Bungee Jumping Equipment.

It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the apparatus used in bungy leaping before you participate in a leap. This way you will know what to look for and what type of setup you would like best. While there are many different types of platforms and retrieval apparatus, for the purpose of this article, we will look at two things that will affect your leap the most - the bungy cable, and the harness.

When talking about bungy leaping apparatus, the bungy cable is one of the most vital items. There are several variations on the type of cable that is used in bungy leaping today. There are braided cables, unbraided cables, pre-stretched and un-stretched, natural rubber, mil spec, and the Euro cable. These are the major variations in the bungy cable used in today's bungy leaping sports events. Let's take a minute to look at the characteristics of each one of these cables, and the impact that it has on the end user: the bungy jumper.

First, there is the military specification cable (or mil spec), which is manufactured to meet the requirements of the U. S. military. Of course, the military uses it to tie down apparatus, not leap from bridges and other tall objects! However, because of the rigorous and standardized testing of the mil spec, these cables work well for bungy leaping. When using mil spec cables in bungy leaping, they are usually grouped together to form a set, as one cable can typically hold around two hundred pounds of weight. Each cable has a protective sheath on it to prevent dirt and foreign objects from abrading the cables. The downside to this is that it is not possible to inspect the ends of the cables for fraying and / or signs of failure.

Some bungy cables are pre-stretched. This prevents the cable from stretching as much during the actual leap, which provides more of a 'jerking' action and a shock as the jumper reaches the end of the cable length. These are used mostly in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere the commercial proponents of bungy leaping tend to use a natural rubber, un-stretched and unbraided cable. This provides for a lot more 'bounce' and a more smooth experience at the bottom of the leap. While these natural cables do not last as long as the mil spec cables, they do provide a much more comfortable leap for the average user.

The next piece of bungy leaping apparatus that you should inquire about is known as the harness. There are two main types of harnesses - the leg harness and the body harness. The leg harness usually consists of a towel wrapped around the ankles with webbing tied around this in a special knot. The towel provides padding to help prevent injury to the ankles. The webbing is then attached to the bungy cable. The body harness is very similar to a climber's harness, and in fact, is many times the same thing. The most vital aspect of the harness is how it attaches - if it is secure - to the bungee. Some accidental deaths have occurred when the bungy cable was attached using climbing carabineers instead of specialized apparatus. It can definitely be said that bungy leaping apparatus has come a long way since the vines on Pentecost Island!