'Rigging' is Scandinavian for 'wrapping and equipping a ship' — the complete rope system of a vessel.
The system of ropes, chains, and cables supporting and controlling the masts, yards, and sails of a sailing vessel; the arrangement of lines and hardware on any sailing craft.
From the verb 'rig' (to fit out a ship with masts, sails, and ropes), from a Scandinavian source — compare Norwegian 'rigga' (to wrap, to bind), Swedish 'rigga' (to rig), Danish 'rigge' (to rig). The ultimate origin is uncertain but possibly from Proto-Germanic *rik- (to bind, to tie) or connected to Proto-Germanic *rīkijaz (powerful, ruling — with the sense of 'fitting out' or 'equipping' for action). The suffix '-ing' forms the verbal noun: 'rigging' is 'the act or product of rigging.'
The phrase 'the whole rig' — meaning the entire outfit or setup — comes from sailing, where a ship's 'rig' defined its type: a 'square rig,' a 'fore-and-aft rig,' a 'lateen rig.' The 'rigged' in 'jury-rigged' (improvised repair) is nautical, but 'jerry-rigged' is a later contamination with 'jerry-built' (cheaply made).