• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

What is this about replacing the straps on Zeiss Binoculars? (1 Viewer)

Dennis and Swissboy

I am puzzled by your need to cut the straps shorter and have to fiddle with cauterising the resulting strap-ends to prevent fraying.

Take a look at my strap set-up in the first pic. Notice that with the adjustment buckles pulled right up to where the neck-pad begins, this leaves only 10in of strap on each side which delivers your binos to your chest, not hanging down near your belly. If you wanted the strap even shorter you could pull the loose end further through the buckles and if the short length of loose end sticking out beyond the buckle annoys you just pass it back through the buckle again.

The way I put the strap through the buckle is this and pay attention, this ain't easy to explain. In you right hand you have the neck strap and in your left you have the buckle. Put the end of the strap UP and OVER the central bar of the buckle, then take it down to the bino lug and thread it down through it. Fold the end of the strap OUTWARDS i.e. away from the bino and bring it up to the buckle and pass it under the first bar, OVER the central bar where the upper part of the strap is already lying, and under the final bar. Move the buckle DOWN the strap towards the bino to make the strap longer or mobe it UP the strap towards the neck pad to make the strap shorter. The second pic is of the buckle and the bino is off the pic to the left.

Lee
Lee. Your 10 inches from binocular to the padded part of the strap is too long for me. I like my overall strap length shorter. I like around 6 inches. i don't like to double my strap either because that is more weight and complexity. I am a minimalist. My favorite strap is a standard black Vero Vellini because it is very light, simple and well made out of leather and the foam padding is very comfortable without being too heavy. I always shorten them and then melt the ends to keep them from fraying. Here is a picture of one and a link on Amazon.com.

https://www.amazon.com/Vero-Vellini...vero+vellini+strap&qid=1585338582&sr=8-3&th=1
 

Attachments

  • 51+DSGna2BL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
    51+DSGna2BL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
    18 KB · Views: 34
  • P3270001.jpg
    P3270001.jpg
    144.4 KB · Views: 51
  • P3270002.jpg
    P3270002.jpg
    144.5 KB · Views: 50
Last edited:
Lee. Your 10 inches from binocular to the padded part of the strap is too long for me. I like my overall strap length shorter. I like around 6 inches. i don't like to double my strap either because that is more weight and complexity. I am a minimalist. My favorite strap is a standard black Vero Vellini because it is very light, simple and well made out of leather and the foam padding is very comfortable without being too heavy. I always shorten them and then melt the ends to keep them from fraying. Here is a picture of one and a link on Amazon.com.

https://www.amazon.com/Vero-Vellini...vero+vellini+strap&qid=1585338582&sr=8-3&th=1


Good grief Dennis, how do you get that strap over your head? What happens to the ocular lens if you sneeze? You realise that if you fall into a river you will never get the bino off and will end up drowning? And for similar reasons you will never get the bino off quickly enough to defend yourself from that goat you are always talking about!

OK joking apart I now understand your reasons for shortening the strap. Your strap does indeed look minimalist but doesn't appeal to me as it is one that hangs from the back of your neck instead of laying flat on your shoulders around the base of your neck. Different strokes for different folks.

Lee
 
Last edited:
The most comfortable strap I've yet found is the Boomr:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C3BI8XO?tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

more elastic than the straight neoprene alternatives and with multiple attachment options. They work well slung over the shoulder.
I use two, one for my Canon 10x42, the other for my Nikon ED50.
The extra flex in the straps helps mitigate to shocks when scrambling over terrain and the straps are easier to manage than a harness.
 
How tall are you? It could be my torso is shorter than yours. You could be particularly high waisted or is that highly waisted! Actually with the 6 inches my binoculars are about 2 inches above my belt which is where I like them. I find if I keep the strap shorter I can access my binoculars faster and they don't swing as much when I am hiking. I put my strap under my collar of my shirt so it never touches my neck and I don't get that perspiration from the strap especially in hot climates. I find there is a lot of difference in how comfortable the foam padding is on straps and how much they cause you to sweat. The Vero Vellini is very good in those areas because it seems like the foam breathes better than it does on most straps.
 
One way of dealing with the excess length of a strap, is as shown in this Nikon illustration
- the tail is between the doubled portion of the strap so that it's not flapping around


John
 

Attachments

  • Nikon.jpg
    Nikon.jpg
    185.1 KB · Views: 72
One way of dealing with the excess length of a strap, is as shown in this Nikon illustration
- the tail is between the doubled portion of the strap so that it's not flapping around


John
I have used that method before but IMO it just is more weight and complexity. I would rather cut and cauterize. I am quite good at it. I cut off the length I need and then I use the tip of that strap and lay it under the cut strap and use it as a template so when I melt it with my soldering iron it looks like the factory strap on the end. It only takes me about ten minutes and the strap looks like the OEM strap.
 
How tall are you? It could be my torso is shorter than yours. You could be particularly high waisted or is that highly waisted! Actually with the 6 inches my binoculars are about 2 inches above my belt which is where I like them. I find if I keep the strap shorter I can access my binoculars faster and they don't swing as much when I am hiking. I put my strap under my collar of my shirt so it never touches my neck and I don't get that perspiration from the strap especially in hot climates. I find there is a lot of difference in how comfortable the foam padding is on straps and how much they cause you to sweat. The Vero Vellini is very good in those areas because it seems like the foam breathes better than it does on most straps.

Dennis we are certainly very different in stature. I am 6ft 1in with regular length legs but an extra long torso. With the 10in of strap as per the photo the Meopta 8x32s just about reach my belt and a pair of 42s certainly do.

If by hiking you mean walking at a brisk speed in a determined way with a destination to reach in a planned amount of time, this is something we almost never do. Being interested in flowers, insects, fungi and lichens etc we ramble slowly along, often away from trails and footpaths and are frequently lying down examining stuff and taking macro photos. So swinging binos aren't a problem for us and the length of strap makes it easier to tuck the bins under our jackets.

Lee
 
Dennis we are certainly very different in stature. I am 6ft 1in with regular length legs but an extra long torso. With the 10in of strap as per the photo the Meopta 8x32s just about reach my belt and a pair of 42s certainly do.

If by hiking you mean walking at a brisk speed in a determined way with a destination to reach in a planned amount of time, this is something we almost never do. Being interested in flowers, insects, fungi and lichens etc we ramble slowly along, often away from trails and footpaths and are frequently lying down examining stuff and taking macro photos. So swinging binos aren't a problem for us and the length of strap makes it easier to tuck the bins under our jackets.

Lee
That is a good idea tucking the binoculars under your jackets for protection. I like to keep my binoculars a few inches above my belt so there is no chance of them colliding with my belt buckle. Rambling slowly along is a good idea because if you race to a certain destination you miss all the small things along the way which can be more interesting than your ultimate destination. Kind of like life sometimes it is the little unexpected things on the way that are more enjoyable.
 
Rambling slowly along is a good idea because if you race to a certain destination you miss all the small things along the way which can be more interesting than your ultimate destination. Kind of like life sometimes it is the little unexpected things on the way that are more enjoyable.


Many years ago on the Isle of Colonsay, we wandered up the east coast and saw Otters, a Slow Worm (its a legless lizard), Lesser Twayblades (a wild orchid) and many other super things. Then we sat down on the ground and leaned back against a rock, with our legs stuck out in front of us and ate our lunch. After a few minutes a female Blackbird landed and began foraging on the ground a few yards away. We hardly dared breathe and she came closer and closer until she was foraging in between our feet! After a minute she move a little further away and then, suddenly, flew away. Wonderful.

Blackbirds are among the UK's commonest birds and it is not often we see Lesser Twayblades and Slow Worms and Otters, but I bet you can guess what we remember the most vividly from that day......

Lee
 
Blackbirds are flying rats to many around here, very destructive to crops, especially sunflowers. Spring
migration has just begun in the northern states. Many geese now returning to ice covered ponds, and
saw white swans today, and bald eagles daily on their journey north. Our first resident robins started arriving this week.

Sorry I'm off topic, but on the farm here in rural ND, I have several thousand acres I am free to roam on.
No isolation here, but we now have more reports of the virus each week. In our state the number of positive cases is still under 100. We like being in a rural environment for many reasons.

Everyone stay safe.

Jerry
 
Blackbirds are flying rats to many around here, very destructive to crops, especially sunflowers. Spring
migration has just begun in the northern states. Many geese now returning to ice covered ponds, and
saw white swans today, and bald eagles daily on their journey north. Our first resident robins started arriving this week.

Sorry I'm off topic, but on the farm here in rural ND, I have several thousand acres I am free to roam on.
No isolation here, but we now have more reports of the virus each week. In our state the number of positive cases is still under 100. We like being in a rural environment for many reasons.

Everyone stay safe.

Jerry

UK Blackbirds are really thrushes, relatives of the American Robin.
The blackbirds pestering you are icterids, part of the big group including grackles, cowbirds and orioles as well as the various blackbirds.
Just another illustration why Latin names are really helpful, they prevent this kind of confusion.
 
Many years ago on the Isle of Colonsay, we wandered up the east coast and saw Otters, a Slow Worm (its a legless lizard), Lesser Twayblades (a wild orchid) and many other super things. Then we sat down on the ground and leaned back against a rock, with our legs stuck out in front of us and ate our lunch. After a few minutes a female Blackbird landed and began foraging on the ground a few yards away. We hardly dared breathe and she came closer and closer until she was foraging in between our feet! After a minute she move a little further away and then, suddenly, flew away. Wonderful.

Blackbirds are among the UK's commonest birds and it is not often we see Lesser Twayblades and Slow Worms and Otters, but I bet you can guess what we remember the most vividly from that day......

Lee
Your story reminds of last summer when I was up in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming in the Lamar Valley looking for wolves when I saw a group of people with binoculars and spotting scopes observing something so I went over to see what they were looking at and when I raised my binoculars I was amazed to see a coyote and a badger in a battle for survival. The coyote usually would not even mess around with a badger because they are renown for their tenacity and fearlessness but this one had an injured leg and the coyote knew it. Every time the badger would try to escape to his den the coyote would grab it by the hind legs and the badger would turn around and give the coyote a nasty bite. I watched this battle for survival for a long time until finally the coyote's nose was so sore from all the bites he was receiving he gave up and the badger escaped to his den. It was just fascinating to watch. You see this kind of stuff on the National Geographic shows on TV but to see it in person in real time is amazing. That is kind of how Yellowstone National Park is. You never know what to expect when you are hiking in the back country. Here are some pictures.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20190827_112718.jpg
    IMG_20190827_112718.jpg
    642 KB · Views: 23
  • MVIMG_20190827_110332.jpg
    MVIMG_20190827_110332.jpg
    322.2 KB · Views: 24
  • 068.jpg
    068.jpg
    574.4 KB · Views: 22
  • 069.jpg
    069.jpg
    267.8 KB · Views: 25
  • MVIMG_20190827_115510.jpg
    MVIMG_20190827_115510.jpg
    692.9 KB · Views: 25
Last edited by a moderator:
Dennis

Your story makes my next story even more remarkable. A few weeks ago on BBC News on the internet pages there was a video which opened with a Coyote waiting at the opening of a tunnel under a road. Suddenly it danced around in excitement and crouched down quickly on its front legs, performing a doggy 'play-bow' clearly greeting another animal. But the animal that joined it was a badger and the two of them went side-by-side down the tunnel and disappeared. The explanation was that these two animals went hunting together in meadows on the other side of the road and if the prey ran on the surface the Coyote chased it and if it went down a hole the badger dug it out. These two animals that might be regarded as competitors actually co-operated and shared the food.

But how did they get past the mutual antagonism and discover they could help each other?


Lee
 
Last edited:
Dennis

Your story makes my next story even more remarkable. A few weeks ago on BBC News on the internet pages there was a video which opened with a Coyote waiting at the opening of a tunnel under a road. Suddenly it danced around in excitement and crouched down quickly on its front legs, performing a doggy 'play-bow' clearly greeting another animal. But the animal that joined it was a badger and the two of them went side-by-side down the tunnel and disappeared. The explanation was that these two animals went hunting together in meadows on the other side of the road and if the prey ran on the surface the Coyote chased it and if it went down a hole the badger dug it out. These two animals that might be regarded as competitors actually co-operated and shared the food.

But how did they get past the mutual antagonism and discover they could help each other?


Lee
An interesting synergistic relationship between these two predators. I wonder who get's the biggest piece of the prey? Probably the Badger. Here are three Youtube Video's the bottom one being your's and two other Coyote and Badger's hunting together. The top one is in the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming where I observed the Coyote and Badger fighting last summer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVO4XIxjIEQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYf54TvZPps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RC_6teBS6o
 
Last edited:
Lee,

How do I tell which sort of straps I have? Is it from the branding style? For instance, I have some straps that say Carl Zeiss and I think one that just says Zeiss. Or is it more to do with the design of the strap itself? (All a bit academic just now as I am cut off from where I normally live.)

I hope you and Troubadoris are OK meanwhile.

Tom
 
Lee,

How do I tell which sort of straps I have? Is it from the branding style? For instance, I have some straps that say Carl Zeiss and I think one that just says Zeiss. Or is it more to do with the design of the strap itself? (All a bit academic just now as I am cut off from where I normally live.)

I hope you and Troubadoris are OK meanwhile.

Tom

Tom:
You have an interesting question, I believe that in recent years the straps just say Zeiss, and previously, they said "Carl Zeiss", they also did away with Carl on boxes and the body names and caps.

I don't like it, I miss "Carl". ;) It made me feel better and gave a sense of
comfort like an old friend being with me.

I am not sure what straps they think are cancerous, what a laugh!!!
I think it is just a stupid, feel good, wasteful act.

But, I suppose it is the newer straps, that are being replaced.

Jerry
 
Lee,

How do I tell which sort of straps I have? Is it from the branding style? For instance, I have some straps that say Carl Zeiss and I think one that just says Zeiss. Or is it more to do with the design of the strap itself? (All a bit academic just now as I am cut off from where I normally live.)

I hope you and Troubadoris are OK meanwhile.

Tom

Shouldn't that be 'Troubadoris and you', ladies-first and all that? ;)

Firstly: the straps on your HT and FL from me are old ones and should be changed.

Secondly: Jerry is correct in that Carl has disappeared in recent times but that doesn't mean all straps that just say Zeiss are the new ones.

Thirdly: I would say it is clear that unless you have asked Zeiss for new straps already then all of your Zeiss straps are old ones and should be changed.

Lee
 
The easiest way to tell the difference between the old and new straps is to look at the back (non logo side) of the strap.

The old strap has a crosshatch pattern on the padding whereas the new version, as of c. August 2019, has smooth padding.

The picture should show the difference.

Gary
 

Attachments

  • DSC00644.JPG
    DSC00644.JPG
    145 KB · Views: 53
Warning! This thread is more than 4 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top