I carry my geovids on a harness that works great but they are unprotected, especially the objective lenses. Im scared I'll bang them on a rock/etc when going steep uphill. I see Chest rigs that fully enclose the binoculars, but how fast can you get the binoculars out and when out are they held by a strap or what? Any any good value ones you would recommend?

Maybe beaver will chime in, he bought some awhile back that came with a Fanny pack.

I use the bino harness made and sold by Rick Young. It can be made to hold your binocs tight to your chest when needed. Check out his website at Rick Young Outdoors. I use the harness to carry my Geovids.

These from KUIU are pretty popular, 3189 reviews, https://www.kuiu.com/products/pro-bino-harness-valo-camouflage?variant=40340231258270

I have badlands and mystery ranch
I prefer the mystery ranch, it seems to fit better.

The Rick Young one works for me, but a bino harness is like a holster, VERY subjective in regards to comfort and utility

I’ve been looking at these

fhfgear.com

I have both the FHF and AGC in multiples of each. They are both great in so many ways.

Rick Young for me.

There are two schools re bino harness:
minimal (Rick Young)

maximal chest pack with total protection and pockets for everything plus.

My grandson likes the Alaska chest pack, and as said, a bino harness is a super subjective personal preference.

I tried at least 6 styles of bino harness before settling on Rick Young minimal spaghetti straps. More versatile, less bulk, actually hold binos tight to chest, as did no other that I tried. I scrounged an elastic edged rain cover from another brand and attached the cover to my binos, so it stays with the binos rather than the harness. Haven't looked at Rick Young current offerings. We hunt rain forest.

I've been using one for several years and highly recommend using one. It takes very little time to open the flap protecting the bio's and get them up to your eyes. They can be adjusted to fit tight to your chest regardless of the thickness of the jacket/shirt your are wearing. It did take time to get used to having it strapped to my chest but that was less than one day. I am sorry I did not start using a Bio harness way before I did.

Just bought and used the Alaska guide for a backpacking elk hunt in Utah. Plenty of pockets and didn’t interfere with my backpack. Only bitch is top is stiff when folded up.

Brother in law has Maraupials with magnetic closures. Way better built than my $30 Vortex set I bought to try out. My cheap vortex ones get the job done, but seems like the strap layout and excess straps weren’t well thought out. Tangled mess at times.

I like mine. wish a bit roomier

I bought one earlier this year and used it on a recent antelope hunt, I liked it.

I’ve been using the Alaskan Guide Creation Denali bin bag. I found that even my 10x42’s fit better in the larger Denali case, makes getting them in and out easier.

I used to run a strap only, it worked fine. I’d keep my bins inside my coat for protection from the elements and damage if I had to hit the ground to setup for a shot.

https://alaskaguidecreations.com/pages/packs

🦫

I like and use the Rick Young neoprene bino covers, 3 sets and really appreciate the protection, ease of use and price.

Swoooosh…

Oh, right, right.....The Fanny Pack. Yeah, I carry dil-dos and muskrat oil as training aides in it whenever I’m teaching dumbfûcks to fetch and retrieve.

LOL

🦫

Just bought a Rick Young harness. It’s first use in about two hours. It’s sure light.

Example of one for me.

I like Bino Buddies.

Mike

Awesome. And, it appears as though your list of potential students is nearly endless.

Beav told me you were a nice guy, so, there’s your freebie.

Rick Young shock cord model for minimal weigh carry of my small binos and Marsupial brand padded model for extra protection and more secure carry of my Maven B2’s. Both excellent.

I kinda like a cross chest carry as it keeps them close to a hand...but I do the same thing with a camera...
Dad had a nice pair of vortexes...that came ith a soft case. Combine that with a set of backpack golf bag straps and you could probably go a long way to figuring where you like to carry..

I have the S4 Gear optics harness and love it. I like the elastic tether on the binos when you take them out of the case.

Hey! I thought I was being subtle. I guess I just got caught up in the excitement of it all.

You talked to beaver, don’t blow smoke up my ass. 😆

Tried the Rick Young products but after getting them ripped off or snagged in the brush I looked online for alternatives. Pricey...put together my own harness and bino cover. Crooked Horn harness and a Fieldline mini-pack. The setup keeps everything close to the chest, protects the binos and range finder.

I went through this last year in preparation for an elk hunt. Like you I carry Leica's and mine are Geovid 10x42. I looked at a few different harnesses and ended up with the Marsupial gear harness. My binos fit great. The closures are magnetic and quiet and it is made in USA. I am very happy with mine.
Here is a link to what I have.

https://www.marsupialgear.com/products/binocular-pack?variant=28213429993558

We're good SaB. Interesting timing on the "subtle" thing. That actually cracked me up.

👍

Like Goalie said above, it all depends on what you’re looking for and what is comfortable for you. After going through AGC, KUIU, and Badlands, I’ve now gone to the Rick Young and am very happy with it.
The Rick Young is not comparable to the others. To me, the others end up being more of a “chest pack” and provide maximum protection for your binos plus lots of other straps, pockets, etc. Just too much “stuff” for me, interferes with whatever coat you’re wearing, pain to get on and off, can’t comfortably do a low crawl when you want/need to.
Rick Young is a minimal shock cord harness, keeps your binos close to your chest, quickly accessible. Offers no protection, simple on and off, no interference. I’ve carried my 10x42 EL Range locally as well as in Montana and Alaska using it for about 3 years now. I’m religious about keeping the ocular cover (I tied onto the harness with a basic piece of guy line) and the attached objective covers on when I’m not actively “using” them.
Absolutely nothing wrong with the “pack” types if they work for you, and of those AGC was my favorite.

The Crooked Horn harness has worked for me.

MM

Anything for 8x32? I figure I'll use the bino's neck strap and the chest strap on my backpack to keep them from falling away from my chest. I have a Nikon-branded harness that's ok but will probably use it for some heavier porro prism binos.

If I did get a chest rig, I think I'd want it to integrate with my pack. Otherwise, I would have too many shoulder straps.

For my camera (medium-sized film SLR), I have a Peak Design Capture Camera Clip v3. It works great on my backpack strap. I can see putting on one the other side for binos but it needs a 1/4"-20 tripod type mount. Most binos have some kind of adapter. Some of them aren't bad and others are quite clunky.

My binos came with a neoprene case. Maybe I'll put a kydex plate and a nut to receive the 1/4"-20 screw and mount the case on the Camera Clip v3. First, I'll see what the adapter for these binos looks like -- because I don't really need a protective case on my chest for them.

I have the fhf bino cover for my 8x32 perfect fit stays tight to the chest. I have tried others including kuiu these are the best for me. They don't move around when hiking

Just to follow up, I ordered 5 or 6 and tried them out. Ended up going with a Butler Creek XL that had nice magnetic closures, nice strap system, and fit my 8x42 geovids perfectly. It did its job well, tho I got a bull opening morning so it wasn't much of a torture test. Anyway, I'm very happy and don't have to worry about the naked objective lenses hanging down anymore.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08WHDVPLP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My Steiner 8x30 Miitary/ Marine bino is on a Bino Bra. It's okay, but it works its way up to sternum constantly. Less than ideal, but not bad enough to make a change.