High Energy Sports
Tracer Harness Manual

(Rev. 5-95)

Although your harness has been thoroughly inspected at the factory, we recommend that you do a final inspection before you fly. You should:

· Check the stitching located on your main support lines just below the carabiner.

· Check the stitching of your main suspension line attachments at the hips, knees, shoulders and chest. Inspect both sides of the material.

· Make sure all support lines are secured with properly ties bow line knots.

· Periodically check materials and webbing for signs of wear.

· Make sure your safety lock system is properly installed.

WARNING; UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU EVER LOCK YOUR HAND DEPLOYED PARACHUTE INTO THE CONTAINER WITHOUT HAVING FIRST ATTACHED CURVED PINS TO YOUR DEPLOYMENT BAG HANDLE USING THE PRESCRIBED METHOD OF ATTACHMENT.

A properly adjusted harness is the key to many hours of enjoyable flight. Your High Energy Sports harness is easily adjustable for maximum comfort.

1. Determine the pitch angle at which you want to fly. Do you want your head up, down or body level? Adjust the chest support line to accommodate your desired flying angle. This angle is always relative to the main support lines located near your hips.(Make sure to tie the knot as close to the support bar as possible. This will reduce the amount of strain on the grommet.)

2. Determine the amount of arch you desire. Adjust your shoulder to knee support lines at the knees.

3. Adjust your Tracer for proper length. Determine where you want your center of gravity. It should be located below your balance point so that you can easily maintain a head down position in flight. Your harness comes with two 1" foam foot plates. To lengthen your leg area remove one or both foot plates. To shorten, you may fly with both foot plates. Be sure to tighten or loosen the bungee foot plate restraints to accommodate the amount of foam you use.

4. Adjust leg straps to allow you to sit higher or lower in the upright position. Your leg straps should be loose enough so as not to bind during flight but tight enough to keep you in a good position for an aggressive flair on landing. Once you have found your proper adjustment, you may want to tack down your leg strap by sewing an "x" on the strap near the adjuster and tuck the excess into the leg pad.

5. Make sure your front door zipper moves easily up and down. Lengthen or shorten the retracting bungee to fit. If your zipper does not travel smoothly apply a light layer of silicon on the coil. Always keep your zipper clean and free of small stones.

6. Check all lines for equal tension. Your weight should be equally distributed in your harness.

7. Trim off the excess line. Be sure to melt the ends of the line to avoid raveling.

8. Re-check all knots.

9. Perform hang check prior to each flight to check for knot slippage or line stretch. Always inspect lines for wear before you fly.

Tracer rigging

For maximum comfort you may rig your Tracer in several different ways.

Normal Tracer rigging

1. Tie the short line from the shoulder to shoulder loop.

2. Tie the other short line from the knee to knee bars.

3. Tie the longest line from the chest through the carabiner to the other chest bar.

4. Snap plastic rope cascade wear guard on the shoulder to shoulder and knee to knee lines.

5. Tie long rope from shoulder line cascade to knee line cascade.

6. Adjust harness as outlined in manual

Alternate Tracer Rigging

1. Tie long line from shoulder to shoulder.

2. Tie second long line from right chest support through ring at carabiner to right knee support.

3. Repeat with a third long line on other side.

Spreader Bar Rigging Option #1:

1. Rig your Shoulder to Shoulder rope to determine your desired angle of attack.

2. Adjust the chest to knee line by retying the line located at the knee spreader.

Spreader Bar Rigging Option #2:

1. Cascade your short shoulder to shoulder rope to your medium length shoulder to knee rope.

2. Attach your chest spreader rope directly to the carabiner.

Spreader Bar Rigging Option #3 with clam cleat:

1. Cascade your short shoulder to shoulder rope to your medium length shoulder to knee rope.

2. Attach your chest spreader rope directly to the carabiner.

3. Route your long chest spreader bar rope through the carabiner to your clam cleat.

Spreader Bar Rigging Option #4 with clam cleat:

1. Cascade your short shoulder to shoulder rope to your medium length rope.

2. Route it through the carabiner to the clam cleat.

3. Rig your chest line through the quick link on the carabiner and attach to the knee spreader bar.

4. This option will force more arch into the harness when you pull on the clam cleat adjuster and make the harness feel shorter.

Please note: If you have a hip spreader bar and are having trouble sitting up please remove that spreader bar immediately!

Placing your parachute into your High Energy Sports harness

1. Completely open the 3-sided Velcro closure on the parachute container located on your harness.

2. Fold the hook side of the Velcro away from the inside of the parachute container so it cannot snag any part of your deployment bag..

3. Place your parachute into your harness parachute container. If you have a High Energy Sports comfort pack the colored line pouch should be face down. Your parachute handle will be face up. The handle will extend out of the container and lay over the Velcro with the grommets

4. S-fold the parachute bridle into the bottom 1/3 of your parachute container. Leave enough bridle extending out of the parachute container side (just above the bar tack) to have the covered loop reach your carabiner. Make sure there are no twists or knots in the bridle.

5. Push the parachute into the container and secure the safety lock system.

To secure the safety lock system line up corresponding grommets located on the Velcro flap.

With the parachute deployment handle on the outside of each grommet thread the bungee loop through both grommets.

Insert the curved pin located on your parachute deployment bag handle through the bungee loop peaking through the grommets on the outside of your parachute container..

Repeat this process to secure the second safety lock.

If you have any question as to whether your system is secured properly, try to open the Velcro closure without pulling on the parachute deployment bag handle. If the Velcro opens your

safety lock system is not properly installed Next try to open the Velcro by pealing the parachute deployment bag handle away from the parachute container. The curved pins should slide out of the bungee loop and allow the Velcro to open.

If your curved pins slide out of the bungee loops before you exert pressure on the handle you may need to shorten the bungee loop. To do this simply slide the knot in the bungee towards the looped end.

6. Secure the top and sides of the Velcro on your parachute container. The more force you apply to the Velcro the better it will close.

7. Do the "Knee-test" to make sure your parachute will not pop out of your harness during flight. To do this hold your harness on either side of the parachute container with the parachute facing away from you. Sit on a chair or the floor and place both of your knees in the center of the parachute simulating your body laying in the harness. Now pull the harness towards you with your hands while you push the harness away from you with your knees. If you hear Velcro coming apart reattach the Velcro and sit on your parachute. You may want to rock yourself from side to side to squeeze more air out of your canopy. Repeat the "Knee-test".

8. Attach the looped end of your bridle to your carabiner. Make sure that your bridle is opposite the carabiner gate. Secure the bridle to your harness by routing it through the Velcro holders. Make sure you do not have excess bridle that may get caught on anything.

9. Attach a safety from your harness main strap directly to your parachute bridle bypassing the carabiner. This safety should be able to withstand 4000 pound load. It is your backup in the event of a carabiner failure during deployment.

Secret storage for items you want during flight is located in an open channel behind the glove box. This is ideal for gloves or other items to which you need easy access,

Space for first aid kit or safety items is located behind the lower portion of the standard parachute container. We suggest you fill a zip lock bag with dental floss, sterile pads, bandages, saw blades, small strong mirror, or other safety items you may need in the event of a tree landing or injury.

In the event of a front door leg zipper sticking problem, you can "break through" the Velcro by reaching down to the door closure line routing strap (1" webbing piece with a grommet in the middle located at the top of your leg doors) and pulling down in a peel action. This works great if your zipper is stuck close to the top. Once you have it started break through the lower portion with your knee. If the zipper is stuck lower down you will have to reach down to start peeling the Velcro by hand. You should practice this regularly while hanging at home

 Care of your harness

Your High Energy Sports harness will give you years of safe comfortable flight when cared for properly. Be sure to:

Cover your harness when not in use. Prolonged exposure to ultra-violet rays is extremely harmful to nylon. Be sure to pack your harness in its gear bag when not in use. Do not leave it laying in the sun.

Keep your harness clean. Periodically wash your harness with mild soap in cool water. Rinse thoroughly. Dirt wedged in-between threads in the material or stitching can cause abrasion and premature wear.

Avoid excessive heat. Excessive heat can be found in the trunk of your car on a sunny day, in the bed of a pick up truck over the exhaust system and a number of other places.

Keep acids away from your harness. Acids include citrus juices, lemonade, urine, battery acid and decaying insects.

Inspect your harness thoroughly before each flight. Look for signs of wear on all your support lines and replace them immediately. Replace all lines once a year and mains once every two years or upon sign of wear.

Inspect your carabiner regularly. Replace your carabiner if you see any deep nicks, scratches or stress marks. Be sure the gate opens and closes smoothly.

Thank you

Thank you for choosing a High Energy Sports harness. Our company is dedicated to providing the highest quality accessories to Hang Gliding enthusiasts.

If you have any questions, problems or suggestions please do not hesitate to call or write. It is only through your honest feedback that we can continue to refine our current products and develop new ones.

Fly Safely.