Caroline's DIY Shock-Cord Binocular Harness
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- In this tutorial, Caroline demonstrates how to make a light-weight, sturdy, adjustable binocular harness. She says she uses it for bird-watching, but that doesn't explain why on the back of her "bird-watching" windbreaker it says, in three-inch letters, "Bigfoot Hunter". (Not really, but it is going to bug her that I put that in the description, which is, or course, a good thing.)
Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section.
The Amazon links below are affiliate links.
Materials:
5/32" shock cord and spring toggles (enough for 5-6 harnesses)
amzn.to/2OSWJmo
Microlock Carabiner (2-pack - enough for one harness)
amzn.to/31XwG2K
Cord Ends (enough for a least 12 harnesses) The link is to what Caroline used. They are actually too small for the cord. She did make them work though (with a little effort, as you can see in the video). I would suggest different cord-ends, but if you like doing things the hard way, here is the link to what Caroline ordered:
amzn.to/37vAEkj
Great idea. Thanks Caroline 👍
Many thanks for sharing this, Brett and Caroline. It is a wonderful idea and is just what I and a million other people will find extremely useful. The conventional simple neck straps that come with binoculars have always had a number of disadvantages and this design resolves them. In addition to being so helpful for binoculars, it can be used to solve the same issues experienced by photographers who still carry 35mm or other large / heavy cameras. I have put a few of these harnesses together and would like to share a few suggestions.
- Paracord 550 works very well for this application and many people prefer it over shock cord.
- Instead of tying the overhand knot at the back / top, I would suggest tying the standard single diamond / lariat knot and then feed the loose standing ends back through the center (either before tightening the lariat knot or using a lacing needle - FID). The lariat knot only takes a few secs more than the overhand knot but it is more secure and it produces a knot which is symmetric and has 2 cords running upward and 4 downward. The knot allows the loose cords to slide up and down smoothly and there is no way that the spring-lock connector will ever get sucked through the diamond / lariat knot.
- In addition to S carabiners, there are a series of 32mm (1.5") mini carabiners that have only 1 clip and a 10mm loop for the cord to go through. It is a little more secure with only 1 clip and still a lot of room for the cord to flex for adjustment. They are readily available on Amazon in pkgs or 12 and 30 and come in different colours.
Warmest thanks for those ideas. I owned (then sold) a pair of Leupold BK Tactical binoculars. They came with coyote brown shock corded harness/sling/strap arrangement. I often thought about replicating with a spare 12’ chunk of OD green shock cord sitting in my fabric / sewing bins. Then as per your suggestion of a barrel / spring lock, I found a few suitable spring locks, isolated one of them. And now to head to Home Depot and purchase a pair of those tiny/smaller “S” Hooks. I have the larger siblings of “S” Hooks in my back packing gear bins. Peace Be To Journey! Stay strong and stay safe out there!! Cheers
Muchas gracias! excelente idea!
What was the Thickness of the shock rope
It was 5/32" shock cord. In the video's description there is a link to the cord that we used. It comes with several spring toggles.
I’m using 1/8” shock cord. Peace Be To Journey!