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Kifaru Bino Harness Review
The separation in binocular harnesses these days is in the nuanced details. Of course, the bucket needs to fit your binoculars, and the harness needs to fit your chest, but once those needs are met, you enter a world of personal preference and details that get fleshed out in the field. The reputation Kifaru has, including the little details and design features that make a difference in the field, is what drew me to the Kifaru bino harness. That, and I knew it was going to be built to last, and last it has. So far this harness has been with me on two bear hunts, a week on Kodiak, bushwhacking through alders and salmonberries, and a hunt through southern Arizona cactus country, and it truly looks the way it did the day it was delivered.
The minimal approach to design, not adding structure where it’s not needed to reduce the weight, was a good call in my opinion. By forgoing the reinforced foam structure in certain areas of the bucket, the harness also felt less cumbersome and bulky on my chest. Simply put, I noticed it less than I would when wearing other models on the market. The potential drawback to that decision is the fit with certain binoculars. One-handed operation is a little tricky with bulkier optics like 12x50 ELs and 10x42 EL Ranges. To account for this, I’d recommend going a size up on the bucket size – you won’t be bothered by the extra size of the bucket, and it will make pulling binos in and out much easier. I’d also recommend sizing up on the harness to account for bulkier layers you wear on cold-weather hunts.
The Bino Holster made by JC Custom Kydex is an excellent option if you need to carry a sidearm in a super convenient and secure location. It held my Glock 20 10mm secure without any issues in Alaska. Better yet, it was comfortable the entire time. The Navigation Pouch fit my iPhone 14 Pro Max perfectly and in a place that was always easy to get to – something that can be a pain with other pockets if you use your phone often in the field. On a separate Kifaru Harness, I used the Admin Pouch which appealed to me because it was less bulky. It fit my ear pro, pocket knife, and Ollin ring well, but it would not contain a phone.
Overall, this first-generation Kifaru Harness is extremely well made and feature-rich without being bulky and complicated, a quality I appreciate greatly when trying to simplify my kit.
