chest strap- not tight enough

[tosca 0]

Hi everyone, I recently had a bad experience because I didn´t have my chest strap tight enough, I just wanted to share with you.

At every dropzone I´ve been to, people I jump with ALWAYS tell me that I don´t have to tighten my chest strap as much as I do. After a while I thought that maybe they were right.. So I loosened it a little to see if it was better. It was still pretty tight and no one thought it would be a problem. I asked many instructors, and they actually said I could loosen it more, but I kept it medium tight.

On a solo jump, doing head-down head-up transitions I suddenly felt the part of the rig that´s over my shoulder (sorry about my bad english) comes down to my elbow on my left arm, and just below my shoulder on my right arm. There was absolutely no risk of falling out of the harness. Actually, the rig held me very very well- that was the problem, my left arm was really stuck. So the problem was that I couldn´t move my left arm at all, and my right arm not freely.

I went belly-to-earth and tried to pull the rig back with my right arm. I could not move my right arm all that good either and because of the big pressure on the rig, just couldn´t do it. I went to head-up position and I think the wind helped me by loosen the pressure a little bit. Then I managed to pull up the rig with my right hand.

Back in my rig at 3300, I was happy that it happened at a good altitude. If it had been lower and on my right arm, I hadn´t been able to pull my main.

I now know exactly how much I have to tighten my chest strap, for this not to happen again. When I do hop and pops or when I do FS I can have it looser. When I´m under canopy I also loosen it. But when I´m freeflying I keep it as tight as I know I have to.

Still people tell me over and over again that I have to loosen my chest strap, even when I tell them that I need it tight and explain why…I guess it´s something most people learned as students and are convinced that it applies to everyone with any gear.

I know will be very careful to tell someone to loosen their chest strap if the person person is small and has a rather low chest strap, or if the person has very small shoulders compared to the rig.

[billvon 2,406]

> . . .or if the person has very small shoulders compared to the rig.

That's the key. It depends on the rig. Jump Shack, for example, does an excellent job fitting rigs to small people. Some other rig manufacturers have a 'standard' yoke size that's not great for smaller people. It all depends on your body vs the rig.

[mikeat10500 9]

I have had a similar experience. My chest strap is
very short. It was a hot summer day "nude jump".
To this day I can't believe I miss-routed the chest strap but when we turned to dump" no track gonna land a bi-plane", my r/h main lift web slipped off my shoulder. I looked for my chest strap...gone w/chest mount alti II and hook knife. Had to cross my arms
on opening to hold myself in the rig" worked good though!!!". After opening found chest strap under right armpit, no alti or hook knife. I really liked that altimaster II.

-----------------------------------
Mike Wheadon B-3715,HEMP#1
Higher Expectations for Modern Parachutists.

[stilettodude 0]

The same thing happened to me Mike. I mis-routed my chest strap and when it slipped out my main lift web (on both sides) slipped halfway down my shoulders. I tried to buckle it in freefall ( which didn't work at all) so around 2500 i grabbed both sides with one hand and dumped with the other. It turned out good but i wouldn't want to do it again lol.
Needless to say..... i will not make that same mistake!
Philip

"HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?"

[RichM 0]

Quote

> . . .or if the person has very small shoulders compared to the rig.

That's the key. It depends on the rig. Jump Shack, for example, does an excellent job fitting rigs to small people. Some other rig manufacturers have a 'standard' yoke size that's not great for smaller people. It all depends on your body vs the rig.

Bill, I agree. I'm a slim bloke weighing 145lbs and have a Racer NOS (Naroow Over the Shoulder). It fits me like a dream and I often freefly with my chest strap correctly routed but very very loose. I have never had a shoulder come off with this container.

Rich M

[steve1 5]

It sounds like you need a smaller harness. I have a new rig now that is a little too loose in the shoulders and the leg straps have to be tightened all the way up. I don't do a lot of head down flying, but I've been keeping my chest strap extra tight just in case. I probably should get a smaller rig. Steve1

[rigging65 0]

Sounds more like an incorrectly sized harness to me. Even with chest strap very loose, a properly fit harness shouldn't move around all that much. I'd get someone who is qualified to look at that for you.

"...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward.
For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

[riddler 0]

Tosca - what kind and age of container were you jumping? The harness is more important than the container, but older-style containers (or harnesses) were never really made for free-flying.

I have that problem free-flying my 15 year-old Vector 2 (bad Riddler, bad!) - but I have a newer free-fly rig on the way.

I did have one jump that the leg straps loosened and I gut strangled by the chest-strap on opening (looser chest strap would have been less painful). I've also had it too loose, and my shoulder-strap come down over my shoulder while climbing out of the plane for a formation jump. My point is that it can be too tight, as well as too loose. It's good to adjust a little at a time in both directions to see how that changes things.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[tosca 0]

it´s a javelin, -91
It´s in good condition, just a little too big for me if I don´t tighten my chest strap.

Except that it could be less comfortable and not cool, could it be any problems if I have my chest strap tight?

[betzilla 56]

Quote

> . . .or if the person has very small shoulders compared to the rig.

That's the key. It depends on the rig.

Relative workshop make pretty narrow yokes too.

[CanEHdian 0]

My custom built G3 had to have the chest strap tight to prevent shoulder slippage when inverted.

CanEHdian

Time's flying, and so am I...
(69-way, 108-way and 138/142-way Freefly World Records)

[Tonto 1]

Many instructors believe you can't arch with your chest strap tight. This is nonsense. Comfort is one thing, Having the rig come off is another.

I wear mine WAY tighter than average, then back it off under canopy.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[Hooknswoop 19]

Quote

Many instructors believe you can't arch with your chest strap tight. This is nonsense.

I agree, you arch with your hips, not your chest. I tend to wear my chest strap fairly loose though.

Hook

[bluefingers 0]

I like my chest strap and leg straps done up nice and snug. Student rigs are on the large side, and slip off my shoulders when on the ground, so I prefer to have that strap done up nice and snug. I've had JM's tell me to loosen it a bit, but when I explain my reservation they are fine with it ....

Mind you, I'm jumping a slightly smaller rig now, which fits a lot better ....

Kerry

[deaffreeflyer 0]

I had the same problem as your. I discovered a potential reason why it happened. I asked my rigger and some users here thought it's due to yoke size. I know my rig's yoke is bit too wide for me cos I'm skinny and small shoulder. It's Javelin and 7 years old. I was hardly surprised it wasn't designed for freeflying. My rigger tolds me 2 or 3 years ago many container makers started re-designed their rigs for freeflying such as narrow yoke, riser cover etc... to updated it. I did some headdown coaches with Eli Thompson and part of my rig went over my shoulder down to my left elbow Eli tolds me to tight my chest strap up (to maximum!) and tried again. No difference this time. He suggested me not to headdown with my rig. I asked around for advises and decided to not do headdown anymore for a year until I get a brand new rig At least it'll give me a lot more time to focus on my sitflying and tracking. So I can outtrack some skydivers and doing back tracking

Personally I don't think it's good idea if you still do headdown with your currently rig cos you can slipped off your rig while doing headdown. You'll never know. It's not my cuppa tea! I just want to keep bring my ass back to sky!

[USPA 0]

Ok, a little smalltalk, but it applies here...

I never forget this incident..:

We had a young skydiver at our DZ, nice guy, but a bit overconfident and not too bright. He didn't have his own equipment, so he always borrowed some1's.

One day he couldn't borrow one of his "Regulars" so he got one from a big guy. You should have seen him standing! A big rig on a small guy, everything as tight as possible and it was still lose.

I was standing in the office, and other instructors were already talking to him, so I just watched from a distance. You could see he was stubern again and just wanted to get on the load. Then when of the instructors who was also looking from a distance walked up to him, didn't say anything, pulled the shoulder straps apart (without loosingen anything) and the rig fell down between his legs. He then walked away without saying anything.

You should have seen the look in the little stubbern guy! I thought I was going to wet my pants.... ....

ah well stories....

The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...