A growing number of chest strap failures in freefall is linked to intentional misrouting. Luis Adolfo Lopez-Mendez calls attention to a growing safety concern.
There’s a growing trend I’m seeing more and more frequently in the skydiving community: jumpers routing their chest straps in a way that allows for a full quick release with a single pull. This setup is usually adopted by canopy pilots who want to quickly undo their chest straps and rely solely on their belly bands to maximize swooping distance during high-performance landings.
I find this practice problematic when adopted outside of canopy piloting training or competition. There’s a reason the chest strap is designed to be routed the way it is—it’s supposed to be difficult to come undone. When we consider making any change to our equipment, we must think through all scenarios and the potential risks of that modification.
I’ve seen and heard of skydivers whose chest straps have come undone in freefall. Let’s pause and consider that: by re-routing the chest strap so that it can be released with a single motion, you introduce the possibility that it could come free at any point during your skydive—potentially at very high speeds.
And then what?
If you’re lucky enough to notice it in time, maybe you can try to get it back on—so, no problem, right? Let’s break that down. What will it take to fix it? Are you going to roll onto your back or stop flying on your belly to handle it? Even if you manage to re-secure it, chances are you weren’t alone on that jump. Now you’re in a group—maybe doing an angle or freefly jump with friends—and suddenly, you’ve stopped flying to deal with a loose chest strap. That likely separates you from the group. Not exactly ideal in a shared airspace.
Let’s assume the best-case scenario: you manage to re-fasten it. Even then, you’ve still put your group at risk by stopping mid-jump, and now you’re stressed, disoriented, and off-plan.
But what if you can’t fix it?
Photo by Adrian Daszkowski
One possible option is to deploy your main and hold on to your harness for dear life. But what if your main malfunctions? Even if you manage a clean deployment, the risk isn’t over. During your canopy ride, you could hit turbulence (like another canopy’s burble) or have a collision. If you need to cut away—will your belly band alone keep you secure in the harness? This can become scary—and deadly—very quickly.
Let’s come back to the motivation behind rerouting your chest strap for quick release. Unless you’re actively training or competing in swoop meets—where those extra few meters of performance truly matter—undoing your chest strap won’t make your casual swoop more enjoyable. A simple long chest strap does the job just fine.
“Alternate routing of the chest strap to create a “quick release” feature is becoming more common. This is essentially intentionally misrouting the chest strap to allow for instant release of the chest strap under canopy. Any misrouting of the chest strap can lead to the chest strap coming unfastened during freefall and can lead to catastrophic outcomes during and after deployment. UPT recommends routing the chest strap properly as noted in the Owner’s Manual, page 87.”
-Meredith Ottery | Rigging Department Manager | The Loft at UPT
So let’s be honest: are you doing this because you saw your local hero doing it? Because it looks cool? Because it’s become trendy? Have you considered the real risks? Are those few extra meters really worth it?
Photo by Argy Alvarez
I think not.
At the end of the day, we’re each responsible for our decisions. But we also need to consider how those decisions impact others. This article is intended to raise awareness for newer jumpers who might be tempted to follow this trend. Before you modify something critical—like rerouting your chest strap—ask yourself: “What is the worst-case scenario?”
A very experienced skydiver shares his recent incident at a head-up record attempt:
The chest strap came loose after transitioning from HD to HU (second to last diver). I’m not sure if the arm movement to transition to head up loosened up the tension and created enough slack to feed through the quick-release. I had 3 retainer bands for the excess and fed back through the 3rd one for added security.
Let’s be smart and stay safe out there.
