Binocular Harness Review: Nice but Not Necessary

My desire for a binocular harness really just stemmed from the fact that I thought they looked cool on other people. I asked fellow birders what their purpose was, they said it was to take the weight off your neck and to keep the binoculars from swinging around too much.

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I purchased the Allen Company Adjustable Binocular Strap from Amazon. The package comes with the harness, metal rings, and small plastic zip ties that are used to secure the binoculars or camera to the rings that are clipped onto the straps. The installation was easy enough and it comes with extra zip ties and rings.

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Putting the harness on is just like putting on a backpack—only backwards. The straps then need to be adjusted depending on your size to ensure the binoculars do not rest too low or too high. Once you're all set, it is easy to pull up the binos to your face for quick viewing; it slides on the strap when you lift it up.

The good

• The harness is easy to set up and properly adjust
• It keeps the binoculars from swinging around too much
• Wearing a harness makes it easy to also carry a camera with you and not have to worry about hanging two things around your neck

The meh

• Walking downhill causes the binoculars to bounce up and down
• The leather piece in the middle of the harness could be nicer, it feels cheap/dry
• Not ideal to wear if you are sharing your binoculars