Your Rig – A Top to Bottom Breakdown

What are the component parts of your harness-container, and what is their function?

As any instructor will tell you, one of the most vital aspects of safety in skydiving is a proper and thorough gear check.

The key to a good gear check is first and foremost knowing your equipment and its terminology. With that in mind, here is a top-down and front-to back-look at the Vector 3, highlighting its features and options and placing special emphasis on pre-flight items to check.

Front of the Vector

Risers 

The risers directly connect your main canopy to the 3-Ring system of your container’s harness. These customizable risers are made of incredibly strong type 17 or type 8 webbing and produced in varying lengths, depending on the arm length of the jumper, and canopy design.

3-Ring Release System 

The 3-ring release is the most recognizable piece of equipment on any modern skydiving container. The 3 stainless steel rings of decreasing size are specifically designed to allow jumpers to release a malfunctioning main canopy through the use of a cutaway handle. A thorough inspection of your 3-ring system should be made prior to each jump.

RSL – Reserve Static Line 

The RSL or Reserve Static Line is the webbed tab and releasable metal link attached to the right riser which directly connects your Vector’s reserve ripcord to your main canopy, allowing your released main to deploy your reserve. Two of the Vector’s ground-breaking features are the Skyhook and Collins Lanyard. The Skyhook in essence turns your main canopy into your reserve pilot chute during a cutaway, significantly decreasing your reserve deployment time. The Collins Lanyard ensures that if one riser is released, the opposite riser is released as well. It is important to ensure proper routing and connection of your RSL before each jump.

Cable Housings

These metal housings hold the cutaway and reserve ripcord cables. They are designed to protect them and allow for smooth extraction during a malfunction.

Cutaway and Reserve Handles

Your Vector has a cutaway handle on the right-side main lift web at your chest, which when pulled releases a malfunctioning main canopy, and a reserve handle on the left side, which when pulled deploys your reserve canopy. These handles are customizable, with the option of a metal ‘D’ ring or pillow reserve handle.

Chest Strap  

Your chest strap is fully adjustable, keeping you secure and snug in your container harness system. It has elastic keepers used to stow excess webbing. Only use the elastics provided, never replace with bungees as this will wear the chest strap.

Leg Strap and Leg Pads

The leg straps of your Vector are directly attached to your harness system. These straps are adjustable, allowing for ease of use. The customizable leg pads wrap around the leg straps and can be either one or two pieces. These are designed to dramatically increase comfort in all phases of use. Each leg strap has elastics to stow excess.

Side of the Vector 

Main Lift Web

The main lift web (MLW) of your harness system runs the length of your torso, attaching directly to your adjustable leg straps and chest strap, holding you firmly and comfortably in your Vector 3. 

Stabilizers 

The stabilizers, sometimes referred to as laterals, connect the container to the main lift web, ensuring the container fits properly to your body. These are fully customizable for precise fit and added comfort.

Hip rings (VGH)

The Variable Geometry Harness gives added flexibility and range of motion by allowing the harness to hinge at the waist. It is also referred to as VGH, or hip rings.

Side Wall

The side wall, or sidebody flaps of the container form part of the main tray. They are a popular place for custom embroidery. 

Back Pad 

Your Vector’s back pad comes with a number of different options and is specifically designed to add to and enhance the comfort and fit of your container system.

Back of Vector Container 

Yoke 

The yoke on your Vector is the collar piece between the two risers extending across your shoulders and forward to the riser attachment point. Your Vector’s yoke is measured and contoured specifically to increase comfort and allow greater freedom of movement both on the ground and in the air. This curved yoke also eliminates the need for chest rings.

Riser Covers – External/Internal 

These customizable covers are magnetically held in place and are specifically designed to protect the risers lying underneath, helping to prevent an out-of-sequence deployment of your main canopy. Your Vector’s internal riser covers (IRC) provide an added layer of protection against damage and deployment issues.

Reserve Pin Cover 

The reserve pin cover is designed specifically to prevent accidental reserve deployment or damage to your reserve pin. Before each jump, you should open your reserve pin cover and inspect the reserve pin and associated closing, and confirm your AAD is armed.

Reserve Tray 

The reserve tray, which is located underneath your reserve pin cover, houses the reserve canopy and its lines and is the bulk of the top half of your container system. The reserve tray also houses your AAD unit in a spandex pocket and routing channels for its associated cables.

Main Tray 

When packed, these flaps fold in a specific order (bottom, top, right left -or- Better Than Real Life) to form the tray in which you will pack your main canopy and its lines. These flaps are closed using a closing loop and main closing pin, which are directly connected to your main pilot chute. When packed they constitute the bulk of the bottom half of your container system. 

Main Pin Cover Flap 

Your Vector’s main pin cover flap is a tuck-tab flap designed to protect your main closing pin and help prevent premature deployment of your main canopy. This flap should be opened and your main pin and closing loop inspected prior to each jump.

BOC Pouch – Main Handle 

Your Vector has a BOC (Bottom of Container) spandex pouch located at the bottom of the container system which houses your main pilot chute. Your pilot chute (PC) is available in Zero Porosity (ZP) and F1-11 fabrics. The pilot chute is customizable, allowing you to choose a standard plastic handle, leather hackey, freefly pud or monkey fist. This pouch and your main handle should be inspected for damage or a loose or partially packed main pilot chute before your day of jumping.

Summary

Whether you are new to skydiving, or simply jumping with a new container, knowing the systems that make up your rig and the terminology used is a vital part of safety. This knowledge is essential in being able to complete a proper and thorough gear check prior to each skydive, as well as allowing you and your rigger the ability to maintain your equipment in perfect working order for many years. You can also find a full list and explanations of features on the UPT website here.