Which Bino harness and why....

[nomadd2727]

I know this is an old thread but I am looking at the AGK, Kuiu and Badland Bino systems. The Badlands Camouflage Tactical Bino X Hunting Binocular Case is only 75 but wanted to know if anyone has used this and their thought. Also I'll be bowhunting with this so need something not too big.

 

[Dooger]

How bad are the magnets of the Marsupial Gear harness messing with a GPS??? I’m about to order the harness and it has me worried.

 

[gregory r]

I have the original Marsupial, don't know if the magnets are different than the new version, but I sat a compass on a table and walked towards it with the harness, and I couldn't believe how bad it affects the compass. I'm talking from 5 or 6 feet away it starts, and really makes it go crazy the closer I got. I love the harness, but do not trust it with compass or gps. Some people say if you hold the compass at arm's length it is fine. I totally disagree.

 

[*zap*]

Rick Young, simple and minimal.

 

[gregory r]

Zap, I like the Rick Young harness also. I just haven't found an easy way to protect the lenses while wearing it. The rainguard and objective covers that come with binos are a pain to keep removing and putting back on through out the day. I tried the neoprene covers he sells and they were too tight to remove and install quickly. The best solution I have found so far is the FHF harness. No magnets to mess with compass. Quick to put binos in and cover them. When I sit on stand, I flip the cover back between my chest and the harness for quickest access to my binos.

 

[Catahoula]

I run an old S4. Simple, suits my hunting style.

 

[Ldav07]

Really like my Marsupial gear harness. Compact, not bulky and the magnetic open/close lid was really well thought out. Highly recommend their harness.

 

[oldskool67]

I have tried a couple. I like my older Kuiu. Low profile and I find the strap system very comfortable and stays up on my chest where I want it.

 

[MattyWight]

I am the designer of the Adak Bino System. You can see a short video showcasing the functionality of the harness on my instagram account @yates_in_the_backcountry . Or the video on the Black Ovis Website:

https://www.blackovis.com/adak-coyote-bino-system

The gist of the story is that like many of you on this thread, I didn’t love any of the harnesses on the market so I decided to make my own that fits my needs.

Back in early 2015 I created the design with my wife on our kitchen table. In 2014 I had two experiences that lead me to designing a system that would put my rangefinder on my chest. 1) I was pursuing a 180 class mule deer on our extended archery hunt in late November and got within range but couldnt get a range because I had been carrying my rangefinder in a crooked horn range finder pouch that left the optic open to accumulated snow. Trying to get the snow out of the optic, the deer caught my movement and busted. 2) The final days of our extended archery elk hunt I was in range of a 5x6 bull that was meandering through oak brush. I ranged the spot I thought he'd come through and set my rangefinder down on the snow. it then slide down the hillside on the snow crust... the bull ended up coming further back than I thought and I guessed the range and shot low. So after these two experiences I committed to inventing something new for me, myself, to use to solve this problem.

Fast forward to 2015 I had a working system put together that I used for the 2015 hunting season. I was presented two opportunities where having my range finder on my chest made all the difference. I killed a brute of a 35" wide 3x4 buck on a general archery unit in an extremely quick ambush setting where I barely had enough time to range and execute a shot and I killed a 330 class otc archery bull in an ambush situation that was much the same. Both times if my rangefinder wasnt immediately accessible with one hand (and quiet) I wouldnt have killed.

That winter I took the design and concept to my friend Kendall Card (co-owner of black ovis/camofire) and he was super excited to partner up and help me refine my design and get it manufactured. We started working with a professional seamstress/prototype to fine tune my design and implement a more robust sewing method than I had previously used. The prototyper took my design and refined it. Kendall in the meantime worked with his fabric connections to fine tune the perfect fabric. Key was dead silence. He visited several ridiculously big warehouses of fabric and he couldn’t find the right one, so we built a new fabric from the ground up. It’s a dwr treated woven polyester nylon blend with a bonded fleece backer. The very first thing you will notice is how incredibly soft and quiet the fabric is to the touch. It literally doesn’t make noise as you scratch at it with your finger nail. Kendall hit the fabric out of the park. Its perfect for this application.

The perfect design and sewing method we iterated on for almost 3 years. My closest friends and I have been running various prototypes of the system since 2015. It took 3 years because Kendall and I agreed that we wanted to release in our minds the perfect optics harness solution. We iterated to fine to the smallest of details and fully evaluate the durability of the system.

The bare system is a minimalist design with a very robust wing system that allows for modularity to add accessory pockets for the guys who want to carry more on their chest rig.

The first pouch we implemented was the range finder pouch as noted above. Right now the system is sold with both the rangerfinder pouch and bino pouch together. Future pockets to be release are a general zipper pocket to hold phone, and various accessories, radio specific attachment, bear spray, and potentially a side arm attachment.

Do you know how I can get one of these shipped to Australia? Black Ovis only does domestic and Canada.

Thanks,

Matty

 

[westward_archer]

FHF. light. True fit. Holds tight.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[406unltd]

If you can only buy one I’d suggest the AGC classic or Denali. No way my new Sitka will house that set of 12s. With that said I ran my AGC for a long time and it’s awesome.

 

[Taskerific]

Started with a Kuiu, went to Marsupial, and then I got an AGC. I haven’t used anything else since. AGC is the best designed pack on the market and it’s also the original bino harness. It’s comfortable, provides good protection for your glass and all the pockets are easier to access and store gear. I’ve always found mysed struggling to pull lens cleaners, wind detectors, etc..out of the first two. But AGC, everything is with my big hands. Also, if you’re in the market for optics, call Jaret Owens at AGC, he is the inventor of the pack and has been a guide for over 40 years. He really knows his stuff.

 

[GPATTI]

Do you know how I can get one of these shipped to Australia? Black Ovis only does domestic and Canada.

Thanks,

Matty

Outdoor Vision has a dealer in Australia that is stocking their RIDGETOP bino harnesses. PM me and I can get you their info if interested.

 

[Matias]

any thoughts on the new sitka harness

 

[Venom One]

Why is it so hard to incorporate a phone holder into these harnesses? Dang! I access my phone more than anything else (navigation/location purposes) and need quick, quiet, easy access to it. I have the Kuiu Pro harness and like the overall design - opens outward, no magnets, slim, quality - but no place to put a phone. I bought an AGC Hybrid this season because it addresses the phone issue, but it has enough problems that I'm returning it (buckles creak/squeak, the zipper is loud, it's bulky, and getting the wind checker in/out sucks. I really want to use my Kuiu, but that requires a solution for my phone and range finder (which means attaching 2 pockets/holders someplace else that are hodge-podge at best, and quite frankly, I have no room to attach them anyway). I've looked at all of the options listed in this thread, plus what I can find, and nothing addresses the phone issue accept AGC. I watched the Black Ovis video on Sitka's new harness system and like that I could put my phone in one side pocket and range finder in the other, but the side pockets completely block the (too small/tight) wind checker pocket and accessing the side pockets was clearly an issue for them.

I'm guessing most of us have 4 essential items that we'd prefer to carry in our chest rig - binos, range finder, wind checker and phone. Can one of our excellent hunting manufacturers create a harness that does those 4 things?

 

[twall13]

I always carry my phone in my front pocket of my pants, even with the AGC. I'm used to having it there all day everyday so it just makes sense to me that I carry it there in the woods as well. I know a few guys who put theirs in the hip belt pocket of their pack but I prefer to always have my phone with me even when I drop my pack.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[Mk7mmSTW]

FHF for comfort and finish. Marsupial for design, love the forward flip. Only draw back to marsupial is the stupid release buckles On the top right where your hand guys to open it and close it.

 

[GPATTI]

Why is it so hard to incorporate a phone holder into these harnesses? Dang! I access my phone more than anything else (navigation/location purposes) and need quick, quiet, easy access to it. I have the Kuiu Pro harness and like the overall design - opens outward, no magnets, slim, quality - but no place to put a phone. I bought an AGC Hybrid this season because it addresses the phone issue, but it has enough problems that I'm returning it (buckles creak/squeak, the zipper is loud, it's bulky, and getting the wind checker in/out sucks. I really want to use my Kuiu, but that requires a solution for my phone and range finder (which means attaching 2 pockets/holders someplace else that are hodge-podge at best, and quite frankly, I have no room to attach them anyway). I've looked at all of the options listed in this thread, plus what I can find, and nothing addresses the phone issue accept AGC. I watched the Black Ovis video on Sitka's new harness system and like that I could put my phone in one side pocket and range finder in the other, but the side pockets completely block the (too small/tight) wind checker pocket and accessing the side pockets was clearly an issue for them.

I'm guessing most of us have 4 essential items that we'd prefer to carry in our chest rig - binos, range finder, wind checker and phone. Can one of our excellent hunting manufacturers create a harness that does those 4 things?

Outdoor Vision accommodates all of these. There is a pocket to accommodate your phone on the back side against your chest, but it is not shown on the website.

 

[Venom One]

FHF for comfort and finish. Marsupial for design, love the forward flip. Only draw back to marsupial is the stupid release buckles On the top right where your hand guys to open it and close it.

You, sir, have suggested 2 excellent options! After watching several videos, I'm going to opt for the FHF with the range finder pouch. I wish the flap folded forward, but that is my only nitpick. I'm digging the little storage half-pockets on the front for mouth reeds and I think my phone will fit in the front or back pocket (though the zipper on the front might have to be removed). I love how they've secured the range finder so it doesn't slide AND how they've mounted it low enough so you can access the wind checker pocket. Definitely going to give this a try.

 

[Venom One]

Outdoor Vision accommodates all of these. There is a pocket to accommodate your phone on the back side against your chest, but it is not shown on the website.

I hadn't heard of this company, but after checking them out, they make a great product. I really like the forward folding flaps on both the bino harness and range finder pouch. In fact, I'd probably go with this option, but the magnets concern me. I don't use a compass often, but when I do it's because I'm LOST and the last thing I want when I'm already feeling a little desperate is to add more questions into the equation. Otherwise, it's a winner to me.