other thread about them got me thinking I should just share my feedback on all the ones I have used and tried to this point.
I am a big fan of bino harness personally. I always had issues with the standard elastic strap versions with my binos flopping around or being exposed to dirt and moisture so I wanted a harness that was totally enclosed but it had to be light and it had to have the right functions on it.
NOTE: I find that fit and comfort can be different depending on body and chest stomach size. I am 6'3 165, so pretty skinny and tall which has made "FIT" on some of them a challenge. If you are a more round body type those issues may not apply to you. In addition I have a standard Tract Toric 8x42 binos so if you have much larger or smaller ones some of this may be different
So like I said above, below were my overall goals for what I was looking for. Yours may be different
One of the BIGGEST issues I found with a lot of them me being skinny the harness with binos in it would gradually slide down and rest of my upper stomach while sitting. This wasnt as much and issue during turkey hunting because I wasnt sitting for a long time but was for deer. Where it would settle would end up really causing discomfort to me, to the point Id have to almost take it off or loosen it a TON so it wouldnt rest there. I found due to my size I just could not get the straps tight enough to stop it from sliding over time.
1. Badlands X2
Badlands makes really good packs and their harnesses are very well made too. The X2 is the updated version they recently came out with. It is very lightweight and they added wings and a molle system to it. Has front pockets and side pockets and both are actually useful for items. Badlands offers a lot of attachments that can go on it including a cell phone holder (which most company's for some reason do not offer). The overall footprint is smaller then a lot of the others which I like.
Straps are comfortable and not bulky so it doesnt get in my way trying to shoulder a gun.
CON - I am not a fan of the internal safety cords you attached to the binos vs others. It has a metal ring you attach to the binos in case you drop the and it can be clunky to try and put them on and off. Not a deal breaker for me as I dont use the safety attachments during turkey season and during deer season I just attach one. Other con is the size options have some tweeners. I have it in size SMALL based on their chart and while it fits my binos it is a tight fit. I would assume if I went to a medium it would then just be a tad large. Again not a deal breaker for me.
This is the one I currently am using and really liking it
2. Badlands XR
If you carry a range finder this is a very good option. Has a built in magnetic RF pouch in the bottom of it so its all enclosed in one piece vs having a range finder attachement pouch on the side. I used this one for about a year but with it all in one harness it was just a tad heavier then I wanted (again I dont own a RF so I wasnt using it for what it was designed for)
CON - Wasnt a fan of the side pocket zipper design, limits what you can actually put iin there. Was a tad heavy for me and there is no attachement system to allow you to expand on it
3. Marsupial Enclosed Pack
This was my 2nd favorite personally. Harness itself is well built, light, has nice pockets, good safety strap design, and can be expanded with some of their other pouch options like range finder pouch or bottom mount holster. Material is very quiet and has a good overall design. Has a rear pocket a phone can fit in if needed.
CON - Only thing for me that wasnt my favorite was the actual harness strap design. Its a tad flimsy for me, slightly more bulky in the shoulder area so there are times my gun would not rest right when shouldering, and I had a hard time getting it tight enough on my chest. Again if you are slightly bigger in the chest area the last part of that wont be an issue.
4. Sitka mountain optics harness
If you want lots of storage options and a miniumal type strap design this is a good option. Material is VERY quiet and you have 2 larger attachement pocket options for gear and storage. Is a OSFA design so no worries with trying to see what size your binos will fit in. That is good and bad though because if you have SMALLER binos then the harness itself will have some extra room in it that causes the binos to move around some if you are walking around.
CON - Opens toward you vs away from you. This may not be an issue to some but personally I am not a fan of that design at all.
5. Kuiu Pro Harness
I wanted to love this one but just couldnt. Overall the built and material are great (like all Kuiu stuff). Has clips on the bottom to allow you to clip a bow or other items to it to hold, side pockets are bigger then most and has a nice rear pocket to it.
CON - MINE at least was very tight and loud opening and closing. There is no front pocket for small items, the harness straps are much bigger design and for me I couldnt ever get it to stop sliding down my chest and resting on my upper stomach. Also due to the bigger design it wasnt as easy to get on and off really fast as others. It also just felt heavier then others wearing.
6. FHF Fob bino harness
This one I wanted to love and ran it all last season for turkey and deer. Quality is outstanding and design is good but missed the mark in some areas. Attachment options are plentiful and safety attachement is great. Material is very quiet and is waterproof for the most part
CON - The front pocket for some reason is vertical opening vs horizonal. Not sure who thought of that but makes the pocket pretty much useless. There are no side pockets unless you add attachements to them. The Aireframe Shoulder Harness straps are comfortable but they are also bulky. I noticed them in the way a lot shouldering my gun due to the harder more raised material they use (however they do help reduce heat by design so that is a plus). This is also the most of expensive of the bunch.
7. Ederlestock Recon Modular pack
This one I also wanted to love. The modular options for this one is awesome, in line or slightly better then some of the others. Design layout is great and material is always quiet and water "proof". Has a nice big front pocket for storage and wing side design, which you want for attachements vs attaching to the pack itself. This design helps in spreading out the weight so its not all on the pack. Has optional attachements like a handwarmer and lots of pouch options
CON - No side pockets and bigger footprint then some of the others. The enclosure flap doesnt have a natural fold in it like badlands or marsupial, meaning when you open it down it doesnt naturually fold so its out of the way. I am not a fan of the shoulder system personally, I found it slightly bulky and hot compaired to some of the others. IMO this one is much more designed for a western hunter thats standing and walking a lot more vs an eastern type hunter.
Anyways these are just my opinions and experience with them in the field. ALL of them are good quality made options that work for sure and most would be happy with any of them.
I am a big fan of bino harness personally. I always had issues with the standard elastic strap versions with my binos flopping around or being exposed to dirt and moisture so I wanted a harness that was totally enclosed but it had to be light and it had to have the right functions on it.
NOTE: I find that fit and comfort can be different depending on body and chest stomach size. I am 6'3 165, so pretty skinny and tall which has made "FIT" on some of them a challenge. If you are a more round body type those issues may not apply to you. In addition I have a standard Tract Toric 8x42 binos so if you have much larger or smaller ones some of this may be different
So like I said above, below were my overall goals for what I was looking for. Yours may be different
One of the BIGGEST issues I found with a lot of them me being skinny the harness with binos in it would gradually slide down and rest of my upper stomach while sitting. This wasnt as much and issue during turkey hunting because I wasnt sitting for a long time but was for deer. Where it would settle would end up really causing discomfort to me, to the point Id have to almost take it off or loosen it a TON so it wouldnt rest there. I found due to my size I just could not get the straps tight enough to stop it from sliding over time.
- Fully enclosed
- Lightweight
- Pockets and storage for small items
- Ideally a way to put my phone in it or in an attachment
- overall smaller footprint
- harness had to be comfortable for long periods of time (not rubbing my neck, or hot, or had pain points in it)
- expand-ability (a way to add attachments to it if I wanted)
- Had to have a forward opening pocket vs opening toward my chest
- Had to have magnetic closure
- quiet material
- Ideally waterproof or at least highly water resistant
- I dont carry or own a rangefinder so functions for it were not on my list.
1. Badlands X2
Badlands makes really good packs and their harnesses are very well made too. The X2 is the updated version they recently came out with. It is very lightweight and they added wings and a molle system to it. Has front pockets and side pockets and both are actually useful for items. Badlands offers a lot of attachments that can go on it including a cell phone holder (which most company's for some reason do not offer). The overall footprint is smaller then a lot of the others which I like.
Straps are comfortable and not bulky so it doesnt get in my way trying to shoulder a gun.
CON - I am not a fan of the internal safety cords you attached to the binos vs others. It has a metal ring you attach to the binos in case you drop the and it can be clunky to try and put them on and off. Not a deal breaker for me as I dont use the safety attachments during turkey season and during deer season I just attach one. Other con is the size options have some tweeners. I have it in size SMALL based on their chart and while it fits my binos it is a tight fit. I would assume if I went to a medium it would then just be a tad large. Again not a deal breaker for me.
This is the one I currently am using and really liking it
2. Badlands XR
If you carry a range finder this is a very good option. Has a built in magnetic RF pouch in the bottom of it so its all enclosed in one piece vs having a range finder attachement pouch on the side. I used this one for about a year but with it all in one harness it was just a tad heavier then I wanted (again I dont own a RF so I wasnt using it for what it was designed for)
CON - Wasnt a fan of the side pocket zipper design, limits what you can actually put iin there. Was a tad heavy for me and there is no attachement system to allow you to expand on it
3. Marsupial Enclosed Pack
This was my 2nd favorite personally. Harness itself is well built, light, has nice pockets, good safety strap design, and can be expanded with some of their other pouch options like range finder pouch or bottom mount holster. Material is very quiet and has a good overall design. Has a rear pocket a phone can fit in if needed.
CON - Only thing for me that wasnt my favorite was the actual harness strap design. Its a tad flimsy for me, slightly more bulky in the shoulder area so there are times my gun would not rest right when shouldering, and I had a hard time getting it tight enough on my chest. Again if you are slightly bigger in the chest area the last part of that wont be an issue.
4. Sitka mountain optics harness
If you want lots of storage options and a miniumal type strap design this is a good option. Material is VERY quiet and you have 2 larger attachement pocket options for gear and storage. Is a OSFA design so no worries with trying to see what size your binos will fit in. That is good and bad though because if you have SMALLER binos then the harness itself will have some extra room in it that causes the binos to move around some if you are walking around.
CON - Opens toward you vs away from you. This may not be an issue to some but personally I am not a fan of that design at all.
5. Kuiu Pro Harness
I wanted to love this one but just couldnt. Overall the built and material are great (like all Kuiu stuff). Has clips on the bottom to allow you to clip a bow or other items to it to hold, side pockets are bigger then most and has a nice rear pocket to it.
CON - MINE at least was very tight and loud opening and closing. There is no front pocket for small items, the harness straps are much bigger design and for me I couldnt ever get it to stop sliding down my chest and resting on my upper stomach. Also due to the bigger design it wasnt as easy to get on and off really fast as others. It also just felt heavier then others wearing.
6. FHF Fob bino harness
This one I wanted to love and ran it all last season for turkey and deer. Quality is outstanding and design is good but missed the mark in some areas. Attachment options are plentiful and safety attachement is great. Material is very quiet and is waterproof for the most part
CON - The front pocket for some reason is vertical opening vs horizonal. Not sure who thought of that but makes the pocket pretty much useless. There are no side pockets unless you add attachements to them. The Aireframe Shoulder Harness straps are comfortable but they are also bulky. I noticed them in the way a lot shouldering my gun due to the harder more raised material they use (however they do help reduce heat by design so that is a plus). This is also the most of expensive of the bunch.
7. Ederlestock Recon Modular pack
This one I also wanted to love. The modular options for this one is awesome, in line or slightly better then some of the others. Design layout is great and material is always quiet and water "proof". Has a nice big front pocket for storage and wing side design, which you want for attachements vs attaching to the pack itself. This design helps in spreading out the weight so its not all on the pack. Has optional attachements like a handwarmer and lots of pouch options
CON - No side pockets and bigger footprint then some of the others. The enclosure flap doesnt have a natural fold in it like badlands or marsupial, meaning when you open it down it doesnt naturually fold so its out of the way. I am not a fan of the shoulder system personally, I found it slightly bulky and hot compaired to some of the others. IMO this one is much more designed for a western hunter thats standing and walking a lot more vs an eastern type hunter.
Anyways these are just my opinions and experience with them in the field. ALL of them are good quality made options that work for sure and most would be happy with any of them.
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