Sitka Mountain Optics Harness

[WVELK]

Zero issues. Been shooting for weeks. If your bow string is making contact with a Bino Barnes’s you better look into some form of coaching cause something ain’t right.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well good. I just looks like it sticks out quite a ways in that top photo on page one, and appears to cover a large part of the chest. But, photos and angles can always be deceptive, thus the question.

 

[CP6]

So just my two cents. I bought one and messed around with it for a few days. Returned it. For me, it was way too bulk (not as streamlined as other options like the Marsupial or Outdoor Vision or Adak) and the big accessory pockets made getting my rangefinder a pain and other stuff just sort of flopped around in the other. I like the modular idea but I carry my handgun (if I carry one) or bear spray on my pack so I can’t speak to the comfort on the Sitka with that type of gear.

It’s a quiet harness, but my big gripe are narrow buckled and no auto lock buckles. I would have just hoped for something more substantial in the harness/buckle system. Maybe it’s cooler, maybe it’s lighter, I dunno. I didn’t hike or hunt with it. Just didn’t like the bulk and they way they lid opened. IMO it’s a neat idea/design, but wasn’t for me.

 

[justin davis]

One gripe I have about the harness. Is the side pouch for range finder. It’s a pain in the rear to open one handed. And the lid is akward. Pull RF out and the lid closes and just overall kind of weird design. Gonna try to alter it to fix it

 

[Qchunter]

Looks like a nice setup.

 

[M1KL83]

Also the lid on the production model stays up great, it was only the test batch that had the bad magnet and they resolved it.

So I ordered one in Pyrite end of June and the lid wouldn't stay up. Contacted Sitka, they sent out a warranty replacement. It arrived and with the same issue.
On the warranty replacement unit sometimes the right hand side magnets will engage if I flip it in reverse order (similar to your photo in the review where the Sitka logo on lid is hidden) but its sporadic whether it catches or not to stay up, even when pressed against chest to help the magnets connect.

I'm pondering whether I should try again with a third piece, return it outright or just learn to deal with the hit or miss lid.

Curious if owners of the Subalpine harmess are having similar lid experience or if this is a Pyrite problem. I can feel the magnets in there. Not sure if switching from Pyrite to SA might remedy my lid issues.
It's my gear ocd but I'm frustrated when an item of obvious quality doesn't perform to the level it's capable of/designed to be.

Thanks for the great review and I appreciate any and all direction/advice/experience.

 

[justin davis]

So I ordered one in Pyrite end of June and the lid wouldn't stay up. Contacted Sitka, they sent out a warranty replacement. It arrived and with the same issue.
On the warranty replacement unit sometimes the right hand side magnets will engage if I flip it in reverse order (similar to your photo in the review where the Sitka logo on lid is hidden) but its sporadic whether it catches or not to stay up, even when pressed against chest to help the magnets connect.

I'm pondering whether I should try again with a third piece, return it outright or just learn to deal with the hit or miss lid.

Curious if owners of the Subalpine harmess are having similar lid experience or if this is a Pyrite problem. I can feel the magnets in there. Not sure if switching from Pyrite to SA might remedy my lid issues.
It's my gear ocd but I'm frustrated when an item of obvious quality doesn't perform to the level it's capable of/designed to be.

Thanks for the great review and I appreciate any and all direction/advice/experience.

I’m had same issue. I dont think color matters. I was contemplating trying to add in a small magnet in there to strengthen it up

 

[Matias]

So I ordered one in Pyrite end of June and the lid wouldn't stay up. Contacted Sitka, they sent out a warranty replacement. It arrived and with the same issue.
On the warranty replacement unit sometimes the right hand side magnets will engage if I flip it in reverse order (similar to your photo in the review where the Sitka logo on lid is hidden) but its sporadic whether it catches or not to stay up, even when pressed against chest to help the magnets connect.

I'm pondering whether I should try again with a third piece, return it outright or just learn to deal with the hit or miss lid.

Curious if owners of the Subalpine harmess are having similar lid experience or if this is a Pyrite problem. I can feel the magnets in there. Not sure if switching from Pyrite to SA might remedy my lid issues.
It's my gear ocd but I'm frustrated when an item of obvious quality doesn't perform to the level it's capable of/designed to be.

Thanks for the great review and I appreciate any and all direction/advice/experience.

Just got mine and I have the same issue, the top doesn't want to stay up with the magnets. I was feeling around on the pack and don't even feel or see any magnets.

 

[Pointer]

I've tried them all and never been super happy with any of them. Sitka Bino Bivy (zippers? come on), Marsupial (didn't like the open sides, I kept getting debris in there), Kuiu (didn't like the shoulder strap interface where they terminated on the binos on the old one), Outdoor Vision...

I was a longtime Outdoor Vision user, and it was almost my perfect harness. The features were good, the design is very clean, and the construction and materials are second-to-none (Schoeller Tweave, etc.). I used military equipment made by the same guys in there other ventures and have been friends with them for years.

I had two gripes: The poly stiffener is loud as hell below freezing when you open the flap, and the magnet wasn't strong enough to keep the whole harness from slapping when I'm on my horse.

Sitka was kind enough to give me a Mountain Optics Harness last year, and it's become by go-to. I like the "chest rig" functionality the most. I almost switched to a small military harness I used for parachute stuff in the Army and had a bino pouch made so I could have some modularity, and the Mountain Optics Harness solved that for me. I like the ability to put a rangefinder, calls, chap-stik, wind check, license/tags, GPS, etc. all in the same rig as my binos rather than rig whatever pouches onto a small bino harness or dumping crap into my pockets. I like all of the stuff I constantly access on top of my layers, rather than have to take off or unzip something to get to an item. I'm toying with rigging a holster onto one side for bear country.

This one checks all my blocks. Very happy with it so far after a fair amount of use. Scouting season will fire up here soon as the snow melts and I'll get a lot more miles on it.

View attachment 174902

Great review and I’m thinking about getting it, but have a question. Now that the marsupial makes theirs with fully enclosed sides, would you choose the marsupial over the Sitka ?

 

[pyrotechnic]

@Tony Trietch

Is there a way to adjust the height of the lid? In your review you say the HD-Bs fit "snug".

I can get barely get the lid to hook with hdb-3000 8x42 when I'm not wearing it. When I put it on there is no way to get the hook to snap on the plastic loop.
As you can see in the picture it takes alot of tension to latch it.

 

[Tony Trietch]

@Tony Trietch

Is there a way to adjust the height of the lid? In your review you say the HD-Bs fit "snug".

I can get barely get the lid to hook with hdb-3000 8x42 when I'm not wearing it. When I put it on there is no way to get the hook to snap on the plastic loop.
As you can see in the picture it takes alot of tension to latch it.
View attachment 355205

The harness I reveiwed must have been a prototype because I got another in a differant color and mine won't fit either. Pretty dissapointing.

 

[pyrotechnic]

The harness I reveiwed must have been a prototype because I got another in a differant color and mine won't fit either. Pretty dissapointing.

Thanks, that's a bummer.
I was pretty excited about this harness as want to have a few extra things on my person when I drop my pack and pretty much all the other ones seem to just hang pouches on straps that turns into a gaggle of crap hanging around.