Help buying first HP kit- LOC IV should I buy the new kit with Payload? or OLD

Im new to HPR and Seeking purchasing guidance.I have a dimlena.

I don't want to complicate my first build and i liked that that the LOC IV seems simple and there is a great a youtube tutorial on the build. At apogee, the rocket is $98 and includes an elastic shock cord and no decals. At LOC its about the same price , but is new edition with a "payload" bay , decals and upgraded nylon shock cord.15′ 3/8″ Nylon with sewn loops (not elastic). How much complexity does the payload bay add and what are the benefits of having one? Also, who ships faster ?

You get more for your $ by getting the new version directly from LOC. You don’t have to build it as DD if you don’t want to. LOC has a lot of other great L1 kits that don’t have an e-bay or payload section - most are very straight forward builds. The kit at Apogee isn’t necessarily the old version, it’s possible the website hasn’t been updated. Shipping will be equally fast.

The amount of complexity a payload bay adds is minimal.

As dpower says, it won't make much difference in complexity. You won't be able to follow the video exactly, but hopefully it will give you general guidance for building any similar HPR kit. I suggest choosing the rocket you like the look of and adapting the techniques you like to it.