The earliest harness was nothing more than a swing seat  that the parachutist sat on and then held onto the risers  or suspension straps. It soon became apparent that if the  openings were in any way uneven, it could be very precarious  for the parachutist. While the sling seat worked for the ride  down, it was necessary to add additional straps to secure  the parachutist. These straps included the leg, back, and  chest straps. The standard harness configuration is equipped  to secure a torso, head, arms, and legs with straps. Others  have been added over time for additional purposes, such as  survival kits or cushions.  Figure 2-14  shows a basic military  style harness. This harness configuration has seven points of  adjustment to allow fitting of most military personnel. Figure 2-15.  Super swooper harness. Figure 2-14.  Military harness.  As skydiving and the sport parachute industry has grown,  most of the equipment is now custom-built for each  individual. The standard piggyback harness configuration of  today is a fixed main lift web with adjustments only at the  chest and leg straps.  [Figure 2-16]  Elimination of the extra  hardware and webbing has resulted in a dramatic reduction  in weight of modern systems. Along with this has been an  increase in comfort and flexibility. One of the most innovative  designs adopted in recent years is the “articulated” harness.  This design incorporates metal rings at the hip junction and  the chest-strap attachment.  [Figure 2-17]  These rings allow  a full range of motion both in the air and on the ground and  increase the fit and comfort of the harness. Note however that  hardware incorporated into the main lift web or junction of  a harness should be equal in strength to the webbing or at  least the certification of the harness. Type 7 harness webbing  is 6,000 pounds tensile. Type 13 harness webbing is 7,000  pounds tensile. The stainless steel “RW-8” is certified to  3,500 pounds. The stainless steel 5010 Harness Ring is  certified to 5,000 pounds. Most of the early parachute systems had the harness detachable  from the containers. This allowed interchangeability for  various models. In the 1970s, skydiving systems began to  integrate the harness into a true harness/container assembly.  This was accomplished by sandwiching the harness between  the container and backpad and sewing them together.  Figure 2-15  shows one of the earliest custom systems called  the “super swooper.” This harness was the precursor of  today’s sport harnesses. The “stepped” harness is not as strong as the continuous  horizontal harness  [Figure 2-18] . If point loading occurs on  a stepped harness, stitching may break, and the junction can  2-10