Flat Aspect Ratio" as the universal metric.
The EN Standard:
Every certified paraglider sold today is tested under the EN standard (European Norm), which measures how the wing behaves in specific, standardized situations — such as collapses, spins, stalls, and recovery behavior.
In simple terms, the EN rating tells you how demanding or forgiving a glider is to fly.
The EN rating officially grades safety, not performance. However, in the real world, pilots and manufacturers also use these categories as a rough performance class.
👉 For you, pick the EnA or low EnB class! And this wing can stay with you all the way until P4 (when you can do cross-country flights) in your progression, so don't worry if you will outgrow it quickly. All of the soaring and thermal training can be perfectly done with this first wing of yours!
🏷️ Choosing a BRAND:
All major paragliding brands today produce safe, high-quality wings that meet strict certification standards. You won’t find a “bad” brand in the certified market. You may as well just go with the brand that your school represents. It helps the school make some money while supporting you in the long run.
If we could “power-rank” brands based on different aspects that most pilots generally agree on, it might look like this:
Category | Top Brands | Notes |
Performance | 🥇 Ozone, 🥈 GIN, Niviuk, 🥉 Flow | Ozone leads in world championships; GIN and Niviuk are close behind. |
Build Quality / Craftsmanship | 🥇 Advance, 🥈 GIN, 🥉 Niviuk, Skywalk | Advance is famous for Swiss precision; GIN for strong, consistent production. |
Product Range | 🥇 GIN, 🥈 Ozone, 🥉 APCO, Independence | These brands literally have everything. |
Popularity / Recognition | 🥇 Ozone, 🥈 GIN, Advance, Niviuk, 🥉 BGD, Nova, Skywalk, etc. | You’ll find these brands flown everywhere, from schools to World Cups. |
Design & Aesthetics (highly subjective) | 🥇 BGD, 🥈 GIN, 🥉 Advance | BGD’s color schemes are iconic; GIN and Advance offer clean, timeless lines. |
👉 If you don't have any brand in mind yet, contact us and go with GIN. GIN is one of the global “Big 3” brands — alongside Ozone and Advance.
Notable GIN Wings for beginners:
GIN Bolero7 - EnA: Good, fun, easy, reliable, safe, and affordable, 4.5 kg (size M), 49M VND (tax not included)
GIN Elise - High EnA: Newly released high EnA with light weight while still durable, 3.5 kg (size M), 70M VND (tax not included)
GIN Evora - Low EnB: Very good performance while still safe. Durable cloth. Can be used well into your "intermediate" phase, 5.0kg (size M), 67M VND (tax not included)
GIN Bandit2 - Low EnB: If you don't care about price and just want the best low-mid B wing that money can buy, this is the one. New design, packed with all the latest tech. Light-weight but the cloth choices are really smart! 3.44kg (size M), 78M VND (tax not included)
Prices are subject to change due to regulations, exchange rates, and GIN's policies. Check with us regularly.
📏 Choose Wing SIZE:
Unlike a motorbike, your aircraft needs to be flown at the correct weight loading to perform and behave as intended. That’s why wing size matters a lot.
Every paraglider model comes with a certified weight range, such as 60–80 kg or 70–90 kg.
This is the range that the wing was tested and certified under the EN system. During testing, they fly the wing at either the low end or high end of that range to measure its behavior in collapses, stalls, and recoveries.
When choosing your size, aim for your total all-up weight (AUW) — including your body, harness, reserve, helmet, instruments, clothing, boots, and water — to fall somewhere within that certified range.
A good rule of thumb is to add 10~12kg to your body weight to have your AUW, because most gear these days has the weight around that.
Here’s how loading affects behavior:
🔽 Low end of the range: The wing flies slower and feels floatier, but struggles to penetrate strong wind and may feel less precise.
🔼 High end of the range: The wing feels more dynamic and responsive, with better wind penetration — but it reacts faster and demands more control.
👉 For your first wing, stay near the middle of the certified range. That gives you a good balance between comfort, safety, and handling while you build experience.
🎨 Choosing COLOR:
Color is the least important factor when choosing your first paraglider. It doesn’t affect safety or performance, and for most pilots it’s simply personal preference. If you already have a favorite color, you can pick it and move on.
If you want to be more deliberate, a few practical points are worth noting.
In humid, dusty environments like Vietnam, it’s best to avoid pure white ⚪ wings. White fabric tends to turn yellowish or brownish quickly due to dirt and moisture. The wing may still fly perfectly, but it will look old fast and lose resale value earlier.
Many manufacturers offer custom color options, usually costing around $300–500 US. While tempting, this is rarely a good idea for a first wing. Custom colors don’t increase resale value, and buyers almost never factor the extra cost into pricing. In some cases, they can even make the wing harder to sell.
For beginners, color can offer a small safety advantage. Bright, high-contrast colors (such as red 🔴 or orange 🟠 in Vietnam’s green 🟢 landscape) make you easier for instructors and other pilots to see, and easier for rescue teams to locate in case of a tree or off-field landing.
👉 Pick a color you like, avoid pure white in tropical conditions, don’t overspend on custom designs, and treat visibility as a bonus — not a deciding factor.
Harness - Your Air Sofa and more than that
A paragliding harness does three critical jobs:
🪑 It is literally your chair in the air, directly affecting comfort and fatigue.
🛡️ It provides back protection in the event of a crash or a hard landing.
⛑️ It stores your reserve parachute and enables a fast, reliable deployment.
♻️ Unlike wings, harnesses last a long time — often twice the lifespan of a paraglider. Many pilots keep the same harness through two wings or more. Because of that, this is one piece of gear where you should choose what you genuinely like and feel comfortable in, not just what’s cheap or trendy.
A. 🪑 Seated Harness vs. 🛏️ Pod Harness
The biggest decision when choosing a harness is whether to go with a seated harness or a pod harness.
🪑 A seated harness puts you in an upright sitting position and offers a more open-air flying experience. It is less aerodynamic, but far simpler to operate. Takeoffs and landings are easier, ground handling feels more natural, and your viewing angle toward the ground remains intuitive. For these reasons, seated harnesses are strongly recommended for beginners and recreational pilots.
🛏️ Pod harnesses place the pilot in a more reclined, lying-down position. They are significantly more aerodynamic and usually come with a cockpit where instruments and electronics can be mounted. Pod harnesses are also noticeably warmer, which is useful for long or high-altitude flights. However, the flying posture takes time to get used to — your visual reference shifts more toward the sky, weight shifting feels different, and managing the pod during takeoff and landing requires practice. For these reasons, pod harnesses are best suited for experienced pilots, especially those flying cross-country.
❓ FAQ A1: When can I safely switch to a pod?
At minimum ~20 flight hours, with solid takeoff and landing skills.
⏱️ FAQ A2: When should I ideally switch to a pod?
Ideally, the switch should happen when you are already comfortable with thermal flying, beginning to do XC flights, and flying a high-B glider.
🧠 FAQ A3: How do I best prefer to fly a pod harness?
It’s highly recommended to hang 🪝 in the harness at home for at least 10 hours, practicing getting in and out of the pod and curling your body into a compact position during simulated incidents to reduce twist risk. 🔩 Properly setting the pod angle is critical — if the angle is wrong, you lose most of the aerodynamic benefit anyway.
👉 For a first harness, the recommendation is clear: choose a seated harness.
B. Back Protection — Foam, Airbag, and Aerobean
One of the harness’s most important roles is to protect the pilot’s back, which is the area most likely to impact the ground during falls or hard landings.
🧱 Foam protectors are the safest, cheapest, and simplest solution. They are always active, require no inflation, and perform especially well in multiple-impact accidents because they can rebound after the first hit. The downside is that they add weight and bulk to the harness.
🎈 Airbags, on the other hand, are much lighter and allow for extremely compact packing. They work by letting air in easily while slowing air escape during impact. However, their protection is weaker at the very beginning of the flight before they are fully inflated. Newer designs now pre-inflate before takeoff and, according to research, can match the effectiveness of traditional foam protection. Even so, many "old school" instructors (myself included) are still cautious. Airbags make the most sense when weight and pack volume are top priorities.
🪶 Aerobean is a technology developed by GIN and can be thought of as a lighter version of foam protection. It retains the safety benefits of foam while significantly reducing weight. However, it does not solve the bulk and packing-size issue.
👉 In practice, all three systems are good. The choice comes down to balancing small differences in safety, medium differences in weight, and large differences in packing volume.
C. Seatboard vs. Split-Leg Harnesses
Another design choice is between seatboards and split-leg harnesses. Both are safe and comfortable.
🪑 Seatboard harnesses feel more like sitting in a chair, with a solid platform under your seat. They are generally more comfortable on long flights and distribute impact forces over a larger area. The board itself can also act as a shield against sharp objects during a ground impact.
🦵 Split-leg harnesses support each leg independently. They tend to feel more agile on the ground, making running, takeoff, and ground handling easier. Weight shifting is also more intuitive, as lifting one leg is often enough. The overall feeling is different, and preference varies from pilot to pilot.
👉 As a general guideline, seatboards are better for longer flights, while split-leg harnesses shine during ground handling and low-level flying.
Notable GIN Harness for beginners:
GIN Gingo4: Seated, Aerobean Protection, Seatboard, 3.2kg (size M), 17M VND (tax not included)
GIN Gingo Airlite5: Seated, Airbag Protection, Seatboard, 2.8kg (size M), 17.5M VND (tax not included)
GIN Verso4: Seated, Airbag Protection, Seatboard, Reversible (into a backpack, saving about 1kg+ for the rucksack), 3.0kg (size M), 18.5M VND (tax not included)
GIN Switch2: Seated, Airbag Protection, Split-leg, Reversible (into a backpack, saving about 1kg+ for the rucksack), ultra light, 2.4kg (one size), 16M VND (tax not included)
Prices are subject to change due to regulations, exchange rates, and GIN's policies. Check with us regularly.
Rescue Parachute — Your Last Line of Defense
A rescue parachute is something nobody ever wants to use — and thankfully, with modern gear and improving pilot skills, real deployments are relatively rare today. Still, this is a classic case of “better to have it and not need it".
🪢 The rescue is directly connected to your harness via a looped line and is attached to a reinforced point around the back of the neck/shoulder area. This position is deliberately chosen: it provides the safest body orientation for a hard landing and reduces the risk of spinal injury.
A rescue parachute is not designed to give you a comfortable descent. It is designed to save your life, as a last resort.
Even with the best rescue on the market, the descent rate is usually around 5–6 m/s. That’s fast enough to hurt — but slow enough to survive.
Important Metrics to Understand
When comparing rescue parachutes, there are a few key specifications you should actually care about.
📐 Canopy size (m²): Bigger canopy = softer landing, but also heavier and more expensive.
⚖️ Maximum loading: This is the certified maximum weight the rescue can safely carry. Manufacturers tune this number to find a balance between acceptable sink rate, size, and cost.
Some manufacturers (E.g: APCO) push this number aggressively — certifying relatively small rescues with relatively high max loading. On paper, this looks great: small size, high capacity, low price. But if you look closely at the sink rate at max loading, the performance is often not impressive. Watch out!
⬇️ Descent rate (sink rate): This tells you how fast you will fall at maximum loading. Keep in mind: Lighter loading → slower descent. Older rescue → faster descent, especially if already deployed. Higher altitude / colder air → faster descent.
⏱️ Opening time: This sounds critical (and it is), but in practice, you shouldn’t over-focus on it. Packing method, deployment angle, airflow, and body position affect opening time far more than lab numbers.
Choosing the Rescue Type
There are three main types of rescue parachutes in paragliding: round, square, and Rogallo — each with very different philosophies and trade-offs.
Round rescues are the simplest, cheapest, and most widely used option. They are easy to pack, extremely reliable, and make up more than 80% of all rescue parachutes in use worldwide. A certified round rescue typically has a sink rate of around 5–6 m/s, which is enough to save your life but still results in a hard landing. Their simplicity and consistency are the reasons they remain the default choice for most pilots.
Square rescues are structurally similar to round ones, but they allow air to escape more efficiently at the corners. This results in a slightly more stable descent and, for the same amount of fabric, a lower sink rate. In practice, to achieve the same sink rate as a square rescue, a round rescue usually needs about 5% more fabric area. The improvement is not dramatic, but it is real, and many pilots see square rescues as a modest upgrade over round designs.
Rogallo (steerable) rescues are completely different. When deployed, they behave more like a paraglider than a parachute, with a glide ratio of roughly 1:1 and a much lower sink rate of about 2.5–4 m/s. Their biggest advantage is the ability to steer and choose a landing area, resulting in much softer landings. However, these benefits come with serious trade-offs: Rogallo rescues are expensive, harder to pack, and slightly less reliable than traditional round or square designs. For this reason, pilots who use Rogallo rescues often carry two reserves — deploying the Rogallo at higher altitudes and relying on a round or square rescue at lower altitudes.
There is also a rare hybrid variant known as the triangle rescue. It opens initially like a square rescue, offering stable and reliable deployment. After the main wing is dealt with and if altitude allows, the pilot can activate a trailing-edge system to convert it into a steerable Rogallo-style wing. In theory, this is an excellent solution, but in practice, high cost and low popularity have made triangle rescues very difficult to find today.
Choosing the Right Size
As a general rule, for most manufacturers, aim to keep your All-Up-Weight (yourself plus the weight of all equipment, similar to how you calculate for paraglider size above) at 80–90% of the certified max loading. For manufacturers that “cheat” the numbers, aim closer to 60–70%.
This usually gives you a better real-world sink rate without unnecessary weight or bulk.
Choosing New vs Old Rescue
📜 Buying a second-hand rescue parachute is significantly riskier than buying a second-hand harness. This is your absolute last line of defense, and saving a small amount of money here rarely makes sense.
📉 If a rescue has been deployed once, its performance is already affected. The sink rate typically increases by about 10%, and its market value should drop by roughly 30%. Additional deployments don’t degrade performance as dramatically, but each one still reduces value by around 5%. Because of this, knowing the full deployment history of a rescue is critical.
💧 Age also matters. Even if a rescue has never been thrown, fabric stiffness, moisture exposure, and long-term compression inside the harness all affect performance over time. This is why rescues should be repacked and inspected at least once per year — something many pilots neglect. Over years of neglect, a rescue can quietly absorb moisture, dust, and sand, increasing opening time variability and sink rate without the owner realizing it.
Also, the generally accepted lifespan of a rescue is 10 years. If a rescue is about 5 years old, expect to pay less than 50% of its new value.
🪖 Helmet — Simple, Light, and Purpose-Built
Compared to wings or harnesses, choosing a helmet is relatively straightforward. There aren’t many trade-offs to debate — but there are a few important rules that beginners should get right.
🏍️ First, do not use a motorcycle helmet, especially sport or dirt-bike models. They are heavy, restrict your field of vision, and are designed for high-speed forward impacts — not the kinds of impacts common in paragliding. Even worse, their shape and protrusions increase the risk of line entanglement during takeoff or incidents.
🛹 Skateboard and ski helmets can be a decent alternative, especially for beginners or pilots on a budget. They are lightweight, offer good all-around coverage, and don’t restrict movement.
The best option is a helmet designed specifically for paragliding. These helmets are:
🪶 Very lightweight, reducing neck fatigue
👀 Designed with a wide field of vision
🌬️ Aerodynamic, with smooth surfaces to minimize line snags
🪢 Shaped to reduce line entanglement risk
📜 FYI, the certification for a paragliding helmet is EN 966 (aviation sports helmet) or an equivalent standard. This certification tests for impact protection, penetration resistance, and retention system strength appropriate for aerial sports.
📻 Radio — Walkie Talkie
A radio is highly recommended once you start flying independently, in groups, or at new sites. It improves coordination at takeoff and landing and can be critical in emergencies or retrievals.
📶 VHF vs. UHF
Paragliding radios mainly use VHF or UHF frequencies.
VHF offers longer range and better performance over open terrain and through mountainous areas.
UHF has a shorter range but clearer sound at close distances and works better around obstacles.
In real life, both work well — what matters most is what pilots around you use. Some radios support only one band, while others support both VHF and UHF. Before buying, ask pilots in the country where you’ll fly most often. General reference:
VHF: Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, USA, most of Europe
UHF: Australia, China, etc.
If you travel or fly internationally, a dual-band radio is the safest option.
❌ Avoid Preset-Frequency Radios
Avoid radios that only use preset frequencies. They’re cheap and simple, but designed for small, controlled environments.
For paragliding, they’re inconvenient to manage and more prone to interference and channel jamming. Always choose a fully programmable radio.
Japanese vs. Chinese Radios
ICOM (Japan) has long been the gold standard: excellent build quality, sound, durability, and sensible power output. The downside is the price — often 5× higher — and limited features.
Modern Chinese radios have improved massively. In blind tests, they’re often nearly indistinguishable from Japanese models. Our school has used them for four years with excellent reliability. They also offer dual-band support, multiple channels, and extra features at a much lower price.
Reference of Cost:
ICOM V86: 2.95M VND
Baofeng Dual-band (various models): 0.9M VND (contact us)
📟 Variometer / Flight Computer
A variometer or flight computer helps you understand what the air is doing and how well you are flying in it. In the past, pilots needed multiple separate devices to do this. Today, one device — or a phone + sensor combo — can handle everything.
⚙️ What Does a Variometer / Flight Computer Do?
Modern units combine several critical functions:
📈 Indicating Life/Sink (Variometer):
Uses a highly sensitive barometric pressure sensor (and sometimes accelerometers) to detect whether you are climbing or sinking. When you are high above the ground, without visual reference to mountains or terrain, it’s surprisingly hard to tell. The vario communicates this through:
Audio (beeps: faster = stronger lift)
Visual data (numbers showing exact climb/sink rate)
📍 Indicating and creating a Location log (GPS):
Records your flight tracklog. Paragliding is a very data-driven sport, and tracklogs are often the only way to “prove” or share what you’ve done. Pilots upload flights to platforms like xcontest.org, and competitions are scored entirely based on these logs.
🧮 Flight Computing
As you progress, you need more real-time information to fly efficiently. Advanced computers can provide:
Maps and airspace
Glide ratio and glide angle to turnpoints / goal
Distance flown and estimated arrival
Average climb rate and side views
Any many many more metrics...
📡 Live Tracking
Allows safety coordinators, teammates, and even friends at home to follow your flight in real time — especially useful during XC flights.
When Do You Actually Need One?
What you need depends entirely on where you are in your flying journey:
P1–P2: Basic GPS / tracklog is enough. No vario required.
P3: A variometer becomes important for learning thermals and soaring.
P4–P5: You’ll benefit from full flight computing and live tracking for cross-country flying.
📱 My Recommendation — Phone + External Sensor
With today’s technology, the smartphone you already own is becoming an excellent flight computer. The software is powerful, user-friendly, and constantly improving.
The main limitation of phones is sensor quality, especially for vario performance. The solution is simple: use an external Bluetooth sensor connected to your phone. This is very cost-effective and extremely powerful (often better than dedicated devices). This also scales perfectly with your progression:
P1–P2: buy nothing
P3: add a simple, cheap sensor
P4–P5: upgrade to a more advanced sensor
🔋 The only real downside is battery management. Phones drain faster in flight, but a small power bank solves this easily.
👉 Use your smartphone as the first flight computer and buy external sensors according to needs as you progress in the sport
🎒 Other Accessories — Small Things That Matter
These items aren’t as critical as your wing, harness, or reserve, but they improve comfort, control, and safety over time.
🧤 Gloves
Avoid thick gloves — they reduce feeling and control. Proper paragliding gloves are best, with extra padding where lines often cut into the hand. In Vietnam, even in winter, summer gloves are usually enough.
🥾 Boots
Use high-ankle shoes if possible. Hiking shoes are excellent for ankle protection during takeoff and landing. The only downside is slightly reduced comfort compared to lighter footwear.
⚡ Speed Bar
Most harnesses already come with one. Always check with your seller before buying separately.
📋 Flight Deck
Pod harnesses always include a flight deck. Seated harnesses usually don’t. If you plan to keep a seated harness long-term, consider adding one. Otherwise, upgrading to a pod harness later automatically solves this.
✂️ Hook Knife
Used to cut lines in rare emergency wrap situations. You’ll hopefully never need it — but it’s good to have and takes up almost no space.
🌀 Anti-G Chute
Designed to reduce G-forces during strong spiral dives. These days, fewer pilots use them as techniques and training improve, but they still exist for advanced pilots.
❤️ Final Thoughts
🧠 Even a guide this long still can’t capture 20 years of real flying experience. Paragliding gear choice is full of nuance, personal preference, and context — and there will always be edge cases and specific situations that deserve individual advice. If you have more detailed or unusual questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly. We’re always happy to help.
🛒 And if you’re looking to buy gear, you’re welcome to contact us as well. Our prices are among the most competitive in the world, and the brands we represent — including GIN and others — are widely regarded as some of the best in paragliding. Supporting us this way also helps sustain our training, flying sites, and the community around our operation.
🤝 Fly safe, choose wisely, and enjoy the journey — the sky has a way of rewarding patience and good decisions.
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