For a long time, my favourite binoculars for safaris were my pair compact Steiner 10.5×28 Wildlife Pro’s. One of the main reasons for this was because they were so small and because of their double hinge design, I could easily keep them in my pocket when not in use. In this way I could go on a walking safari and easily take my camera AND my binoculars.

The downside to this was because these binoculars have such small objective lenses (28mm diameter), they let in less light and therefore produce an image that is less bright than an equal quality binocular with larger lenses. To compound the problem, a lot of the time I would be going out on either a game walk or on safari in a vehicle early in the morning or just before sunset when a lot more of Africa’s wildlife is at their most active and you get a better chance of finding it. So in many ways a compact binocular was not ideal as at this time the light is also not at it’s best.

What I needed was an easy way to carry a larger pair of binoculars that would produce brighter images, but still be able to carry and use my camera easily.

Just using the neck strap to hang the binoculars around my neck does work as the binoculars flap about too much and can really get in your way if you are walking through thick bush.

Binocular Harness

The answer to my problem must surely be to use a binocular harness or binocular suspenders as they are sometimes called which allow you to carry your binoculars on your person without having to hold them in your hands.

I have tried a few binocular harnesses in the past and they work well, except for one thing that annoys me about them:
Because of the way they are designed with their elasticated straps that keep your optics against your body when you are not using them, they have the problem that your binoculars are under tension when you hold them up to your eyes, which is something that I found hard to get used to.

LockDown Optics Deployment System

I was recently asked if I would like to try out a new type of binocular harness that is said to have a whole host of advantages over a standard harness including “Tension Free Glassing” which immediately interested me. Called the “LockDown Optics Deployment System”, they are produced by an American company called S4Gear and below are my findings:

Tension Free Glassing
Most other binocular suspenders and harnesses keep your binoculars against your body with elastic straps (like trouser suspenders) this means that when you bring them up to your face they are under tension. In some cases and when you get used to it, this can be beneficial as it can help keep the binos more steady by pressing them firmly against your face. But in my experience, I find it a little annoying and can also make using your binoculars one handed difficult or at times even impossible. The LockDown harness uses what they call “shock” cords and there is no tension when you bring them up to your face and it feels just like you are using your binoculars with a traditional neck strap.

Secure
The first thing that you notice once you have attached your binoculars to the harness, is just how secure the binoculars sit next to your body, without being uncomfortable at all. This is very important to me as when I am walking in the bush, there are often times that you have to bend over or climb through some thick undergrowth and if your binoculars are loose they can not only annoy you, but also get hooked up on something.

To really test them, I even tried jogging and they were still held securely against my body, which is so much better than just using the standard neck strap on your optics and even some standard harnesses, where if walk fast they can often move from side to side on your chest.

Protection
Another unique feature of the LockDown is the hood and the cover that protect your binoculars. With this system, you no longer have to keep the standard objective and eye-piece lens covers that come with your binoculars with you in the field as both sets of lenses are protected by the harness. This makes keeping them free from dirt and scratches much easier and it is much quicker to take your optics out of the harness than it is to put on and take off lens covers.

Another advantage is that because a lot of the binocular is covered by the hood, they are pretty well protected from rain as well as for getting scratched should you knock them against something in the bush.

Keeping a Low Profile
Because the harness fits nice and tightly to your body and does not stick out much more than the width of your binoculars, you are far less likely to get it and yourself tangled up in bushes or other thick undergrowth when out on safari.

Another benefit of this design is that you could easily wear something like a jacket over the harness, this could offer extra protection to your optics in extreme weather conditions. The other real benefit of this is that there may be times when you are travelling that you do not want to stand out as a “rich tourist” with a fancy pair of binoculars.

Keeping the Noise Down
If you are going on a walking safari and hope to get close to many species of animals, it is important that you keep your noise level to the absolute minimum. Loose fitting clothing and equipment will brush against objects as you walk past them and could potentially frighten away what you are trying to track. Again the LockDown system will help, because The whole harness including the very light aluminium hood that covers and protects your binoculars is covered in a tough as well as noise resistant fabric. On top of this because your binoculars fit so securely to your body with out flapping about, there is even less chance of them hitting something that could make a noise.

Negatives to using the harness?
If you have already read the paragraphs above, you have probably realised by now that I really love the LockDown Optics Deployment System, but as with everything in life nothing is perfect and below are a few things that are also worth thinking about:

Even though removing the harness from your body is very quick, it is not as quick as taking the binoculars from around your neck and passing it to someone else. So if you are planning on sharing your optics on safari (which you really shouldn’t), I would not recommend using this or indeed any harness.

To attach the binoculars to the harness, you have to thread a split ring or zip tie through the loop on your binoculars that is usually used for your neck strap. If these loops are a very tight fit, you won’t be able to quickly swap from the harness back to your standard neck strap as you will first have to remove the split rings or zip ties from the loop before attaching your neck strap to your optics again. On my binoculars that I tested these with I was actually able to keep the zip ties attached so for me this was not a problem.

Conclusion

If you want to use full sized binoculars and need to be able to use both hands without your binoculars swinging about then I highly recommend the LockDown harness. It is by far the best binocular harness that I have ever used.

As well as on safari and because of their tight fit, they would be ideal for hunting, mountain bikers, those who hike on a trail or those into orienteering or even skiers who want to carry optics with them.

Cost & Where to Buy

So far I have only been able to find them available in the US, where they are available for around $40:

US Residents:

• LockDown on Binoculars.com

UK Residents:

• Binocular Harnesses on Amazon.co.uk

Options & More Information

The LockDown harness currently comes in two colour combinations (Black & Gray or Black & Camo) and there are two different sizes. To work out which you need, just measure the length of your binoculars:

• LockDown for binoculars from 6″ to 7.5″ in length.
• LockDown Micro for binoculars from 4.5″ to 6″ in length.

The video below goes over some of the key features of the LockDown Optics Deployment System and even though it is mostly aimed at hunters, it will give you a good idea of how it can help you on safari.

The Mziki Wilderness Trails

Mziki is a Zulu name for the Common Reedbuck and is also the name given to three hiking trails, or bush walks in St Lucia, South Africa. The Mziki Trails, could have been named the Ingwenya Trails or the Nyathi Trails as the Common Reedbuck is just one of the many animals, including hippo, buffalo, elephant, crocodile, kudu, waterbuck, red and grey duiker, vervet and samango monkeys, baboons, banded mongoose, bushbuck, bush pig and leopard that occur in this particular area of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park or as it is now called, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

The three looped day walks all begin and end at the Mount Tabor hut not far from Mission Rocks on South Africa’s northern KwaZulu-Natal cost in the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park and are ideal for those looking to combine a bush walk (walking safari) with coastal hiking, where you will get to see some incredible views of the Indian Ocean as well as the fantastic dune forests, rock pools, open grasslands of the eastern shore and the possibility of seeing the wealth of wildlife in this unique part of South Africa.

Once you arrive in St Lucia you must report to the trail office at Mission Rocks, about 15 km north of the town of St Lucia. From here you will leave your car at the car park at Mission Rocks and take a 2km walk up to your base for the next few days at the Mount Tabor hut. This hut was actually built by the Royal Air Force as an observation post during the second world war and provided radar support for the Catalina flying boats who supplied air cover for allied shipping in the area. The hut can be described as basic but comfortable, with beds and mattresses are supplied for up to 8 people. Crockery and cutlery is also supplied and there is a two plate gas cooker, but fridge or freezer. Ablutions take the form of a bucket shower and a long drop toilet with a view! Firewood is provided. There is a ladder that you can climb up onto the roof of the hut and makes an excellent vantage point and it must be said that generally the views from Mount Tabor are fantastic and is the perfect place to take wonderful sunrise and sunset photos.

Trail One
At about 10km long, the first trail takes you in a southerly direction, known as the South Coast loop. The outbound section meanders through open hill sides, freshwater pans, hippo paths and indigenous dune forest and pine plantation, where we saw red duikers and a female bushbuck and a huge variety of birds. Trees of interest includes the ornamental coral tree in the open veld, the long-lived milkwood tree of the dune forests and the rare forest fig. Most of the return leg is along rocky coastline where tidal pools abound with interesting marine life.

Trail Two
This is another trail that is about 10km long, it is known as the Lake Trail or Mfazana Pan loop and it takes you in a westerly direction through indigenous forest, past the Mfazana freshwater pan. During the rainy season this pan is the home of many species of waterfowl, hippos and crocodiles. We saw waterbuck near the waters edge, crocs, a pod of hippos in the distance and plenty of waterbirds, including the impressive saddle-bill stork, yellowbilled storks and spoon-bills. It is important to be wary of hippos in this area as they often leave the water to graze in the forests even during the day. From the pan the trail crosses the St Lucia/Cape Vidal road, goes over open grassland until it reaches the shore of Lake St Lucia. At this point the trail swings north along the lake shore for about 1,5km, then leads inland and back to Mount Tabor.

Trail Three
The North Coast loop is almost 20km long and is even more remote than the other two bush walks. From Mount Tabor ridge, the trail heads northwards along the then drops down into Bokkie Valley where you can often see the Mziki (reed buck) that these trails are named after. Apparently there are about 4 thousand reed buck on the eastern shores of St Lucia. We saw bushbuck, red duiker, kudu, waterbuck, warthog, monkeys but not a single reedbuck. From here the trail leads through forested dunes and then returns to Mount Tabor along approximately 8km of uninhabited coastline. As beach-walking during high tide is often difficult, you are advised to plan this hike so that it coincides with the low tide.

Things to remember:
You are in a wildlife area, and as such it is important to be cautious, especiall when near the pans or lake as crocodiles and hippos are plentiful. The hippos will often lie up in the indigenous forest during the day. You can go on Mziki hikes with a guide, which I would highly suggest if you are new to the bush as not only will they be able to ensure your safety, but will pass on a wealth of information about the bush, it’s animals as well as some local culture and traditions.

Further Reading:

• Mziki Hiking Trails – Including Contact Information
• Greater St Lucia Wetland Park
  
• Take a look at more Zulu and other African names for Animals