Which bino harness?

[Travis Bertrand]

Gotcha thanks. Mine are medium for all of you el guys

 

[Whisky]

I've got to spend some time with my FHF....

I like them, if I want to keep my binoculars pretty looking. Not sure I am going to though. Its certainly not as convenient as a plain jane harness without a pouch. Kind of bulky hanging on my chest. The binoculars will fall out if you bend over with the flap open (pulling arrows out of a target for one example, belly crawling, etc.. With the flap closed though, you can pretty much do anything and your binoculars won't be going anywhere.

They have their place, but I tend to lean towards simple.

 

[Jacob Chapman]

I will be dropping some big coin (to me) on a pair of Zeiss Victory FL 10x42's from a guy on here, won't be able to make another glass purchase for quite a while so I definitely want to take care of them so hopefully they will be the last pair of bino's I purchase for 20 years haha! I do like how they can be protected, just wondering with how big the FHF appears, will I be able to shoot my recurve with that on my chest?

 

[Whisky]

Jacob, It doesn't hinder me in any way with compound. I'm haven't put but 10 arrows through a traditional bow in my life, so I can't fully answer your question.

I understand wanting to protect your stuff, especially the expensive stuff. I take a little extra care of my Swaro spotter than most other things in or on my pack. But to me binos are just something that will take a beating, no matter what. I will take the convenience over protection i think, especially now that my RF is also in my bonoculars...Need quick easy access. Everybody's situation is different of course..

 

[LostArra]

Jacob: I use a Nimrod harness with no string interference from my longbow both on the ground or in a treestand. They have varying degree of covers and pouches that can be integrated with the harness but I don't use them.

 

[Gman]

I will be dropping some big coin (to me) on a pair of Zeiss Victory FL 10x42's from a guy on here, won't be able to make another glass purchase for quite a while so I definitely want to take care of them so hopefully they will be the last pair of bino's I purchase for 20 years haha! I do like how they can be protected, just wondering with how big the FHF appears, will I be able to shoot my recurve with that on my chest?

Of all the pouch style harnesses I think the FHF is one of the most low profile since it's made to your bino spec's. I tried an Alaska Guide Creations pouch and it just wasn't for me. That didn't feel low profile. I think the FHF or KUIU is about as low profile you're going to get if you want a pouch to protect your binos.

But I'm with Whisky, if you protect the lenses at both ends the armor may get dinged or scratched but that just adds patina as they say.

 

[Jacob Chapman]

I'm not as worried about the armor, although 2bh with spending that much $ on one piece of equipment I will take the utmost time and care in making sure it isn't intentionally damaged. sounds like the FHF is the way to go, with ease of use/protection. Thanks for all the heads up I appreciate it!

 

[JRHawaii]

I started out with the Crooked horn harness and didn't like them when I rode in the back of the truck or quad. Also didn't care for the bungy type harness which bounced my binos when running.

http://crookedhorn.com/cms_ver_03/store/optic-accessories/bino-system-binocular-harness-detail.html

Wanted more protection, hold a range finder, able to fit under a backpack harness, and a magnetic cover/lid instead of buckles and bought the Horn Hunter Bino hub. I have the smaller version of the one in the video and am very pleased with the product and price.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Horn...+hunter+bino&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhp4tFREY2k

 

[thru-hunter]

I have both the horn hunter bono hub and the AK Guide Creations. They both are solid setups and I prefer either much more than any of the harness type systems.

I prefer the AK Guide creations but if I had to score it out in categories both would have some victories.

Security for the glass: winner is the horn hunter. The clip in tether straps mean you aren't going to drop your glass down the side of the hill. Hunting on Kodak several years ago one of the guys in our party forgot to clasp his AKGC pack lid and dropped his euro glass while scrambling after a goat. Luckily he retraced his steps and found them but it was pretty lucky. The straps on the horn hunter hang loose when glassing unlike elastic harnesses so they don't add resistance to long glassing sessions.

Material: the horn hunter feels more durable

Main compartment: AKGC wins. The sizing of main compartment on the smaller AKGC chest pack is about perfect. Big enough to fit a 10x43 niño with room for a lens pen or cliff bar and an iPhone or iPod touch. The Horn Hunter fits my 10x43 Minox HG's perfectly but nothing else with it beyond a lens pen. Its nice to just drop them in and ot closes. We use it for my kids Vortex Talons and it is maxed out requiring them to be pushed firmly in to the pouch for the kid to close.

Straps: pretty much a wash. The Horn Hunter looks nicer but I felt no difference in comfort.

Compartment Closure; Horn Hunter wins. It has a magnetic closure which works silently and automatically as LNG as your binos fit easily in the compartment. The AKGC chest pack has a plastic buckle that must be reconnected manually with a noticeable "CLICK" unless you are careful to control it.

Pocket layout. AKGC Chest Pack wins hands down. The logical layout and handy pockets keeps all of your essentials right at the ready.

Neither is perfect but for my uses the AKGC is so much better laid out pocket wise than the Horn Hunter that it is the one I reach for every time. I can easily add a 550 cord tether to keep from dropping or losing my glass and the lid buckle has become second nature to silence manually when closing. I will keep using the AKGC until someone comes up with a new design that incorporates the best of both.

 

[crazy_davey]

Rick Young! Simple and legit

Just picked up a couple of these and they showed up Friday. Only a bit of time with one so far but I like the simplicity. Will give a few thoughts once I spend more time wearing one.

Going to head out on the horses in the morning, should have a better idea after that...

 

[MattB]

I used the Rick Young on Friday for the first time with my Swaro 8x30's and the material worked great. The adjustments aspect is a but clumsy, especially under a pack (I am thinking about cutting them at the appropriate length and simply tying a knot in the material). It wouldn't be good for situations where the binoculars needed protection from dust or the elements, but it is a nice piece of gear for the UL hunters under certain circumstances.

 

[trophyhunt]

Nobody has mentioned the badlands? My hunting partner has had them for years and he loves them, I really like the magnet opening, quiet and it does good protecting the bino's. What do you guys think about the badlands?

 

[HellsCanyon]

I like my own I put together.

Mike

 

[justin davis]

Nobody has mentioned the badlands? My hunting partner has had them for years and he loves them, I really like the magnet opening, quiet and it does good protecting the bino's. What do you guys think about the badlands?

I had a badlands for awhile. I liked it. It was a tad bulky and the magnets were loud if it was really quiet out.

 

[Mad Mountain Mike]

I had a badlands for awhile. I liked it. It was a tad bulky and the magnets were loud if it was really quiet out.

For the ounce counters they are a little heavy as well, somewhere around a pound and a half.

 

[idig4au]

I had Paul at FHF build me up a custom one for my 12x50 Swaro EL's. I was after something simple, lightweight and without all the pockets and other bells and whistles that other bino pouches have. I didn't want a bunch of extra weight dangling off my chest! I also had him modify the top lid so it completely covers my bino's with side flaps. With his standard pouch, the sides are open and I wanted a little more protection from the elements. He proto-typed up one for me and so far, so good. I sprayed it with a water proofing so water beads up and rolls off.

I highly recommend the FHF pouch; I'm not looking back.

 

[birdman1]

I have the Rick Young for some Conquest 8x32's. I like how light they are and they fit well. I've put a ton of miles on hiking and with horses and they don't bounce like with the wider "straps" I had before. Sometimes I wish I had them in a pouch when its really thick, but it's just not worth the extra bulk for me

 

[Mad Mountain Mike]

I just got off the phone with Jaret from Alaska guide creations and he sounds like a great guy/ hunter/ guide. I told him I was interested in the bino pouch and he offered to ship it to me to try out without payment and if I like it mail him a cheque and if I didn't like it to simply ship it back to him. Is that customer service or what?

 

[DIY]

For the FHF bino system. How true does the sizing hold out. I m between a Large and XL in shirts and unsure on what harness size to get. He has 2 sizes to choose from and im in the middle

 

[Travis Bertrand]

For the FHF bino system. How true does the sizing hold out. I m between a Large and XL in shirts and unsure on what harness size to get. He has 2 sizes to choose from and im in the middle

DIY, I believe the only options for sizes are for the binos themselves, not the user. Xl fits swaro 15's and mediums fit the el's


The sizing should fit you. As far as harness size.