Backcountry Solutions is trying to eliminate the discomfort of carrying a heavy, bulky SLR camera while hiking. Its Keyhole hands-free camera harness clips your SLR camera to your backpack harness and keeps the lens pointed down to protect it and carry it closer to your body.
Designed for activities like hiking, snowshoeing and even biking, the harness holds a camera tightly to your chest, making it quickly accessible when you need to shoot. Plus, the setup takes some of the camera weight off your neck and distributes it to your shoulders.
To set it up, you screw a small knob into a camera’s tripod mount (on the bottom of the SLR body). That knob then fits in the “keyhole” slot on the chest harness, which is secured to your backpack straps. The camera sits securely on your chest ready for quick use.
In a test, the product worked pretty much as promised. A heavy Canon SLR sat securely for many miles on a hike. One issue: With a bigger lens, the camera swings sideways and the lens does not point straight down unless your neck strap is shortened enough to keep it from moving.
The Keyhole hands-fee camera harness costs $30. www.backcountrysolutions.com
—Ryan Dionne
