School me on bino harness's

[MountainTi]

First off shout out to Bob at McBain camera. I knew he was a swaro dealer so I'd sent him a PM a month or so ago asking where to send my binos for a servicing. He suggested I take them to the Red Deer shop and he would look after it from there. He called me last Thursday, said he had them in his hands, and sent them back down to Red Deer for me. Thanks again Bob!

Service at Swaro of course top notch. After 15ish years of getting packed around, drug across barb wire fences, bouncing off a saddle horn, laying in the rocks on the side of a mountain in the snow, ect…. a tune-up was in order. I got them back with all new armouring, new objective lenses, new eye cups, new objective protective caps, aligned, cleaned inside and out, and a repair on the focus mechanism. Like a brand new set of binos aside from the coating wear and dings on the metal parts, strictly cosmetic. All that for $210. I was impressed, everything repaired was due to use/abuse.

Anyways thinking I might try to take a bit better care of them now...for now...
I have always used a swaro bino harness that I bought shortly after I bought the binos. They work great, far better than hanging them off your neck of course.
The regular harness doesn't off much protection unless you tuck them inside you jacket, so was thinking of maybe trying one with the protective case on it as well. Are they user friendly at all? Worth using or just send binos back every few years for a tune-up?

Link to one brand just for an example

https://www.kuiu.com/global/shop/mou...ar-binoharness

[7mmremmag]

I have that exact bino harness.
I have the XL for a set of Vortex Razor UHD 12x50 binos.
I really like it. It holds the binos tight to your chest. Easy to adjust for layers of clothing.
I think the pro version will be better, but Kuiu is saying it wont be back in stock until May.

[CDNOutdoorsman]

Alaska guide creations...

[wmd]

Another vote for alaska guide creations there great.

[brewster29]

Check out FHF and Alaska Guide Creations harnesses as well. Try to find an example to see how they fit your glass. They are both premium products with maximum protection for your binos.

I personally like a storage pouch or two and a compartment for a rangefinder- you won’t need this if you have ranging binos.

[CNP]

Alaska Guide Creations again...………...had a Horn Hunter and wore it out...

[wildwoods]

Kuiu PRO bono harness. Incline the binos in 2 seconds if you have a partner/ kid that wants a look. Waterproof. Rear access as opposed to front (like vortex and other cheaper ones). I went from the badlands and haven’t looked back. Very lightweight too. One of my finest pieces of gear

[Trailhead25]

Take a look at marsupial gear, I also had Alaska guide creations but found them a bit to bulky for me. They were good just personal preference.

[Pathfinder76]

FHF gear. Compact enough to shoot prone with and with great cover and protection.

[JohnB]

I have two of the Kuiu and really like them. Lower profile for prone shooting, lid pulls forward, easy to pull binos out with one hand. My buddy has the badlands but the magnet in the lid makes a click sound which is not cool when elk are close. Had a look at the Alaska creation but just seems too bulky.

[Fwee6]

Kuiu for me. Been great the last 3 seasons.
Lightweight, fits great, ultra quiet.

[coxy95]

Another vote for FHF here, super comfortable easy one handed use and keeps your binos protected and close to your chest.

[Brbpuppy]

I have the Alpz one, ordered on amazon, very happy with it. Cheaper than most too.

[WinefredCommander]

Just bought a T&K myself.

[wildwoods]

Originally Posted by wildwoods

Kuiu PRO bono harness. Incline the binos in 2 seconds if you have a partner/ kid that wants a look. Waterproof. Rear access as opposed to front (like vortex and other cheaper ones). I went from the badlands and haven’t looked back. Very lightweight too. One of my finest pieces of gear

Oops realized the typo:

“Unclip” the binos in 2 seconds. That’s a feature not many harnesses have. It’s very nice to be able to remove quickly if need be. Further clarity: you don’t have to remove the harness off your back to unclip the binos. Basically a much quicker releasing system than most brands I’ve seen.

Can’t emphasize the convenience of the rear opening and folding/staying of the Kuiu harness. Check out the video on it. It’s sweet. Very compact and good quality.
Another great, subtle feature is they have reversed the male/female clips on each side. This helps quite a bit when putting it on. If you have 2 male ends, you know you reached and grabbed the wrong strap. Most harnesses I’ve had don’t do this and once in a while it twists and you buckle in with a twisted strap. Just a slight annoyance eliminated with this harness.


I’m not typically a high end brand Koolaid drinker unless they get it right. In this case, they’ve hit it out of the park.

[MountainTi]

Thanks for all the replies. I will research the suggestions

[Pasc43]

AGC.

Kuiu falls down when you take the bino's out.

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[Salavee]

S4 Lockdown`s work really well for me. Fast deployment and protective.

[Ranger CS]

Interesting post, hunted for over fifty years, never used a bino harness.
I guess I concluded them to bring bulky, slow and in the way. Question, when wearing a backpack, how does the bino harness ride under and against your backpack? What are the main advantages of using one?
Maybe I need to reconsider not using one!

[Jjolg123]

Alaska guide creations here aswell with a fhf bear spray holster attached to the bottom of it

[coxy95]

I haven’t noticed my FHF harness at all under my pack, they do make a pack attachment kit for the FHF which uses the shoulder straps of the pack as your harness. Not sure what I think of that idea though. The old harness I had bounced when I walked and didn’t keep my glass out of the elements. I also like the convenience of having my diaphragms, tags, knife, rangefinder, binos and wind checker all in one grab and go system.

[CNP]

Originally Posted by Ranger CS

Interesting post, hunted for over fifty years, never used a bino harness.
I guess I concluded them to bring bulky, slow and in the way. Question, when wearing a backpack, how does the bino harness ride under and against your backpack? What are the main advantages of using one?
Maybe I need to reconsider not using one!

I've worn out one bino harness pack and onto my second. Could not see myself not using one now. They do not interfere with my pack(s) and I do not feel it riding under my pack.

Advantages:

When you bend over your binos stay with your chest as opposed to swinging freely (you can crawl);
Your binos are protected from dust, dirt, rain, snow; and
Depending on your harness case, there may be an assortment of pouches to accommodate a range finder, game calls, mobile phone, spare batteries, lens cloth, knife, compass, matches, para cord, licenses, tags...…. in fact you may not need a pack for short excursions.

Cons: Well I guess you have to buy one to know one

[unseencamo]

Ya I love my Alaska guide creations guide harness. Looking at it they are the same as the vortex ones. Um guessing they just licensed it and put a vortex patch on there. Buying that will be less then importing a Alaska guide.

[Ranger CS]

Originally Posted by CNP

I've worn out one bino harness pack and onto my second. Could not see myself not using one now. They do not interfere with my pack(s) and I do not feel it riding under my pack.

Advantages:

When you bend over your binos stay with your chest as opposed to swinging freely (you can crawl);
Your binos are protected from dust, dirt, rain, snow; and
Depending on your harness case, there may be an assortment of pouches to accommodate a range finder, game calls, mobile phone, spare batteries, lens cloth, knife, compass, matches, para cord, licenses, tags...…. in fact you may not need a pack for short excursions.

Cons: Well I guess you have to buy one to know one

Thanks for you feedback. I will reconsider trying one.

[Full Curl]

Originally Posted by wildwoods

Kuiu PRO bono harness. Incline the binos in 2 seconds if you have a partner/ kid that wants a look. Waterproof. Rear access as opposed to front (like vortex and other cheaper ones). I went from the badlands and haven’t looked back. Very lightweight too. One of my finest pieces of gear

I'm just curious what Badlands system you went from?
I use a magnetic Badlands harness that is very weather tight and silent with the magnets. The tether length is long enough to let someone else look through the binos while you are wearing them but if you choose to unclip it is extremely fast and easy with the 2 snap rings. Side pouch on one side holds my GPS, other side is my knife. Bottom pouch holds the rangefinder in hunting season and in shed hunting season it holds a snack or some toilet paper...
Been happy with it but am wondering if the Kuiu is really that much better?

[bezzola]

Mystery ranch the only thing I don’t like is the lid set up on it otherwise all good

[DRhunter]

Originally Posted by wildwoods

Oops realized the typo:



“Unclip” the binos in 2 seconds. That’s a feature not many harnesses have. It’s very nice to be able to remove quickly if need be. Further clarity: you don’t have to remove the harness off your back to unclip the binos. Basically a much quicker releasing system than most brands I’ve seen.



Can’t emphasize the convenience of the rear opening and folding/staying of the Kuiu harness. Check out the video on it. It’s sweet. Very compact and good quality.

Another great, subtle feature is they have reversed the male/female clips on each side. This helps quite a bit when putting it on. If you have 2 male ends, you know you reached and grabbed the wrong strap. Most harnesses I’ve had don’t do this and once in a while it twists and you buckle in with a twisted strap. Just a slight annoyance eliminated with this harness.





I’m not typically a high end brand Koolaid drinker unless they get it right. In this case, they’ve hit it out of the park.

Are you able to fit a rangefinder in one of the side pockets? I carry a leupold 1200i (about 3x4”) and would love to be able to keep it in the side pocket.

Thanks

DR


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[smokedstew]

My vote goes to t+k hunting gear, hade the kuiu and a couple of others and they were on but find the narrow straps start to dig into the shoulders as the day goes. T+k the straps are twice as wide makes it much comfier for me, made by a vet in the states with all american made materials 500d, also has quick disconnects like a couple of the others.

[wind drift]

Ok, first lesson: the plural form of harness is harnesses.

Couldn’t resist.

Aside from that, I have two systems. I use a dedicated harness like FHF when i’m also carrying a pack. When I’m hunting lighter, on foot within a couple of clicks from truck or camp, I like to use only a Badlands bino chest pack, which is big enough to also hold knife, tags, and a few other essentials.

[wildwoods]

Originally Posted by DRhunter

Are you able to fit a rangefinder in one of the side pockets? I carry a leupold 1200i (about 3x4”) and would love to be able to keep it in the side pocket.

Thanks
DR
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They have a separate attachment for a range finder. I use range finding binos so I haven't really looked into it. By bro in law uses the range finder pouch and likes it.