Im looking for a good, strap for my binoculars and rangefinder. something that will keep them out of the way when not in use but make the use of them easy and clutter free. i dont want to spend a fortune on them, but it would be nice to have something that works good, its like everytime i need my binocs, i find that i left them at home, or in my pack cause they are such a pain, when hanging arond my neck along with my rangefinder.
I use this for my binos http://www.bowhunting.com/shopping/Products/Black-Slide-and-Flex-Binocular-System__0125.aspx and I use the strap that came with my Nikon Archer's Choice Rangefinders
Check out the Lockdown from S4 Gear. It's a really cool bino harness that just came out for this year. I picked one up recently and it works great. IMO much better than the old standby Crooked Horn harness. http://www.s4gear.com/products/lockdown As for the rangefinder - I too use the one that came with my Nikon AC rangefinder, but the Sidewinder from S4 also looks pretty good. I have one, but haven't tested it out yet.
I've got quite a bit of experience with a couple different systems of bino harnesses, and own two pair of Crooked Horn harnesses (one in black, one in camo...). While performing "adequately", I never was 100% satisfied with them for a few different reasons: One, they can be a bit of pain to put on because you often have to untangle the straps first before doing so. Two, the "tension" in the system often works its way loose, and I found my binos dangling more than I wanted them to. When they didn't work their way loose, I felt as if I was pulling against the harness too hard sometimes and couldn't glass comfortably without pressure against the harness -- something that really comes into play moreso out West for me chasing elk and pronghorn than it does in the Midwestern whitetails woods. The biggest gripe I had was when it started raining -- even a slight mist would foul up my binos and make it hard to look through. While my Nikons are indeed waterproof, once the lenses get wet (and your shirt sleeve or whatever else you have handy to wipe them down with), it's hard to get the wet streaks off. So, I kept looking for the next-best thing in bino harnesses ... and finally discovered S4 Gear's LockDown system. For those who haven't seen it, it's a quick-deployment harness system that slips easily over your neck, and then secures on either side with quick-connect nylon buckles. No more untangling a mess of woven straps before figuring out how to climb into it. I was constantly having to re-tighten my Crooked Horn harnesses when putting them on for the first time each hunt -- and I hunt anywhere from 70 - 100 days each year. But by far the best thing is my optics now sit in a pliable cover that shields my eyecups from falling rain -- yet are easily accessible with a one-handed operation. I'm also loving the fact that the ShockCord Security Straps are tethered to the harness itself and not wrapped around my body -- allowing me to raise the binos into position and glass to my heart's content, without the associated stresses I always experienced before. If you're in the market for an exceptional harness system that is of pure quality in design, stitching and functionality, I'd suggest looking on S4's website and learning more about this system. There's also a very nice demo of the harness on youtube by one of the company reps. http://s4gear.com/products/lockdown
Finally had a bit of time here messing around and went and found the youtube video for those looking into this system; if you click on the link below, I think you'll see all that I was talking about up above. I'll have mine on tomorrow when the sun rises in the turkey woods! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAnLCKFr4eM
Has anyone here tried the Boss Bino straps? http://www.cabelas.com/optics-harne...-1E6A-E011-92EE-001B21631C34&mr:referralID=NA
If they could incorporate the Lockdown into the tree spider harness and kill 2 birds with one stone would be great.
So you use the S4 Lock down system how does it work with a safety harness? Does it interfere with each other lying on top of one another
Rick - not sure on that question. I typically wear my harness under my outer layer so I'm not too terribly concerned about it. I'm going to mess around w/it some more this week and I'll let you know what I find out.
