While I don’t know the history of binocular harnesses and chest packs, utilizing them in the field has been an easy decision for a long time.
In a world inundated with hunting and outdoor gear, it’s important to delineate the useful from the trivial. However, once you’ve decided on the combo of gear to employ, it’s important to decide what to actually take in the field. For me and countless hunters and outdoorsmen, those occurrences when we’ve forgotten a needed item are frustrating.
There is a fine line between being prepared and over-packed.
The same is true for digiscoping. While this cool form of outdoor photography requires minimal components, there are plenty of related items that either improve or extend your digiscoping experiences.
This is where a good bino harness can maximize your visual efforts, maximizing the number of outdoor subjects you can capture with a smartphone camera and optics. I find this particularly true with hunting and scouting for mature whitetail bucks. However, the same can be said for any digiscoping efforts, from birding to securing interesting nature shots.
Before getting into packing and gear alternatives, let’s first examine the usefulness of binocular chest packs for digiscoping in outdoor spaces.
Small Vessel, Big Results
Firmly tethered at chest level, chest packs reduce neck strain and keep your essential gear close.
Minimalist, yet prepared.
Can you have the best of both worlds when it comes to utilizing a chest pack? You bet you can. A good chest pack provides good storage for any outdoor mobile venture. This means the most important gear is tethered to your chest for easy access. This can be the difference between capturing or missing a desired subject, such as a hit list deer or elk. Time is precious.
Utilizing a binocular harness, a good chest pack also protects your glass, as well as minimizes neck strain caused by simple around-the-neck straps.
With a fully-confined bino chest pack, you can significantly extend the life of your glass. This means no need for flailing lens caps that cause vibration and are, well, annoying. For the latter, nobody wants a wrenched neck, especially on already physically taxing mobile treks.
Remember, if you need a backpack for larger gear such as a tripod or extra clothing, your most important photography and digiscoping items can remain at chest level for quick use.
What to Include in Your Chest Pack
This is of course somewhat dependent on your digiscoping goals. While it’s always important to include your digiscoping kit, other items can be included based on your venture. For example, other important non-digiscoping items include hunting knives, flashlights, journals, and snacks.
Core Digiscoping Items to Keep in Chest Pack
- Digscoping adapter kit
- Portable Phone Charger
- Lens Cloth
- Bino Bandits (for eye relief)
- Bluetooth shutter button (for digiscoping with tripods)
A bino chest pack can not only hold your digiscoping components, but any combination of other gear, making for successful digiscoping. The above image shows on a few possible items.
Additional Gear for Chest Packs
Once you’ve included your essential digiscoping items, you still have room to add any combination of other needed gear. Here are some alternatives (in no particular order).
- Medical items (band-aids, aspirin, etc.)
- Phone Skope binocular connecting loops
- A snack
- Ammunition
- Pyro Putty Firestarter
- Lighter or Ferro rod
- Hunting or pocket knife
- Flashlight or headlamp
- Wind checker
- Rangefinder
- Game call
- Common Allen wrenches
- Sunscreen
- Field wipes
If you must pack bigger items like tripods, save them for a backpack to supplement your chest pack.
Leave it Loaded
Finally, if you digiscope on the regular, leave your core gear packed in your chest pack. It’s a great place to store the essentials like your digiscoping adapter kit, a lens cloth, and phone charger. If you do, the next impromptu deer scouting or birding session is as simple as strapping it on and hitting the trail. Unlike your favorite rifle, leave it loaded and ready – this includes the binoculars themselves. If you do, you are less apt to forget an item or component you absolutely need to complete your visual mission.