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Nimrod Pack Systems' Binotopia Chest Harness (1 Viewer)

Glosbirder

Gentleman Antiquarian
I cannot use a normal neck strap for binos due to some very interesting curves in my cervical vertebrae due to poor posture.

Three weeks ago I took the plunge and ordered the Binotopia chest harness kit from Nimrod Pack Systems based in Cashmere, WA.

I bought the Binotopia kit which included the chest harness and the Bino Top cover for the eyepieces for $40 with $24 postage (! - not Nimrod's fault, US Postal prices; hooray for the Royal Mail!)

I'd looked at a number of other systems but the vast majority were fully elasticed which would cause too much bounce as I walked. The Nimrod system has normal webbing shoulder straps and elastic side straps. The eyepiece cover is attached by poppered webbing to the straps. The binos attach to the webbing via male and female clips allowing you to use the strap system for more than one pair of binos.

I've now worn the chest harness in the field for three separate whole days. All have been whilst working in the field in my "real" job as a landscape archaeologist. The binos stayed put on my chest whilst setting up tripods and total stations, grovelling through undergrowth and jumping over ditches. The cover protected the eyepieces from crap including the debris from my lunch! I was completely unaware of any weight from the binos and they fitted perfectly under my daysack.

I am extremely pleased with this chest harness, the quality of its build and value for money and would strongly recommend it to anyone whose currently enjoying a good exchange rate and has to pay less postage than I had to!
 
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Thanks for the information about this harness, Glosbirder. I was so impressed with the design details that I ordered one immediately after reading your recommendation.

I phoned in my order and asked about options other than camo, which is the only thing shown on the website and not my favorite. I was told it can also be ordered in green, so I should have a green one coming sometime next week.

Henry

edit: here's a link to the harness on the Nimrod website.

http://nimrodpacks.com/hunt/N9.html
 
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how is it different from other binoculars harness? I got mine from fleabay for dirt cheap. But it does not have any brand name.
 
I shall have to take a look at these. I'd looked at them before but couldn't quite decide on them.

How do the bins attach to the harness? I see you mention it but do they use standard Fastex connectors? Or something else?

Do you have any photos of the system in use? I find the one profile shot in the website to be not too useful. They have a Flickr photostream but only one photo of the Binutopia from the back.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31396914@N07/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31396914@N07/3092869327/

I see that they call out seperate items in the Javascropt menu on the right but they all point to the same page which doesn't have the other items: Binotop, Binotopia upgrade kit and spare buckles. Very odd.

I didn't realize they are in WA state. Or that you could get them in a color other than camo. Did they say what sort of green?

BTW this weekend they're at:

PACIFIC NORTHWEST SPORTSMENS SHOW — PORTLAND, OR
PORTLAND EXPO CENTER
FEB 6-10, 2008
BOOTH #1219

for the at least two folks that are going to the show!
 
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What other harnesses do people recommend? I've recently gotten the Zen-ED and love the binoculars but can't quite get used to the strap length. I tried the side (bandolier) hold last weekend and it just wasn't what I was used to. I'm used to using my Leupold 6x30 yosemites on a short little strap right up near the top of my chest. I'd like to give a harness a try, but am not sure about which to buy... Any experience/advice appreciated.
 
By far my favorite harness so far is the Mad Dog Bino Manager shown here:

http://www.maddoggear.com/dyn_prod.php?p=STRH651

The (useless to me) pouch can be removed and the chest strap buckled together behind the binocular. This is the only harness I've found that can be used with really heavy binoculars. That's partly because the shoulder straps are not elastic. They're a combination of webbing and neoprene. The leather piece in the back where the straps meet is wide enough to place the shoulder straps well off the neck and there are no binding elastic "armpit" straps, which allows the binocular the same freedom of movement as if it were on a neck strap.

I've used this harness with a pair of 42 oz. 8x56 binoculars for about a year. Carrying the binoculars for long periods is effortless, the equivalent of carrying a very light daypack.

Kevin,

I didn't get a description of the green. I'm hoping the color will be subdued, like the straps.

Henry
 
I shall have to take a look at these. I'd looked at them before but couldn't quite decide on them.

How do the bins attach to the harness? I see you mention it but do they use standard Fastex connectors? Or something else?

Do you have any photos of the system in use? I find the one profile shot in the website to be not too useful. They have a Flickr photostream but only one photo of the Binutopia from the back.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31396914@N07/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31396914@N07/3092869327/

I see that they call out seperate items in the Javascropt menu on the right but they all point to the same page which doesn't have the other items: Binotop, Binotopia upgrade kit and spare buckles. Very odd.

I didn't realize they are in WA state. Or that you could get them in a color other than camo. Did they say what sort of green?

BTW this weekend they're at:

PACIFIC NORTHWEST SPORTSMENS SHOW — PORTLAND, OR
PORTLAND EXPO CENTER
FEB 6-10, 2008
BOOTH #1219

for the at least two folks that are going to the show!

They use non-standard buckles, but you can buy a set for $6, so no problem there.

I had no idea they did green, I would have asked for that colour because although I do wear camo (Shadowgrass), the little fleecey Bino-top is a bit OTT in camo.

The website isn't the most helpful I've ever met and when it stops snowing here, I'll get some photos.

I did consider the Mad Dog Bino Manager but I could only get it from Midway UK for the same cost as the Nimrod system and, personally, I'd prefer to support a small company than some corporate behemoth like Stearns.
 
Since these are on display at the Northwest Sportsman's show this weekend, I'll take a look. I was curious about the connection to the binocular too.
 
How about the Op-Tech harness? I found it locally, but would have to order the others online sight unseen. Any opinions appreciated. Thanks.
 
This is a pretty decent harness. Solid webbing straps over the shoulder to prevent bounce and elastic straps under the arms to keep it snug.

I bought two of these at the Sportsman's show, one black and one camo, although, I'm not a particular fan of the stuff. The camo model has a fabric cap that fits over the ocular end of the binocular, like an over sized rain guard.

The unit comes with a buckle style connector. There is a loop of stout nylon cord which can be fed through the strap attachment in the binocular, fed through itself to attach to the binocular, then clip to the harness connector and attach to the binocular. I bought four pairs of spare buckle attachments. That way, I can put the one end on several pairs of binoculars and use all of them with whichever harness I'm using. Pretty good idea and a decent enough unit.
 
I received my Nimrod harness today. The green color is quite nice. I would call it loden or moss. Unfortunately, I don't like the action of the "armpit" straps. The elastic is not very stretchy so there is quite a lot of pull against the binocular when it's raised to the eyes. I also can't imagine any use for the big soft fuzzy "rainguard" cover. So, I'll be sticking with the Bino Manager. I prefer a harness with a sternum strap to any of the armpit strap types I've tried.
 
I received my Nimrod harness today. The green color is quite nice. I would call it loden or moss. Unfortunately, I don't like the action of the "armpit" straps. The elastic is not very stretchy so there is quite a lot of pull against the binocular when it's raised to the eyes. I also can't imagine any use for the big soft fuzzy "rainguard" cover. So, I'll be sticking with the Bino Manager. I prefer a harness with a sternum strap to any of the armpit strap types I've tried.

What's bino manager?
 
I The elastic is not very stretchy so there is quite a lot of pull against the binocular when it's raised to the eyes. I also can't imagine any use for the big soft fuzzy "rainguard" cover.

I started to think the same as Henry about the elastic armpit strap. I tinkered around with just the right adjustment for me for so long I just about gave it up as a lost cause. The problem was just as Henry said, there was too much tension against the binocular when you put it to your eyes. Certainly more than the all elastic harness I have. But finally with the proper combination of shortening the top strap and lengthening the elastic strap, I found the sweet spot.

Now, my loose chest measurement with a shirt is almost 50", so my adjustment might not work for all, but the same length ratios should be able to be maintained for anybody. Mine is a shorter top strap vs. a longer bottom strap. One thing I do like is that the non stretch top strap is easier for me to put on than an all elastic model.

At any rate, I've got it to the point I'll use it for awhile. The use probably will not include the "rainguard". It looks to me to be something that will just get in the way, but might appeal to some.
 
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