Articulated vs not

[cosmicgypsy 5]

Question: What is the advantage to an articulated harness vs a more conventional type? I seem to see more now than when I jumped, about 25yrs ago.

[Bealio 0]

I've been told that articulated harnesses will conform to your body better during different body positions, like freeflying which wasn't as popular 25 years ago.

[JerryBaumchen 1,364]

Hi gypsy,

Quote

advantage to an articulated harness

IMO comfort. However, and here is where I agree 100% with Bill Booth, I am not a believer in upper chest rings; just the lower hip rings.

IMO the upper chest rings will put the reserve ripcord too far around your body, reducing the safety element of ease to find when you really, really need it.

Jerry Baumchen

[jimjumper 25]

It also makes it a lot easier to reasonably change the harness size in the event you sell the container.

[gb1 3]

Much better for manufacturing. Allows more sub assemblies during lay out.Yes, easier to change harness size. I would think the webbing should give as much movement, however it would make a kink.

[jumpwally 0]

.....but offers several potential failure points,,,

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[gb1 3]

I agree with Jerry. Lower rings OK, not needed on top. I think, keep hardware, velcro and magnets to a bare minimum. Keep it simple.

FB #143

[hackish 8]

Every time i see a legstrap repair on an articulated harness i know that the cost of that option paid for itself.

[riggerrob 643]

hackish

Every time i see a legstrap repair on an articulated harness i know that the cost of that option paid for itself.

.........................................................................
Ringed harnesses might be easier to repair, but all those extra stitch patterns require more time and labour to manufacture.

Light-weight skydiving rigs bottomed out about 1990, when small ZP canopies became practical, but before ringed harnesses came into fashion. Adding 4 extra rings increased: cost of hardware, cost of webbing and cost of labour.
The worst was Strong's tandem student harness with hip rings: comfortable for students, but prohibitively expensive to sew with 6 stitch patterns radiating out from each hip ring versus one stitch pattern on a conventional (non-ringed) hip joint.

[hackish 8]

What I mean is that fully articulated harnesses make it far easier to replace only a section of the webbing when the pilot decides to downwind it on the taxiway. If not it's often a complete harness and while manufacturers have been very kind with the pricing for me it is still often a $500 mistake or a $100 mistake if they were articulated.

-Michael

[CrashProne 4]

Hip rings with floating laterals (Infinity)?

Worth every penny.

[DHemer 0]

For what it is wish I had not ordered chest rings on my latest rig. I like the hip rings though and have jumped with them for a few years

The chest rings do not seem to offer an advantage only added weight

[riggerrob 643]

Some skinny skydivers need all the extra weight/hardware they can get!

[riggerrob 643]

Hip rings are more comfortable when stuffing large skydivers into small airplanes.

Chest rings increase flexibility if you are Dale Stewart (ballerina come skydiver who was 7-times solo, artistic, free-style, free-flying champion), but for the rest of us are mainly fashion statements.

[cosmicgypsy 5]

Thanks everyone for the great answers.