Hi John -
Before i moved over to a Rick Young Outdoors harness, i had an order for my birding stuff, which was Czech army bread bag over the shoulder, Scopac/scope then binoculars (definitely in that order!). Every trip i said 'bag-scope-bins' to myself before setting off. The carrying bag on the Scopac can be removed, so you just have a lighter set of shoulder straps.
Of course, when i went to the harness, the order changed. Now 'bag-bins-scope' which is a new trick for an old dog!
On another note - my knees were awful following two stupid accidents when i was younger. I started doing Tai Chi, and carried on to this day. After the first couple of months, my knees were more flexible and stronger, and i've never had a problem since. Pilates is related and can do similar good in strengthening the ligaments around the knee. Classes are often only an hour mostly - might be worth considering?
The advantage of the Scopac system is that the weight goes to the shoulders and down the central column of your back, rather than causing you to adapt your gait to balance an uneven load, which i've seen happen a lot with those who carry their scopes side-saddle.
Before i moved over to a Rick Young Outdoors harness, i had an order for my birding stuff, which was Czech army bread bag over the shoulder, Scopac/scope then binoculars (definitely in that order!). Every trip i said 'bag-scope-bins' to myself before setting off. The carrying bag on the Scopac can be removed, so you just have a lighter set of shoulder straps.
Of course, when i went to the harness, the order changed. Now 'bag-bins-scope' which is a new trick for an old dog!
On another note - my knees were awful following two stupid accidents when i was younger. I started doing Tai Chi, and carried on to this day. After the first couple of months, my knees were more flexible and stronger, and i've never had a problem since. Pilates is related and can do similar good in strengthening the ligaments around the knee. Classes are often only an hour mostly - might be worth considering?
The advantage of the Scopac system is that the weight goes to the shoulders and down the central column of your back, rather than causing you to adapt your gait to balance an uneven load, which i've seen happen a lot with those who carry their scopes side-saddle.