United Parachute Technologies, or UPT, builds skydiving harness/container systems for sport and military use. Our products include the Vector, Sigma, and the Vector SE.

Since the early 1970s, Bill Booth’s companies have designed and manufactured tens of thousands of top quality, harness/container systems to skydivers all across the world. Some of which are used in outer space!

In 1972, Bill Booth started in a Miami garage. In the late 1970’s Bill made two major contributions to the world of skydiving. First, he invented and patented the Hand Deploy Pilot Chute, which quickly changed the sport. The second invention, and perhaps Bill’s greatest contribution, was the invention the 3-Ring Release System. In 1983, Bill received the prestigious Parachute Equipment Industry Association Achievement Award. The Federation Aeronautic International awarded him the 1984 Gold Medal for outstanding achievement in parachute safety design. The highest award available in his field.

Bill’s first harness container system was named the Wonderhog. This incorporated all of the latest safety improvements of its era. It was soon followed by the Wonderhog Sprint. In 1980, the Vector was introduced and immediately became the most popular harness container in the world and still is. The U.S. Skydiving Team wore the first Vectors during the 1981 World Meet. In fact, since 1977, our systems have stood atop podiums more than any other.

Six years later, the Vector II was released and enjoyed even more popularity.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, new freefall disciplines made their way into skydiving; SkySurfing, FreeStyle, and FreeFlying. These new styles of flying brought with them challenges, never before experienced in skydiving. Systems were exposed to much higher airspeeds from any and all directions. With no current system providing enough security to match up to the demands of these disciplines, the need for innovation led to the creation of the Vector 3.

Since it’s release in 1994, the Vector 3 remains the top harness container system in the world.

Read more about our history here.