Just bought a set of Swaro El's and they didn't come with a neck strap. I've always carried binos with a neck strap so I can quickly access them , glass something I spot and put them back under my unbuttoned coat or shirt, depending on what I'm wearing at the moment. Never really cared for a harness, since I usually carry my daypack when I'm out and about hiking and spotting.

So, who makes a really comfortable neck strap? I see lots of these on line, but I don't want to go through this a half dozen times and have it arrive and find out it is only slightly better than a shoe string- which I've used in an emergency when I broke my neck strap one year.... These Swaros are also quite a bit heavier than the Leupolds I used to carry, so I'm looking for something a bit more substantial than the Leupold strap I've been using for years...

TIA,
Bob

Bob you need to try a bino harness. You won’t have near the neck fatigue with a harness when packing around heavy binoculars.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...msclkid=556b7ce2e73d1e66cd462308a236c266

I have the crooked horn outfitters but several people make them now.

Consider a chest bino pouch/pack, they are pretty much in vogue now especially for heavier binos.

Alaskan Guide Creations, Vortex, Kuiu, Mystery Ranch and others make em. Better protection than the bino harness and less fatigue than a neck strap.

Alaskan Guide Creations

Vortex Guide

Not sure any neoprene strap is better than any other

I use the Nimrod harness for heavy binos and the Rick Young harness for light ones. The Rick Young system can be used a number of different ways

I use the Rick Young bino harness. No neck fatigue, keeps the binos out of the way until they are needed. Highly recommend.

If you want a swaro neck strap, I have the ones that came off my EL's.

I use a vero velleni and like it when not using a chest rig

I use Rick Young as well. Very simple harness but works great. I use it for a 8x42 as well as a 12.5x50 and have no complaints.

I would appreciate it if you feel like messing with sending them down. PM me with what you want for them and other info.... funny thing, I hunt the Blues in Oregon quite often....


I'm just not the harness type of guy... I wear a heavy coat most of the time elk hunting, along with my day pack and other things. Having a harness around my chest the couple times I tried it just drove me crazy. I prefer the simple notion of having a neck strap and I wrap it around my shirt collar for a bit of extra padding and slip the binos into my unbuttoned shirt or coat when I'm not using them and they are extremely handy to get out quickly and put back if I have to move to a better spot quickly or have to get down on my hands and knees to creep up on a perch to spy on an animal.... getting too old to change tactics now....

Thanks for the info guys... Midway has the Vellinni units on sale at the moment also, so I may have to try them...

Bob

These help to reduce the felt weight of the binoculars. If I might be running, crawling or climbing I have a mini bungee cord I put on around my waist, it is long enough I can glass without taking it off and it helps to steady the binos some too. I know what you mean about the harness and they seem so overbuilt on some models like you were going to load a deer quarter in there and haul it.

I go to the hardware store, buy harness leather straps, and cut to desired dimensions. Lasts for decades and is cold and/or UV resistant. Don't care for the harness systems where one is tugging against restraining shock cords etc during extended glassing. Being out there with a goal of nailing deer, elk, or whatever, weight is no issue.

This x100

Still use the elastic harness type but with all the plastic noisemakers removed. Can’t get into the chest pack tacticool woke sacks....

I went o a full on chest rig a few years back, and its the best thing I ever did....never cared what the deers, coyotes, or Fudds thought about how it looked. Binos, mouth calls, caller remote, spare mag, first aid, rangefinder...all right where I need it without having to dig or fumble.

https://www.scheels.com/p/badlands-...KrMH07QIVT77ACh3rKAMEEAQYAyABEgIoQvD_BwE

For something to hold them up the Rick Young can’t be beat.

For a no frills bino harness badlands makes some great ones at a decent price point.

If you want it all. The new one from Sitka although much for shed hunting/ hiking will replace everything else in the hunting season.

Rick Young is the way to go.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/118815-REG/OP_TECH_USA_2701252_E_Z_Comfort_Strap_Black.html

There a molle pouch for the sink?

Oddly enough, not a single molle strap anywhere on the whole rig...

Pouch that holds my rangefinder, one that holds my diaphragm calls/tourniquet/random nonsense, pistol rides in the right hand mag pouch, Lucky Duck remote in the left pouch, the middle two pouches I split to hold binos. Two pistol mag pouches carry mouth calls, howler, strikers, etc ...

It's a hell of a set up. I don't have to carry a pack much anymore when coyote or turkey hunting, and everything is exactly where I need it to be.

I have OP/TECH straps for my cameras, binoculars and I have their tri-pod strap. Good quality and no complaints.

Rick Young. Lots of carrying options.

it depends on how heavy, the rick young is nice for a smaller set of binocs or a regular set you might not be wearing all day. for heavier RF binoculars I like a bino harness. the sitka one has been my preferred. its only got elastic on the lower straps and stretches out less which is nice.

Any of 'em that let the b'nocs hang below your ribs, suck. High and Tight, baby.....


The ones that came with my EL's adjust high enuff to suit me, all the rest get throwed in the trash and I put paracord on them. Just enough to slip over my head comfortably.....

For wearing all day a harness is the only way to go. For wearing all day in comfort, or actually providing protection to your very expensive binocs, the Rick Young isn't the way to go. There are a number of low profile harnesses out there that let the binocs hang were you want them, provide protection, are comfortable, and aren't like wearing another backpack on your chest. I have the FHF harness and like it a lot, and the Marsupial Gear harness is also very nice and a minimalist design. If I didn't own the FHF I'd own the Marsupial. I wore a simple/OEM neck strap for a number of years before I tried a shoulder harness, and I'll never go back there's a night and day difference if you're wearing them all day.

Like the chest harness utility and "use" them often.

For hunting, I carry less mags...


BTW, go to a "hiking outfitter" or equivalent or a strap/sling company such as:

https://www.strapworks.com/default....strapworks&utm_content=Strap%20Works

and purchase woven nylon and some buckles to make your own.

I don't use them to carry mags...ok, maybe one extra.

Another vote for Rick Young product.

Glad this thread came up. I looked at the Rick Young harness a year or so ago but didn't bookmark it and couldn't remember the name/website. I now have one on order along with a couple of the loops for range finder and other gear. I've tried 3 different harnesses over the past few years, and I'm done with the bulky harnesses that interfere with my backpack straps or visa versa. Don't even have to have it in hand to know that it will work perfect for my needs.

Actually I do have a pertinent question.

Does anyone make a pouch that can be used to hook on to the front straps of an existing day pack?

The Rick Young bino harness is the best i have used, so versatile.

Jesus Christ Bob, you didn’t consult Larry???wtf??

Shoulder straps? Yes, a few companies do:
Marsupial Gear Universal Shoulder Strap


Hyperlite makes one too, but I am not sure if it is universal or not.
Hyperlite Gear Shoulder Strap

I've seen others from smaller companies out there but can't remember their names off the top of my head.

I'll jump in with another Rick Young vote. Easy on/off, can be adjusted to exactly what you want with height/resistance...a little tension helps me hold bino's steady while griping cap bill.....easy to wear over a chest or back pack, low profile with very little bulk.

jstuart, I added buckles to my shoulder straps so I could do just that. I have a marsupial and a AGC, both set up to hang on the pack. I just unsnap the harness and stuff it in the pack so I have it if I want to dump the pack. I don't have to use the sternum strap with the marsupial, but have to use it under the AGC as it is wider....

Rick Young bino straps work good in open country, but when you encounter brushy terrain they snag easily. I busted up two pair charging thru brush, before I wised up.

Just a reminder...

If you get a chest rig, you’ll have to start saying you ‘run’ it instead of ‘use’ it.

I couldn't tell if he was asking about an actual bino harness that would attach to a pack's strap system (vs having to put on a seperate strap system under your pack) or just regular pouches for holding whatever else.

Someone (FHF maybe?) makes a conversion kit specifically for attaching a bino harness directly to a pack's shoulder straps.

In that situation, maybe keep the outer layer open a bit and drop the binos inside.

Duh!!

I hunt the and wettest some of the thickest in the lower 48, and have never had trouble snagging with my Rick Youngs, though I do put them inside outer jacket much of the time.

Bino harness/strap is a personal comfort and personal preference choice. I tried a half dozen brands and styles of straps and chest packs and WAAAAY prefer the simplicity and versatility of the Rick Young minimal harness. I poached a bino cover from another brand, attached that to the Rick Young spaghetti straps and they do fine in constant rain. My grandson prefers the Alaska chest-pouch-with-20-gizmo-pockets-and-attachment-options bino harness.

Hmmmmmm, this suggests you never went thru thickets very much with the straps.

The pouch for my 8x25 binos clips on to the molle loops of my Hill People Gear Recon chest pack which also carrys my Glock, wallet,,keys tags etc in comfort. It is worn all day when in the hills and is usable w/ any combination of jackets and packs. One of my favorite pieces of gear.



mike r

Any chance of a picture or link Mike?

That I like.

In a forum open to civilians, quotations around a term utilizing tactical gear are entirely purposeful and appropriate.

On duty, patrol or defending a compound..."run" could be a good choice.

I've tried a LOT of different methods, shoulder harnesses - nylon, elastic straps, with and without pouches etc. All seamed to have about equal pro/con lists. Here is what I've finally settled on for us. Els&Co - Sutherland Bino Sling Granted a little pricey but they are hand made/stitched and very nice. Have them embossed with our names on them. I've got them on our Zeiss 8x30 Classics.

We don't wear them around the neck but, across the shoulders to one side. Takes all the weight off the neck. When the length is adjusted correctly, the binos hang comfortably under the arm, just above the hip. Just grab them with the hand on the same side they're hanging on, and put to your eyes. Taking the weight off generates enough "slack" in the strap, they come to the eyes effortlessly.

I do use solid nylon shoulder harnesses also for our 10x40 Zeiss Classics and two pair of old Zeiss 8x30 B Dialyts also. Which set I (we) decide to take, use depends on the area we're going and if I'm hunting myself or if I'm just backing up friend/clients.

Loving my Kuiu Pro Bino Harness that I bought myself for Christmas. Very comfortable, don't move around or bounce, protective, and easy to detach the binoculars to loan to someone who sadly doesn't have a pair.
My binoculars are Zeiss 8x50's, heavy and large, so got the XL size. My pair is probably the maximum size one could cram into the chest pouch. Lots of other add-ons available too.
Hiked through snow and light rain for a day in Yosemite this past week.
LM

Some great suggestions here but I wear too much stuff already with my daypack, range finder in one pocket in my jacket or cargo pants, GPS in another pocket, cell phone hanging around usually in my shirt pocket, etc..... I like the simplicity of just unbuttoning one button on my heavy jacket or shirt, depending on the temp, and grabbing my binos for a look for a minute or two or an hour or two, then putting them back quickly to get up and go if it becomes necessary. Never had any problem with a simple neck strap as long as it fit me properly and had a nice wide padded strap to carry the weight and having them inside my shirt or jacket means they are protected from rain and snow and they won't rattle around against my rifle butt, belt knife sheath, pack waist band or straps, water bottle, or any number of things I have hanging off my pack or clothes as I'm moving through the countryside. Also keeps them from snagging on brush, fences I'm crossing, and other things and easy to take off if I stop for a longer break- unlike the harnesses I've tried...

If nothing else, this thread shows the diversity of hunting styles in this group of hunters and what works for them...

Bob

Nope, not any more, but a machete might be handy.

I'm trying the Rick Young ones.

They look like they're perfect for at least 80+% of the hunting I do, and I'm already set up for the other stuff.

Got the Rick Young strap in today and tried it out with my normal jacket and hunting gear including backpack. It is a keeper. Wish that I'd ordered it sooner.

The Badlands harness is what I have and I like it a lot. Very comfortable and keeps the binos close to my body all the time.

Another recommendation for Rick Young. Versatility and ease of adjustment can't be beat.

Dang enablers: I think I am going to get the Rick Young harness and use it in place of my bungee belt. I think I will still keep the Vero Vellini strap on for load distribution, at least initially.

Mostly when I am in thick brush I am following up a deer so usually no need for the binoculars. Other times I just put the binos inside my jacket to reduce snagging.

the Vortex is made my AGC, its just their standard pack with a vortex patch

Site said no longer made

Alaska guides are the best . Call them on the phone and the owner answers !!!! Thats unheard of service . I got a Swaro Pure 8x42 for an anniversary gift and wouldn't take them out without a bino harness . Bought 2 Alaska guides in fact .
Good luck stay healthy !
Soup

Simple shoulder harness I bought 15+ years ago from Eagle Optics when they were around. Works perfect. Keep it simple.

For years, I've used the strap that came with my Swarovski EL 10x42s. They're very easy to get into action quickly using the strap. If you notice the weight of a binocular at the end of a twelve-hour day, your binocular is too heavy and/or you need a different method of carrying it. Opinions vary and we all have different needs. I've never seen much need for gadgetry in hunting, but others prefer it. Glad we have the choices.