Bino Pouches?

[ElkNut1]

Has anyone tried any of the Bino Pouches/Harnesses out there? I'm wondering mostly about the ones one of our Sponsors here carries? It's the Alaskan Guide Creations one, who's tried them, are they nice, bulky or heavy? I like a sleek lightweight type design when things are on my chest especially for bowhunting so it doesn't feel awkward or in the way. Thanks!

ElkNut1

[pointysticks]

i have.

i do believe the alaskan guide one is now new/improved. i have an older one. it has a mesh-like back strap section that rode into my neck when i was wearing summer gear. this was not an issue when i was wearing heavier winter stuff, especially clothing that had a hoodie. it was super comfy then.

taking the binos in and out was a breeze. the AGC one will hold my binos pretty damn securely even with lid unlatched. but i didnt like how there wasnt a redundant strap to hold the binos. instructions said to wear a neck strap in conjunction with the pouch. err..no. the whole point for me was to avoid a neck strap.

i now have the FHF one. you know what? i might ditch that one as well. just last week, i had a herd of mulie feeding towards me. wind was perfect. i had the binos out and was checking out the herd to look for horns and therefore a legal shooter buck. one doe got to 70 yards..i put the binos down, and let them droop. i decided to put them back into the pouch. the dragging sound my system emitted cleared the herd out of the county.

i think i am going back to a a well designed simple harness. i'll trust the durability of my binoculars..and dig out the lens caps from whereever i have them lost. at least the front caps. my binos have awful back caps. unusable ones.

[UtPreacher]

I've used them as well. I have the first design and the material is a little noisy for bow hunting on mine. I really like using them later in the season when it is cold and snowy but for early season my version is just too bulky and the material is noisy. I believe they have made some good improvements on their newer ones though.
For early season what has worked best for me is no harness at all. I wear my binos using just the strap and put it over one shoulder and under the other then I tuck them in my vest to keep them from getting too wet or dirty. I hate having too many straps or bulky items on me while hunting and this has really worked well for me.

[ctdad]

I use this one, also sold by a sponsor.

http://www.packfitter.com/bino-hub.html

I've never had a problem with is being in the way. It keeps the binos dry in rain and snow. Rides comfortably for me. No complaints. Made by same company making the full curl pack system.

[Indian Summer]

You know I like mine Paul. I have the original version. Unlike the harnesses from Crooked Horn etc the straps don't hang down or roll around forward on your shoulders when you're on your hands & knees allowing the binos to hang down. On the Crooked Horn bino harness they binos actually mount to a buckle that freely moves on the strap which is terrible. They only serve a purpose when you are standing in an upright position. The Bino Pouch keeps it snug to your chest at all times. Plus with that one the shoulder straps are adjustable so it loosen it up when I put my wool jacket on and crank it down when I have minimal clothes on. The outside is a quiet fleece material. I haven't had any noise issues when removing or inserting my Swaro 10x42s. No component issues like broken zippers etc. The cover flap is long so I actually ditched my lens caps altogether. I don't buckle the lid shut unless I'm on a horse or it's dark and I'm just covering ground. The Badlands version is ok but it uses a magnetic closure. No way! I lie the snap buckle so I know I'll never lose my $2000 binoculars. I don't find it to be at all heavy. I love the pockets for calls and wind detector. Garrett warranties them for life so if you ever have a problem let him know and he'll take care of it. I've never used another one so I'm useless as far as any comparison goes. All I know is I'm 100% satisfied. If you don't like it you can mail it back.

[Chukarhunter]

I've got one of the original Alaskan Guide harnesses. Overall, I like it. There are a couple of things I don't like (and they may have been addressed in the new model, but I haven't seen the new one).
One, I find the clip closure a little difficult to use when wearing winter gloves. I can't afford another pair of high end binocs, so keep it closed and locked most of the time to avoid loss.
Two, the accessory pockets are a little small. There is no way I could carry all of that gear plus binocs that he shows on his website!
Three, I had to modify it a bit to attach my binocs to the straps, so I didn't have to use a neck strap along with the harness.
I'd love to get my hands on his new, improved model to check it out!

[timberland]

I like my S4 lockdowns. The bungees hold the binos firm enough i often don't even close the bottom flap. Good rain guard on top and I can use the binos with one hand and the straps don't ride up.

[Indian Summer]

I've got one of the original Alaskan Guide harnesses. Overall, I like it. There are a couple of things I don't like (and they may have been addressed in the new model, but I haven't seen the new one).
One, I find the clip closure a little difficult to use when wearing winter gloves. I can't afford another pair of high end binocs, so keep it closed and locked most of the time to avoid loss.
Two, the accessory pockets are a little small. There is no way I could carry all of that gear plus binocs that he shows on his website!
Three, I had to modify it a bit to attach my binocs to the straps, so I didn't have to use a neck strap along with the harness.
I'd love to get my hands on his new, improved model to check it out!

They haven't changed much. I find it plenty deep enough to leave the flap unbuckled with worry and I'm using Swaro ELs! The main time other than in the dark that even consider snapping the buckle is when on a horse where I'm bouncing up & down or if it's time to do the belly crawl. So I only really have to take my gloves off maybe twice or three times a day... if I'm wearing gloves: A non-issue for me.

What are you wanting to put in the pockets? My Smoke-In-A-Bottle fits in the side pocket and calls go easily in the front. Lense cloth in the other side. During gun season there are holders for about 5 rounds of ammo in the front too which I love. BUT... that is one change in the new model. The side pockets are much bigger.

I wouldn't want a neck strap too. I pull them out, drop them in, pull them out etc etc like 2nd nature no problem. The idea behind a harness is to not have them hanging on your neck. I hate that!

Jarrett is always open to feedback. if you have suggestions you should send them his way. Nice to not have to call China!

[steveo]

I used the Alaskan guide this year and was very happy. It rode more comfortably than my old crooked horn system. I should have bought the large size since my bino's barely fit. It keeps the rain and dirt off the bino's and no struggling with caps.

[ElkNut1]

Thanks for the comments everyone, it's a bit to digest to see how I want to proceed! I'd like a pouch that was very light & bowhunter friendly for containment only, I'm not interested in a completely closed compartment from the elements. I'd love to see one made of some sort of webbing that seemed weightless?

ElkNut1

[Indian Summer]

Sounds like your only criteria is as a holder and not so much protection from the elements or to hold other handy items front and center. hmmm