As a paraglider pilot one of the most important pieces of equipment you may ever own is your reserve / rescue parachute. It is a piece of equipment that all of us hope we will never have to use and with a little luck and a commitment to flying conservatively chances are you never will have to deploy your rescue. But only the foolhardier would choose to fly without one. Think of it this way a good rescue parachute like the Apco Mayday will run you around $550, that is most likely the least expensive insurance policy you will ever purchase.
This applies equally to powered paraglider (PPG) pilots. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because you fly close to the ground you don’t need a reserve. Reserves parachutes have been successfully deployed with as little altitude as 75 feet. This means that as a PPG pilot if you ever plan on flying at an altitude greater than 75 feet a reserve could potentially save your life.