Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Pistol Binocular Chest Carry

Looking for a pack to carry a 4 inch revolver concealed underneath/behind a standard size binoculars.
Experiences? Suggestions?

Never thought of it but think it would work well.

Dress with a pair of khaki shorts, tall white socks, goofy hat and a "Bird Watchers of America" t-shirt and the slightly bulky binocs would never get a second glance.

dont know about wearing a "goofy hat" but i am looking to avoid notice in the National Parks and wrap around bucket seats of my Jeep make my normal kidney carry and jacket problematic

It is LEGAL for you to carry a firearm in National Parks.

Avoid "notice" by NOT discharging said firearm. THAT is NOT legal.

There is a rumor going around that these work.
HPG Kit Bag

i was looking at those but never talked to anyone put alot of miles on....hows the venting between back side of pack and your chest?

Just a intriguing idea. Also wonder if you could hollow out an old large frame camera and conceal a small semiautomatic in it.

small automatic i"ll drop in a pocket, Im talking 4 inch 44 revolver for bear protection kinda thing. Usually and frequently still do carry on my hip under a jacket but with new wrap around jeep seats i need to come off my belt

I have the HPG Recon, as well as the Snubby Recon. A 4" Ruger GP100 fits in the Recon, but not the Snubby. There is no venting between the bag and your chest if you have it pulled tight to your body, so it does get a bit sweaty in warm weather.

thanks, thats the kinda "real" experience thats valuable

Yes, if it is warm, you'll probably be pretty sweaty. Also, heavy binos and a revolver will concentrate the pressure of the cylinder on your ribs/sternum in some cases. Not bad, just something to be aware of.

I just toss the pisto(not revolver) in the mesh back on the AGC. It holds the pack off, so ya don't get sweatty....

Closest thing I've seen is Eberlestock's Nosegunner that would have to be modified to conceal your pistol completely. I don't think it would be to hard to ad a lid for the pistol compartment. A few bino packs have mole loops that you could possibly hang an HPG kitbag from.

I've started doing the same.

The HPG kit bag is probably your best choice. Mine is the Recon version and I did exactly as you're describing while in Glacier a couple years ago. G29 in the rear pouch and binos in the front, no one had a clue I was carrying. You will sweat but that's unavoidable. Also, the cylinder may dig into your sternum, but your build and amount of clothing could make that a non-issue.

I use a HPG bag a lot for carry and while hunting. When hunting I wear bino's over the HPG with a Rick Young bino harness/cover. It works very well for me. If it's hot I will sweat, but I'm going to do that anyhow. One thing I like about wearing the bino's over the HPG is it offsets the bino's from my body a bit. I've had the bino's fog when against my body if I had the lenses uncovered.

I use the HPG way more than I ever thought I would. It's just so handy.

Another vote for the kit bag. It has become one of my favorite pieces of gear, not just for the ability to carry a gun.

Not sexy but for years I’ve layered an old M3 or M7 (revolver or auto) under my Kuiu bino harness. Fits my 4” S&W 19 nicely in a modified horizontal position. I’ve only used it on rattlers.

I have one of the older HPG chest rigs too but I end up stashing too much into it so I don’t use it much. Well built & no complaints about the bag, just doesn’t suit my needs as I tend to be a minimalist.

I don't believe that was the question. I'm with the OP, I don't want people to know if I'm carrying, whether it's legal or not. I like to talk with people I meet on the trail, and most are infinitely more at ease if they don't know I'm carrying a handgun.

And for the people with bad intent that I might have to use it on, it goes without saying that I'm better off with them not knowing I'm carrying. And for park rangers, I'm not into inviting a bunch of questions or scrutiny. Pretty simple.

Another vote for the HPG kit bag, not only for a handgun, but other stuff I want handy. Works really well for fishing gear too.

I don't always feel the need to carry a revolver on my chest, but when I do I carry it in the front zip pocket of a 9" x 10" Fieldline pack that I modified. I removed the shoulder strap from the pack and attached a Crooked Horn bino carrier to it. The carrier keeps it close to my chest and no side to side movement. At times it can get a little warm, but sweat can not reach the gun. I also use the pack for binoculars and/or range finder.

You haven't been in a National Park in decades and the comment was relative to 65Jeffrey.

Your expeditions to the mall are noteworthy, however.

Nice try, Biden-like.

How would you know where I've been, Joey? You been following me or something?

Did you know that to get into RMNP last year, you had to go online and get a reservation? Some days were completely booked, and some we could only get one in the afternoon. I didn't see you there.

Sorry, only the northern border terrain and southern border terrain command my attention these days. Don't have time for your urban sandals paved walkways.

Been busy keeping people from actuating their toe tags.

LOL. What does "Sherrif Joe" stand for anyway?

Joe R. Piehole?

Bro, he is saving your life right now, ok?

^^^This right here works great. Or if you don’t like the openness of the Rick Young setup, get one of the recon kit bag versions and add HPG’s Bino pouch to the front. I haven’t tried that technique, but it looks like it oughta work. Or you can stick a pair of 10 X 40s sideways in the front big pouch of a standard kit bag and that works well too.

HPG kit bag is quality gear so I would recommend trying one. If you don’t like it you can get 80% of your money back reselling it here.

Well, somebody's got to, I got one foot in the grave over here. I already filled out my toe tag, just left the date open so a hero like Joe can fill that in for me.

Well, you got the deliberately stupid part down pat.

You don't go out in the mountains much, but have it handy for your mall and neighborhood walks.

I won't try to get in the mix here but if you live in Sierra Vista, real mountains are a pretty far drive ehh?

Practice reading, Sherlock.

for the CONSTRUCTIVE comments I thank you guys

Joe R. Piehole, did you ever know a guy named "take-a-knee?"

He had the same encyclopedic knowledge, understated humility, and winning way with people that you do. In fact, it's uncanny.

PS, Greg can read sign, very well.

Looks like YOU woke up hating and deliberately stupid...again.

Greg needs to continue reading more carefully threads he wades into and you need to go back to bed and start over.

I knew it!

How many planes have you jumped out of?

You mean planned, or mid-flight at the insistence of the flight crew?

Smokespoles was never allowed to jump because he/her/it insisted on wearing open-toed sandals, lipstick and ponytail.

Included was his/hers/its under 5'2" height and at the time his/hers/its gender confusion.

Ask the local indigenous neighbors what they think of him/her/neuter.

“Sheriff Joe” combines stupid & angry in the way only the truly mentally challenged ever do. I suspect he was never a smart little guy even before Alzheimer’s completely ruined his mind...

Best to “ignore” this fool

Hey, lighten up. you're talking about Sheriff Joe R. Piehole here.

Besides, the entertainment value is off the charts.

You two can go back to swapping your lingerie and comparing your liver spots.

Whatever you say, Squat-to-pee!

You're not good at this internet thing. You ALWAYS lose.

Whannnbulance standing by for ya.

Whatever you say Deputy Fife. I won't call you "Squat-to-pee" any more, seeing as how you can sit on the seat without squatting......

You being a very small person, can see why that would be important for you.

LOL, there's one guy on here with little man syndrome Barney, and it ain't me.

Yeah, it's you.

There was a harness/holster combo I had seen marketed by Further Faster Designs as the RAP bino case. Handgun behind the bino. Looked interesting but I can't seem to find them online anymore.

Here's some pics from another website:

https://soldiersystems.net/2020/07/08/further-faster-designs-rapid-access-panel-bino-case/

That FFD is a great idea. Talked to alaska guide creations about that some years ago. Maybe his newer bino packs incorporate a pistol pocket

That looks like a nice bino carry pack. It looks like Further Faster Designs is out of commission right now, though. 403 forbidden on their site. I'll have to try to remember to check back and see if it resolves.

Sounds to me like you might like the Razco?

My S&W 629 carries really well in a 7X

http://www.7xleather.com/chest_holster

Have the Razco and use it with my Mystery Ranch Quick Draw bino chest pack, it is awesome!

A couple of questions if you don't mind. Does it interfere w/ a pack belt in any way?

Does it have level 2 or better retention? Thanks in advance.


mike r

No interference and excellent retention. It is passive retention. I called and spoke with them before ordering, they were most helpful. FYI, the are shaped for your gun, mine is a Ruger Toklat in 454 Casull.

I understand you're not trying to provide legal advice and I hate to be a nit-picker. Possession in National Parks is no longer banned by Federal statute. However, State regulations still apply. So while it may be legal to carry in Yellowstone under Wyoming state law, it is probably not lawful for most people to carry in Yosemite under California law or in the Adirondacks under New York state law. There may be conditions in those places where it's lawful to transport and then possess in your camp.

My point isn't to be like one of those turds that Paul Harrell ridicules, "That's Eweegul!" Let's just say that we NEED it to be legal to carry in National Parks, but we're not there yet.

The Razco looks interesting. One issue I see is having six straps around you to secure it. I also live in the south so it looks Hot! I have a Hill country and a Kenai 3-pt holster. The Hill country is too hot for me, doesn’t hold the firearm as secure as others but it does have decent storage. I use my Kenai 100% because of the heat and humidity in the south. I wear it under my bino pack and carry a daypack for hauling stuff. The Kenai is very secure works well while hiking, biking and hunting.

Bison hunt in the thick of grizzly country (Absoraka-Beartooth)- FHF bono harness w/ Razco holster (S&W 69), an excellent combination

Looks like a nice rig.

In coming back to this thread I missed this picture. That had to be one of those Oh Chit, what have I done moments. I hope there was a road reasonably close. LOL

Definitely!

We had two other guys thankfully; three of us butchered into the night, one tended the fire and rifle- this is grizzly central country just a mile or two north of Yellowstone. Got all the meat hung about 2:00 AM, hiked up the trail about a mile to camp to keep away from the carcass. The next morning we started packing meat out. The road was 7 miles and unlike most trailheads, this one is very high and the trail leads down to the drainage we hunted, so you're hauling meat uphill! We got one load each to the truck and then hiked the 7 miles back to the meat. We loaded up again, but were only able to make it about halfway to the truck. We found a tree to hang the meat and then hiked back to camp- about 21 miles that day (half with loaded packs). The next morning we loaded up the remaining meat and camp and headed out, the meat loads weren't as heavy as the previous two, but with camp gear, probably close in weight. When we got to the meat we hung up the day before we were met by another guy who originally was going to come, but didn't and decided to come in late after all. We loaded him up good and then said f' it we don't want to come back again so dumped our packs and loaded up all the meat/camp and headed out.

The happy ending part is when we got back home and weighed all the boned meat- a little over 600 lbs of great bison meat!

MW you know who your friends are when they help you pack out Tonk 7 miles and come back for more. Very cool story.



mike r

Indeed!

I realize this isn't a binoc harness gun solution but I'm intrigued by it.

I imagine it would potentially be an issue with a large frame pistol and accessing a Bono harness but I kinda like the flexibility of it.

Anyone used or have input?

https://aliengearholsters.com/backpack-holster.html.html

my only input is, unlike a bino harness, when you take your pack off the sidearm is inaccessible; you'd want to insure you that you can easily transfer it to your belt

one of the highest likelihood of a grizzly encounter is with an elk (deer/caribou/fill in the blank) on the ground be being processed, so the pack is going to be off- definitely want to factor that in

Check out the STEAL HEAD from Stone Glacier.

the Skyline from Stone Glacier?

Dude needs to learn Rule #2. Gunna take a finger off or punch a hole in his hand.

Warden do you have any experience with the Stone Glacier Skyline? I was looking at it yesterday and I really liked it. The Velcro seems like the noise couple an issue though.

I also reread the bison story. You sir and your friends do some incredible studly stuff. My hat is off to you.

I handled one in their store (Bozeman) and it looked pretty nice, but I use a FHF (also Bozeman) and have been very happy with it, so unlikely at this juncture to change.



Thanks! That was a great trip for sure

Appreciate the response. Thank you.

Now that's just cool! Thanks for sharing the pic and story, mtwarden.

The Mill People Gear stuff works really well, if getting the red color, it doesn't make people think of stuff that goes boom

That is some serious front chest baggage. Damn. You'll have to wear a backpack just to keep from tipping over. I'll go with the gun on my belt.

Marsupial gear has you covered!

https://www.marsupialgear.com/collections/all/products/semi-auto-holster

See last picture with holster attached to bino pack.

Would like to find a full frame holster that went behind a bino harness, rather than beneath it. My edc, fits in the pocket behind my agc bino harness, but would like to fit my glock g40

GFI Kenai chest holster i waer one with a Glock 20 and TLR1 behind my AGC bino harness

Intriguing. So you are wearing a pistol harness and a chest bino arness over the top of that? Any pics?

I thought these were 'all the rage'. I guess they're >SO 2015. Used to get a 20% off coupon with any 6.5 Creedmoor purchase