Harness Design

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According to Poynter’s Parachute Manual, “the harness is an arrangement of cotton, linen, nylon, or Dacron® webbing, which is designed to conform to the shape of the load (usually the body) to be carried in order to secure it properly so that the opening forces and the weight of the load are evenly distributed during opening and descent.”

The earliest harness was nothing more than a swing seat that the parachutist sat on and then held onto the risers or suspension straps. It soon became apparent that if the openings were anywhere uneven, it could be very precarious for the parachutist. While the sling seat worked for the ride down, it was necessary to add additional straps to secure the parachutist. These straps included the leg, back, and chest straps. The standard harness configuration is equipped to secure a torso, head, arms and legs with straps.

Figure 2-12. Military harness.

Figure 2-13. Super Swooper harness

Others have been added over time for additional purposes such as survival kits or cushions. Figure 2-12 shows a basic military style harness. This harness configuration has seven points of adjustment to allow fitting of most military personnel. Most of the early parachute systems had the harness detachable from the containers. This allowed interchangeability for various models. In the 1970s, skydiving systems began to integrate the harness into a true harness/ container assembly. This was accomplished by sandwiching the harness between the container and backpad and sewing them together. Figure 2-13 shows one of the earliest custom systems called the “Super Swooper.” This harness was the precursor of today’s sport harnesses. As skydiving and the sport parachute industry has grown, most of the equipment is now custom-built for each individual. The standard piggyback harness configuration of today is a fixed main lift web with adjustments only at the chest and leg straps. [Figure 2-14] Elimination of theextra hardware and webbing has resulted in a dramatic reduction in weight of modern systems. Along with this has been an increase in comfort and flexibility. One of the most innovative designs adopted in recent years is the articulated” harness. This design incorporates metal rings at the hip junction and the chest-strap attachment.

Figure 2-12. Military harness. [Figure 2-15] These rings allow a full range of motion

Figure 2-14. Standard piggyback harness.

Figure 2-15. Articulated harness configuration.

both in the air and on the ground and increase the fit and comfort of the harness. An added benefit is that this style of harness is stronger under high shock loads. This is due to the natural alignment of the webbing during the opening process. With a nonarticulated harness, the webbing junctions warp and load unevenly. [Figure 2-16] Because of this, point loading occurs, stitching breaks, and the junction can fail with disastrous results. In recent years and with the increasing popularity of vertical skydiving or “freeflying,” greater speeds are experienced.

Figure 2-16. Standard harness junction warping.

Experienced with corresponding higher loads on the harnesses. For many years, harnesses were overbuilt as they were basically copies of military designs. As the sport has progressed, equipment has been made lighter and smaller.