Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Bino harness with pistol option?

I have a HPG kit bag that I really like for carrying a LRF, pistol, and misc. items, but am wanting a chest purse that can hold binoculars and a pistol (concealed). I know that HPG offer a bino pouch but the entire works seems bulky.

My binos are 8x33 and pistol is a P365 XL so nothing too bulky. I figure that I can cobble something together but am hoping there's a simple solution ready to go.

Any suggestions?

Been interested in trying the Marsupial gear Bino pouch with holster attachment. Not concealed though.

This isn't exactly what you asked for but it's what I use and what I've come to prefer....just an option to cosider.

Use the HPG as you currently do. Pick up a Rick Young bino harness ( https://rickyoungoutdoors.com/basic-ultra-light-bino-harness/ ) and a Rick Young Neoprene bino cover ( https://rickyoungoutdoors.com/neoprene-binocular-cover/ ).

Gives a lot of options on how you want to use it and using one doesn't require the other.

I’ve been using this exact setup (minus the pistol) for several years, and love it.

Alaskan Guide Bino pack and a Razco holster!

Looks cool, but how do you wear the binos in relation to the kit bag? Above, below, or on top of the kit bag?

I put the HPG bag on first then the bino harness. You can adjust the bino harness tension so the bino's will ride at the height you prefer. I usually have the eyepieces pretty close to the top of the front of the HPG bag.

Yup.

Thanks for the tip, this looks like a good combination.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I appreciate it. I now have a few options to explore that I hadn't considered.

The RYO route is appealing, as I could keep using my HPG chest purse that I have really become fond of. And the RYO harness could be used for other binos, by the kids, if for some reason it doesn't work for me. I've talked to Rick and his DIL in person a few times, but have never bought anything as the products didn't seem to meet my needs. That seems to have changed.

Fieldline pouch and Crooked Horn harness. Pistol in front with easy zip and binoculars in rear.

A friend runs the HPG Bag and Bino pouch. Minus the pistol (we aren't "allowed" up here) but he does carry additional gear most won't. He leads teenagers on mountain expedition trips and has to carry radio & med kit, etc at all times. He carries the same thing, minus radio, for hunting.

The setup seems super bulky to me, but he loves it. So personal preference comes into play for sure.

I run mine with a HPG Recon and the med bino pouch and a small pouch with a rangefinder to the side. It's not terribly bulky wearing, I would imagine a Heavy Recon would be though.

The big advantage to me with the HPG kit bags is that you can hook them to you shoulder straps t bear the weight of the kit bag. Otherwise I wouldn't want a pistol and binos, plus whatever else is in there weighing on the shoulder straps for a long time as most straps tend to be very thin.

That is a great carry option with their bags, for sure.

I also have a few buddies that combine a HPG Kit bag with the RYO bino harness. They love the system, but again, much bulkier than I personally prefer. The KUIU Pro bino harness I've been running is fairly basic, but sometimes gets in the way. Again, just personal preferences and styles.

I ended up with a medium belt pouch on my Kifaru that holds my pistol...

I tried the RYO harness but ended up getting the HPG bino pouch and mounted it to the HPG chest purse. So far so good. Now looking for a LRF pouch, like the Kuiu, to mount to the chest purse. I was using the outer pocket of the chest purse for the LRF but that's not a good spot with the bino pouch now.

I ran HPG's bino pouch outside their medium-sized chest pack most of the year no problem. It sticks out a bit, I didn't wear it archery hunting, but used it for all else. Sometimes I even hung my .45LC on the right side horizontal strap. It's accessible when you have short arms! It all got a little heavy some days and I started to feel it pulling into in the back of my neck after several days on end. I like it and will keep using it for a lot of hunts and hikes. It's a little much when you need to lean over a saddle getting up into it but otherwise it's fine for me. I'll see if I have a better pic but this kind of shows it.

[img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/b...lqWfQgN3zAgBsqd=w1207-h905-no?authuser=0[/img]

Give the company a look. I have their bino harness which I like.

https://fhfgear.com/

I've used the HPG recon for years before hunting and after one season using the med bino pouch attached I decided that style of bino and pistol carry was too bulky for my liking but I haven't found a great solution.

Depending on your choice of carry gun you could used the Sitka bino "chest rig", I like it because of the many built in slot pockets to really organize gear.

I could get a Jframe revolver in the back slot pocket. I tried my Glock 43 in there and it kinda works but drawing is slow and awkward compared to the HPG bags.

It's not really a solution just an option for now I've gone to the bino rig and pack belt mounted my pistol with QD clips to switch it to my pants belt when the pack comes off.

Theres only so many things you can do for bulk when your stacking 10x42s ontop of a pistol.

If you find something please post back here I'd be interested in another option