So I literally joined this forum just to chime in here, haha. I did a lot of research on the Ravus before buying, and this thread kept popping up, so I thought I'd add my .02. Yeah, the lid is annoying with the magnet closure over the thick bino tethers. I'm worried about it opening on me when crawling around or if I pick up the harness upside down. And the pouch flops a bit when attached to the molle webbing, especially when worn on the front of the harness.
BUT, I found a solution to all of these issues using one single fix. I'll upload photos...
I just got a length of 1/8" shock cord and put a knot in one end. Then I slid it through the slot in one of the buckles that attaches the harness to the top rear of the bino bucket. I pulled it over the top of the lid and slid it between the zipper pouch and the molle, just under the strap that holds the pouch to the molle. Then I returned it over the lid again and secured it to the other buckle in the same manner (using a knot behind the slot in the buckle). I messed with the tension until I got it so that the lid holds securely even when turned upside down, but the shock cord can quickly be pulled off the sides of the lid to allow it to open normally. The shock cord then lays flat on the sides of the bino bucket until it's time to secure the lid again, at which point it can be lifted up and over the lid. Since I don't have an issue with the lid when hiking or sitting around glassing, the extra security is really only for when the harness is getting tossed in the truck or when I'm crawling / climbing around in heavy brush or boulders. The shock cord method basically allows you to secure the lid when you really need to, but otherwise it's out of the way.
Yeah, it's easiest to replace the shock cord with two hands, which is hard when you have a bow in one of them. But I find that when I'm like "ok, time to stage gear for the morning" or "ok, time to climb that boulder and then crawl under that chaparral" I also have time to set down whatever is in my hands and secure my binos. Otherwise, I'm letting the magnet do the work.
The other benefit to this fix is that the shock cord adds support to the Ravus pouch, since it adds a bit of lift behind the molle strap. This keeps the pouch from flopping quite nicely, and was a bonus that I didn't see coming until after I rigged it all up. If you don't run the pouch, you can still secure the shock cord to the molle with an
ITW Web Dominator or similar.
I hope this solution helps anyone who is worried about extra security with the Ravus, and I hope AGC addresses this issue at some point... I love everything else about the harness though... more dust/debris- proof than my FHF and a significant upgrade from the Vortex Glasspak that my binos came with.
