I jumped a buddies rig with the same canopy but his rig had cut in laterals and I noticed that it did not respond as quickly and as much to harness inputs as my rig with cut-in's
So my question is do you prefer cut in laterals on your swooping rig? Do you see a noticable difference?
Cut-in laterals were initially designed so that people with larger rigs would not have their rigs "washing around" on their backs during freefally. With tiny rigs, the cut-in laterals acually hinder your ability to harness steer your canopy. They are also a hinderance on small rigs which are used primarilly for wingsuiting because they bind in the lacing of the suits.
Chest rings on a swooping rig are likewise a total waste of money.
Let me be clear here:
A: all swoopers nowdays either pull down their sliders or completely remove them. Thus, once down the chest strap is completely loosened which negates ANY benefit of chest rings under canopy. It's for that reason that no Wings container is offered with chest rings. They are simply redundant under canopy if you are jumping an HP canopy and fly it in it's designed parameters.
B: Cut-in harnesses make your rig fit very tight to your body in freefall, thus preventing any "sliding around" of your container, assuming you are jumping a container wider than your waist. If your container is the same width of your waist or narrower, then you are simply wasting your money with cut-in laterals. You are even screwing yourself with those cut-in laterals if the rig in question is primarilly used for wingsuiting. For wingsuiting, it's actually much better if your laterals go straight back into your suit lacing.
I have been jumping rigs with cut-in laterals since BEFORE the introduction of the Javelin Oddysey. When I took my Wings ride, I first got both of my sponsored rigs with cut-in laterals. After my first wingsuit-specific rig got over three years old, I ordered my replacement with "straight" laterals. It's a much easier fit with the suits I jump and it responds MUCH better to harness steer than my cut-in rigs.
It's for that reason that no Wings container is offered with chest rings.
Chuck, are there not other reasons that some manufacturers do not offer fully articulated rigs? for example, it complicates the cut away and reserve cable routing, it increases the possibility of harness shift during a malfunction, it adds cost with little or no benefit?
I wouldn't dare speak for any other manufacturer, but I did talk for some time with Henri about the decision not to offer chest rings on Wings containers a few years ago. I don't miss them at all.
Most likely , there is no real benefit, just marketing hype that most customers refuse to disbelieve,,,,all it does is add more inventory and more potential problem areas...but you'll look cool if you believe you'll need it to be cool
The Point where your Leg Straps attach to your harness.
Traditional Rigs the Lateral Harness goes through the bottom of the container between the backpad and the Main packing tray. The Laterals extend from the outside corners of the bottom of the rig where the the chest harness and leg straps attach to the laterals usually via a metal ring (articulated harness).
Cut In Laterals mean that the laterals are moved from the corners of the container to more of centered location through the back pad. Usually 3-4 inches inside the corners of the container.
This is strictly a comfort modification and there have been several threads about whether cut in laterals impact sit flying and swooping.
I personally believe that articulated harnesses with Cut in Laterals do negatively impact my ability to perform harness turns. I don't believe my rig impacts my ability to freefly in any way.
I would like to say a few words in defense of cut-in laterals and chest rings...
Of course you can be better off without them, if you're buying a brand new container and have the harness specifically tailored for your body parameters... But what if you're looking for a second-hand rig? Then you might end up buying the container with a harnes one size smaller or bigger. It is easier to replace a chest strap, if you have chest rings... For example, I bought a rig with a short chest strap and had it replaced with a much longer one, when I was in DeLand in March. It took only about an hour for a local rigger to replace it.
Less stitching - less work time - less money out of your pocket:)
