New FHF FOB bino harness/my thoughts

[flyfisher117]

I didn’t even notice them under my pack last weekend and I hiked about 25 miles on a back country bear hunt with a pack weight of about 70#’s on the way in. The only time I noticed them at all was one day when my t-shirt collar slipped down and the side of the strap was rubbing on the side of my trap/neck. As soon as I pulled my shirt collar back up it was fine.


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I noticed the straps rubbing my neck too. I was only shooting local 3d range so nothing too bad, just curious if the foam will break in and get softer.

 

[flyfisher117]

Anyone found a way to carry their Inreach mini on the FOB without adding their wing system? Not wanting the wing. Honestly I'd be tickled to have my inreach mini and my wind check hanging on the left side.

 

[Crow]

Gaaah I really want this harness... I have the Ravus and the FHF Pro but this one seriously looks perfect... I love all the molle attachments especially. I like to carry an extra pistol mag, a tourniquet, and bear spray, but the Pro doesn't have the real estate and the Ravus is already a bit bulkier than I like. Then there's these straps! They look like a huge improvement over the older FHF basic straps, even with the slip cover which makes them a bit better.
But damn... that price. I'm pretty sure I don't need a third harness for nearly 200 bucks. I think I'll try the new shoulder strap (oh, it's sold out) and the wings (ordered) on my Pro first. I saw a couple people did that... how are they with the Pro?

 

[Crow]

Ok, well, the molle wings came in the mail today and I put them on my Pro M... and they rule! I set up one side with a Condor double pistol mag pouch so that I can easily carry an extra mag plus flashlight or multitool. The Condor tan is a perfect match to the wings and tan color of the harness, which is cool. For the other side I'll likely grab the FHF rangefinder pouch.
The wings don't interfere with my pack straps and they were really easy to install- they use the same quick connect hardware as my AGC Ravus. I like that the wings have the honeycomb padding on the back so they stay cool and don't chafe. I wish the harness wasn't sold out!

 

[tracker12]

Personally all FHF needed to do was change how the last version opened. It was the most comfortable harness I have used but I hated the flap forward closure. Sometimes you can over engineer things.

 

[Joelweb]

I just picked one up. I'm impressed and plan to put it to work soon.

 

[ONE_3]

I ordered the wings for my pro-m. Can’t wait for them to get here so I can try them out.

I don’t have any issues with the way the harness flap opens. What’s the benefit of the new style? It stays open when you take the binos out? And can stay open while glassing? Seems like a good way for your binos to fall out when you bend over to pick something up or dig something out of your pack.

 

[Venom One]

I ordered the wings for my pro-m. Can’t wait for them to get here so I can try them out.

I don’t have any issues with the way the harness flap opens. What’s the benefit of the new style? It stays open when you take the binos out? And can stay open while glassing? Seems like a good way for your binos to fall out when you bend over to pick something up or dig something out of your pack.

I have a Pro-M also and don't plan to replace it with the new model because I simply love putting my elk reeds in the front tabs - something the new model can't do. But I am going to get the wings.

As for the forward opening design, a lot of guys dig them because it's quick and easy to pop the binos in/out without closing the top. I have both styles - the Pro-M FHF and a Marsupial - and like them both.

 

[ONE_3]

I have a Pro-M also and don't plan to replace it with the new model because I simply love putting my elk reeds in the front tabs - something the new model can't do. But I am going to get the wings.

As for the forward opening design, a lot of guys dig them because it's quick and easy to pop the binos in/out without closing the top. I have both styles - the Pro-M FHF and a Marsupial - and like them both.

I don’t see the point in spending the money on the redesigned harness. I specifically stayed away from harnesses with magnets and a few other personal opinion type things. Ended up with the pro-m and I love it. Tried a couple others too but I keep on using my pro-m.

 

[Venom One]

I don’t see the point in spending the money on the redesigned harness. I specifically stayed away from harnesses with magnets and a few other personal opinion type things. Ended up with the pro-m and I love it. Tried a couple others too but I keep on using my pro-m.

For a rear-opening harness, the Pro-M is hard to beat. For some people, the forward-opening design is just a new, cool thing. For others it's legitimately a better option. I stay away from magnets also, but Marsupials non-magnetic version is really nice. I use the Marsupial for my larger binos (42mm) and the Pro-M for the smaller binos (30mm).

 

[Crow]

Well, I ordered the new straps now that they are back in stock and I LOVE them. Haven't put a pack over them yet, but just hiking around they feel awesome. The contouring keeps them off my neck and the honeycomb backing keeps them nice and cool, even in the heat we've been having in Montana lately. Great addition to my Pro-M.

 

[danmayland]

I have a Pro-M also and don't plan to replace it with the new model because I simply love putting my elk reeds in the front tabs - something the new model can't do. But I am going to get the wings.

As for the forward opening design, a lot of guys dig them because it's quick and easy to pop the binos in/out without closing the top. I have both styles - the Pro-M FHF and a Marsupial - and like them both.

It has a side pocket specifically for mouth calls… works great


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[johnnyred]

I'll add my .02

I have used the AGC and Marsupial (current) harnesses. I've like them both and have really never looked at the FHF stuff.

I saw the this new FHF harness and liked a lot of what it had to offer, so I spent the big price and ordered one. I got it this week.

First impressions were that it was a very well built set up. I ordered the bino pouch, rangefinder pouch, extra pocket and the wings. I put it all together and was overall impressed. The wings definitely make the accessories feel more stable. The overall quality is there.

What I didn't like was the length of the straps coming off the back of the harness. They are just too long and even when using the elastic keeper I couldn't get them to lay flat. They would bunch up or come out of the keeper and it was just to "strappy". The Marsupial has the same set up but the straps are shorter and work much better. I also had a concern about the raised edges around the harness itself. I could feel them a bit under the shoulder straps of my pack and it was a bit annoying.

I was overall pretty pleased and the harness felt comfortable until I put my pack on. With the side wings and accessories on, it just didn't work with the straps of the pack. I tried all kinds of adjustment moving the harness up and down (I prefer a high riding harness) and I tried to adjust the straps on my pack a bit as well, but I couldn't get comfortable. The straps on my pack were landing on the buckles of the harness. In the end, I really wanted to like the harness, but because I couldn't get comfortable with a pack on coupled with the extra long straps on the back, I made the decision to send it back.

Build quality is great. It was comfortable when not wearing a pack and there are a lot of great features, but in the end I still prefer the Marsupial.

I'm sure this is going to work for a lot of people, heck, I wanted it to work for me. Just offering a different perspective.

I was pretty set on the FOB but you brought up some pretty good points I had not though about.

Question about your marsupial, how much can you fit in the front pocket? I'm trying to find a harness that can fit my hunting knife (Benchmade bone collector folder), without me having to add on a large accessory pouch. I'm worried the bulk of the knife in that pocket will interfere with the magnets of the Marsupial.

 

[Venom One]

Got a few of the new FHF items for my Pro-M yesterday:

WINGS: definitely add some stability, but they're still quite a bit more flexible than I'd envisioned/hoped for.

M1 RF Pouch - it's better than the original and probably one of the better pouches available, but I'd prefer more structure (stiffness) for easier in/out of the RF. The effectiveness and convenience of the magnetic closure has yet to be determined.

E3 Pouch - the pouch itself is pretty good, but the zipper is too loud IMO. I bought this as a place to carry my release and a windicator bottle (if necessary). The zipper is so loud I'm not sure it's an option for the release, and reaching the windicator on the opposite side of the harness isn't a great option. Fortunately, with the new wings and RF pouch attached, it's still easy to access the windicator on the right side of the harness so this won't be necessary.

Bear Spray Holster - seems to be solid; haven't played with it much

These purchases were the result of needing to add bear spray for the upcoming season. My RF pouch sat low enough that it was going to interfere with the bear spray canister, and I disliked the RF pouch (original version) because it lacked any structure. The only solution was to add the wings and upgrade the RF pouch.

Overall, I still think FHF makes one of the best bino harnesses and accessories. The modularity of the Molle system is ingenious for customization, but there's a few things that can still be improved.

 

[Jordan Budd]

I'd really like to know if it would work with a rangefinding bino or if the magnets will cause adverse effects

The magnet may effect the compass in a rangefinder or rangefinding bino if they’re equipped. The compass is for computing the Coriolis effect. So unless you’re shooting like 800 yards it’s not going to effect a rangefinder negatively.

 

[mtbshark]

Ok kinda a side topic here, but anyone that has the FOB that might not be using the foam inserts care to sell em ???


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[Dtharvester]

Anyone found a way to carry their Inreach mini on the FOB without adding their wing system? Not wanting the wing. Honestly I'd be tickled to have my inreach mini and my wind check hanging on the left side.

Little late in responding, but take a look at Exomtn’s mini-reach accessory for their K4 packs. It’s got a molle attachment and sure looks like it’s snug up on one of the FOB side panels.

 

[Ditt44]

Very pleased with my FOB. Previous experience was with either cheap harnesses provided with binos or cheaper versions that were limited in function and/or crappy and aggravating straps.

I opted to attach directly to my backpack and did not use the extra clips as it made no sense to me, I just attached the female end of the clips to the pack strap and used the default harness male end. No idea why they give you an extra male set when the defaults are a universal fit with the harness and female clips that you attach to the pack straps. See photos.

Wings: "Eh". I bought them. I would sell them if anyone wants them. If using the harness itself I might make use of them. When I have the case attached to the back pack (Mystery Ranch pop-up 28), the wings are annoying and uncomfortable.

Foam inserts: I have two sets of binos, Nikon Monarch 10x42s which I leave one insert in the case. Leopold Pro-guide 12x50s that I have no foam inserts in the case.

Lanyards: like them, they work great fixed to the pack straps or the harness itself and you get an extra set for putting on your pack.

RF pouch: Fine for my range finder and fits tight and secure to the side of the case. No issues with it so far.

Case itself: I like it, good options with the the molle options. I tucked a lens pen in against the wind check attachment. The front zipper pocket is very tight. I wedged a folding knife in there and slipped the pocket clip thru the zipper pull for added security. The rear pocket fits my S9 phone well but a taller phone will stick up beyond the top of the pocket. I mounted a small pouch on the bottom molle where I have the rain cover and a spare pair of eye glasses in their case. I don't need bear spray so that a nice option to carry another pouch there.

Overall very comfortable either with the standard harness or mounted to my pack. I do like a higher mounted case and it's very practical to rest my hands/arms on when taking a break. It's not cheap but you do get a high quality, well finished and functional tool. If you need something new and you like a more firm or structured body that's not too hard nor too soft, this seems to be the best of both. I would buy it again and feel that I have no excuse to try another brand. This is dynamic enough for any of my needs.

 

[JHL]

I'm ready a new bino harness. I have been using the free one that came with my Vortex Binos. Got the job done for a couple years, but looking for something better.

 

[Joelweb]

Following up here. I just used my new FOB on a five day caribou hunt, packing two big game animals with a pack weight in the 100 pound range. It is an impressive piece of gear and I did not feel any pressure from the straps.