talk to me about fhf bino harness or others

[rgref522]

Ive never ran a nice bino harness and frankly never needed to but after running a chest pack for turkeys and hunting deer more mobile im looking at them hoping they can serve multi purposes.

I like how the FHF seems to work but im open to other brands, heres howd id like to use it.

Spring turkey chest pack, hold some gloves, facemask, phone, 3 shells, mouth calls, and maybe a box call in. seperate pouch, room for a slate call is bonus maybe id stuff a pair of 10x32 binos in it. NOTE i crawl alot so it must be a good closing pack. currently using a hs strut undertaker pack.

whitetail chest pack. hold gloves, bow rope, windchecker, linemans belt,, headlamp. currently i get all this is a badlands everything pocket, which is not big at all. would like to get rangefinder in preferably without seperate rangefinder pouch. highly prefer to run this rig off my body once i get to the stand.

finally just run it as standard bino harness if and when i go on a hunt that calls for it.

the more zippers and securely closing pockets the better. open mesh pockets are useless for me they way i hunt and crawl around.

Those that have used the nicer brands, could yours function how i want it to. thanks for feedback and thoughts

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[wapitibob]

fhf opens the wrong way, marsupial fixed that. I have them both along with badlands, kuiu, and rick young.

 

[cwb1975]

I have marsupial bino harness and works great. Opens away from body and magnets to hold open and closed

 

[rlmmarine]

I have an fhf on here im trying to sell pm me if your interested

 

[wind gypsy]

Agreed that I'd pass on FHF. FHF opens the wrong direction and isn't fully enclosed on the sides. I like more minimalist designs without a pile of extra pockets and and zippers but i know AK guide creations has options with all the zippers and pockets, etc you could ask for.

Marsupial and Sitka make some fully enclosed options.

 

[HuntHarder]

Marsupial... End of story

 

[Boarmaster]

I had the same idea as you when I bought my first harness. I wanted to put alot of stuff in my harness after a year of using an larger AGC that held a lot of stuff i felt it was too cumbersome for most of my uses. So I went to a more modular system So I can take stuff off when not needed. So I ended up with a Marsupial that I am very pleased with. . So if you want big, bulky and bulletproof try a AGC of whatever size you want.

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

Im going to deep dive here....

Ive owned FHF, Marsupial Non Enclosed, Marsupial Enclosed, AGC Cub, Badlands and the Sitka bino bivy.

For me it comes down to the FHF and Marsupial, and more specifically the non enclosed version. So Ill just run through those 2. I currently have the small FHFs with Marsupial straps (ill get to that) for 8 and 10x's, and medium Leupold branded Marsupial non enclosed for 12s. I use both and will continue using both. I still prefer the FHF by a pretty wide margin. Even if I wish I didnt. But most of this is all personal preference, and thats going to be the key. There no wrong answer, just what works best for you.

But first, on opening the wrong way. While theres not much to argue there, I can say without question that Ive been using the FHF for so long that I absolutely dont even notice that. Its second nature. Its no easier or harder using the fhf than the marsupial. For me its a non factor. Initially it might seem that way, and people are still going to prefer the front opening, but I never even think about the way the FHF opens. Its a zero issue once youve got the hang of it.

The FHF is much more streamlined and compact than either of the Marsupial harnesses. Comparing the 2, the FHF will feel less bulky. The marsupial feels like a more quality piece of gear. The sewing, is artwork. Its easier getting my binos out of the FHF, but not by much. I slip my thumb behind the binos when grabbing them out the harness, and the enclosed Marsupial gets in the way because of the extra lip that extends all the way up the side of the binos, which is the trade off of getting full coverage. So you have to sort of reach in with the enclosed more than the others.

Next, the Marsupial has magnets, and they will effect your compass/gps if you dont hold them away. FHF doesnt have magnets. Marsupial also makes a non magnetic version now, so I guess that can be a moot point. But I dont want to wonder if Im holding a compass/gps far enough away from the harness in the field.

Now onto why I wish I didnt prefer FHF. And Im not going to go into who owns FHF and who they support. Everyone has their opinion on that. But I use marsupial harness straps, because FHF does not sell just the harness. I used the FHF a lot, for a long time. I started to get a small tear in the webbing. So I called FHF in December 2020, leave a VM. Email them. I probably left 10-15 voicemails, and an equal amount of email messages from December 20 to April 21 - 5 months. Not asking for a warranty repair, but to buy the harness straps. I never got in touch with anyone calling, and I never got an email response back.

Marsupial sells the straps separately, so I modified by FHFs to run the Marsupial Harness. In May of 21, after I bought the Marsupial straps, I got an email from FHF, telling me they dont sell them separately, but if I mailed back the bad straps, theyd send out a new set. Fair enough (after 6 months), but that just seems like a pain in the ass for everyone involved when all I wanted to do was buy the straps. Couldnt I have just taken a picture of it? Or just sell the things like Marsupial does. But you want me to mail back straps, so you can then send me back good straps. When all I wanted was to just buy them - its 2021 and there seems like much better way of handing this. I still dont get why the FHF straps are the wizard of oz in the world of harnesses.

So yes, I prefer the FHF and ultimately Ill go with what works best. But the Marsupial feels better quality, you can get in touch with them and they sell everything separately. They even sell the part that holds the binos without the straps. I have Marsupial pouches, bottle pockets, gps holder, etc. All of their stuff is top notch quality.

 

[jlaner0408]

this guy knows his harnesses- good write up man.

I just switched from badlands to fhf because I didn’t like how bulky my badlands harness was and because the magnetic closures always slammed shut even when I was trying to be quiet. I’m really impressed with the fhf so far.

 

[Oregonboy]

I recently switched from a AGC to an FHF Medium and I really like it. Opening "the wrong way" doesn't bother me at all and it rides much more comfortably than the AGC did, for my body anyway. I also really like their rangefinder pocket, I love how it hooks on to the side of the bino pouch and the whole set up doesn't feel bulky at all.

 

[strand]

My FHF Medium harness is one of very few pieces of gear that I haven't thought about upgrading. I switched from an AGC that I constantly had to adjust because the harness would loosen up. I adjust my FHF to fit over layers as needed, but besides that I never have to retighten the straps.

For those that have run both, how does the Marsupial harness compare to FHF in that regard?

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

My FHF Medium harness is one of very few pieces of gear that I haven't thought about upgrading. I switched from an AGC that I constantly had to adjust because the harness would loosen up. I adjust my FHF to fit over layers as needed, but besides that I never have to retighten the straps.

For those that have run both, how does the Marsupial harness compare to FHF in that regard?

Its a wash. I havent had to retighten either.

Forgot to mention, the loops at the lower sides with the female buckle on the FHF are a stretch webbing that can expand some with movement. Those loops on the marsupial are standard 1" webbing with no stretch. I like wearing my harness sort of tight without much play, and I do prefer the stretch webbing. Another personal preference thing.

 

[Gumbo]

fhf opens the wrong way, marsupial fixed that. I have them both along with badlands, kuiu, and rick young.

LOL!!! That's exactly what I say about the other harnesses on the market! I tuck the lid behind my binos on my FHF and it works great, in fact it is one of THE reasons I use it. The other reason is that FHF is so small and compact, and of course it is comfortable, but they are pretty much all comfy.

I guess the take home is that you gotta try stuff yourself, one man's junk is another's treasure!

 

[strand]

Its a wash. I havent had to retighten either.

Forgot to mention, the loops at the lower sides with the female buckle on the FHF are a stretch webbing that can expand some with movement. Those loops on the marsupial are standard 1" webbing with no stretch. I like wearing my harness sort of tight without much play, and I do prefer the stretch webbing. Another personal preference thing.

That's good to know, sounds like I'll stick with the FHF. The stretch webbing on the FHF is a favorite for me as I also run my harness really snug to keep it tight and out of the way. I'm surprised this hasn't become a standard with other harness brands.

 

[Mosby]

I have an AGC. My son has a FHF. Both work. I haven't really compared my AGC to the newer stuff. I am sure there is something better and lighter but I am superstitious and the older my gear gets, the more I like it. I kill stuff when I wear my AGC and its like seeing an old friend when I put in on opening morning.

New, pretty stuff is stiff, unfamiliar and can create bad luck.

 

[Gooseslayer]

I’m not impressed with the kuiu harness

 

[Venom One]

I'm a fan of the FHF for it's slim design, non-padded harness, zero magnets, awesome flap pockets for reed storage, and the range finder is mounted low enough that it doesn't interfere with accessing the windicator bottle like so many other options. While many will portray a non-enclosed harness as an inferior product, I'd argue that accessing your binos in a fully enclosed harness is more aggravating than it's worth unless a person typically hunts in gale force dust storms.

All of this is very much personal preference, but don't assume that forward opening and fully enclosed equates to the holy grail of harnesses. I began my harness journey with a forward opening and fully enclosed harness.....it didn't make it through a single season. It's hard to believe, but you can get your binos out and back into an FHF with less movement than the forward opening style. I suppose if you have a large harness and a short torso, the flap might hit you in the face.

 

[MTbowhunter36]

I've used several different bino harnesses and have been using FHF for several years. It's my favorite and the flap opening is a non-issue. One of my hunting buddies uses the Sitka harness with the magnet and it's loud when it closes.

The biggest thing for me is having my Razco holster attached to the bottom of the harness. I'm sure there are other harnesses with this option, but I've been using this for years and it works!
I don't leave the pickup without my 10mm on my chest.

I have the large and it holds my tags, Havalon, mouth reeds, lens cloth, wind checker and ear plugs.



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[coloyooper]

I’ve been pleased with my Adak harness. Can shoot both my compound and recurve without issues, and can comfortably put my Gunfighters Inc chest holster underneath it in bear country.

 

[woods89]

For a bit of a different perspective....

I've used an AGC for the last 2-3 years and just sold it and switched to a Rick Young harness and cover. The Rick Young system is just a very minimalistic shock cord harness and a neoprene cover for your binos. Harnesses like the AGC are popular for a good reason, but for me there were a few downsides.

1- I sweat a lot. I'm also not a terribly big guy and after hiking any distance I had significant area under the straps and pouch that I couldn't keep from getting damp from sweat. Going to a shock cord harness has probably cut that area in half. For me that's kind of a big deal when I'm hunting in cold weather.

2-When adding or taking off layers, the Rick Young system just stretches on and off. My AGC was more of a pain to remove and put back on.

I keep the gear I used to keep in my harness in my pack belt pouches now, as I do everything I can to stay with my pack.