The Ultimate Bino Harness Guide | Every Essential at Your Fingertips
Venture Field Guide
Twin Elements Gear Breakdown
Inside The Eberlestock Recon Bino Harness
Aiden Dooms from Twin Elements walks through every pocket, pouch and reason he rates this bino harness
A good bino harness earns its place on your chest by doing more than just holding your binoculars still. It becomes the command centre for everything you need quick, quiet access to in the field, from your rangefinder to your release aid to the knife you need the second an animal hits the ground.
Aiden Dooms from Twin Elements has been running the Eberlestock Recon Bino Harness and takes us through every compartment, from the obvious ones to the hidden pouches most people never think to use. Here is the full breakdown of why it has become a permanent fixture on his chest.
In This Guide
The Three-Compartment Layout
The Eberlestock Recon Bino Harness is built around three main compartments. There is the main binocular pouch that holds Aiden's binoculars front and centre, a utility pouch that sits on one side, and a rangefinder pouch on the other side. Each compartment has its own job, and together they turn the harness into a genuine piece of hunting infrastructure rather than just a binocular holder.
The layout means Aiden always knows exactly where a piece of gear lives without having to think about it, which matters when an animal is close and every second and every movement counts.
Rangefinder Pouch and Lanyard Tactics
The rangefinder pouch has a lanyard that attaches from Aiden's handheld rangefinder to the corner of the pouch. That way, if he drops it, it is not going anywhere. It will not make any loud noises, and it is easily picked up again so he can range distances while bowhunting.
Being able to pull the rangefinder out of the pouch quickly, range an animal, and tuck it straight back away again is the whole point. A small magnet underneath the flap clips it shut, so if Aiden is walking through the scrub trying to close that last 30 or 40 metres to make his shot count, the flap can sit open without flapping around or making noise. It also flips securely on top and the magnet seals it shut, keeping the rangefinder safe if he is pushing through thick scrub.
Lanyard tip: Attaching your rangefinder to the harness with the built-in lanyard means you can range an animal, then simply let go of the device to get your hands back on your bow. The cord stops it thumping onto the ground or making noise, giving you a clean, split-second transition into your shot.
The Main Bino Pouch
Moving to the main pouch, the design is very quiet in use. The case itself is sleek, and it fits Aiden's 10x42 optics. According to Eberlestock, it works up to 10x50 binoculars, so it pays to check the specifications against your own binocular size before you buy. The Recon Bino Harness comes in two different sizes to cover that range.
Being able to glass, then tuck your binos straight back in and keep them nice and secure, is a genuine win, especially for a bowhunter who spends as much time behind glass as Aiden does.
The Hidden Release Aid Pocket
Moving to some of the lesser-known compartments and hidden passages, there is a small side pouch where Aiden keeps his release aid. He uses a thumb release, which is handheld with no wrist strap, meaning it is incredibly easy to lose in the field.
Having a tight, ergonomic pouch dedicated to the release makes it easy to find every time. Aiden can set up for a bow shot, then put the release straight back away as he needs to move off again. There is no digging through pockets or checking other hiding spots. He knows exactly where to find it when it is crunch time.
The Front Zip Workbench
This is where things get interesting. The front zip is, in Aiden's words, absolutely like a workbench. He has the ability to store a serious amount of gear in here for when the time comes. What he carries includes:
- A folding knife: one of the most important bits of kit in the pouch. Aiden can bone out a whole deer with it, do backstraps, cut cord, or just cut an apple at lunch. It sits ready for all occasions.
- Camera batteries, lens cleaners and wipes: essential gear for anyone documenting hunts, useful for both camera gear and optics when they start to fog up.
- A diaphragm call: great for calling in animals. Aiden has used these overseas and also on chital deer, and says you can even use one as a red deer hind caller if you are good enough.
- An Apex fox whistle: always handy to have on hand. Coming around a blackberry-choked gully, the last thing you want is to be digging through your backpack or walking back to the car to grab it.
- Allen keys: a bit of kit many people sleep on. A loose screw on your bow, sight, or rest can happen at any time, and being able to tighten it up on the spot to get rid of noise or vibration is essential for bowhunters.
Field tip: Keeping small essentials like Allen keys and a fox whistle on your harness rather than buried in your pack means you can fix a rattling bow or answer a calling opportunity without breaking your stalk to dig through gear.
Checking the Wind
Moving around to the left-hand side of the pouch, one of the smaller elastic pockets holds what Aiden calls one of the most important bits of kit: his wind puffer. It is easily accessible, so he can pull it out, check the wind, and see exactly which direction it is coming from before deciding which way to hunt.
Once he has checked it, he simply shuts it and pops it away. The elastic tab keeps it secure, so he knows it will be exactly there next time he needs to check the breeze.
Utility Pouch and Head Torch
The last storage component Aiden talks through is the utility pouch. This is where he keeps his head torch for any time he needs to leave his main pack behind. If it is late afternoon and he needs to chase an animal further through thick country, he can drop his twenty kilo pack to move faster while gumbo hunting, and still have his head torch on him.
By having this accessory pouch, Aiden can also carry his Garmin inReach or other important bits of kit alongside the torch. That means if he has to butcher an animal and make his way back to the car in the dark, he has a head torch on hand rather than relying on his mobile phone, and can get back to his pack or vehicle safely.
The Discrete Phone Pocket
The final feature is a discrete elastic pocket at the back of the harness. It sits nice and sleek against the back of the pouch and is where Aiden keeps his phone, easily stored with no risk of it being lost in a jacket or pants pocket.
It sits on his chest at all times, easily accessible and ready to use whenever he needs it.
Recommended Gear
The Eberlestock Recon Modular Bino Pack is the harness Aiden runs, built around the three-compartment layout covered in this guide. If you want to fine-tune your setup further, the Eberlestock Recon Rangefinder Pouch adds dedicated, quiet rangefinder storage with the same magnetic, lanyard-ready design.
Check the sizing specs against your own binocular dimensions before you buy, since the Recon range covers optics up to 10x50 across two harness sizes.
Gallery
A closer look at the Eberlestock Recon Bino Harness in action, from the field to every pouch Aiden opened.
Set Up Your Own Bino Harness
If you want to run the same setup Aiden relies on in the field, check out the Eberlestock Recon range online, or head into the Venture Hunting & Outdoors Springwood Mega Store in Brisbane to try the fit with your own optics in store.
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