WHY the Hiker's Camera Belt?
When you miss the shot, Mother Nature doesn't generally offer “do-overs.”If you carry a camera or binoculars when hiking or walking your dog, you know that the best animal and nature sightings suddenly appear, and then are gone in an instant. Even landscape lighting can change in a heartbeat - 60 seconds is all it takes for the sun to burn off the fog or for the moon to stop glinting off the snow.
You also know that having expensive optics swinging and banging around your waist is uncomfortable, annoying, and risky to the equipment. When you bend over to tie your shoe or reward your pup, your camera can swing out, banging against a rock or scraping the ground. Put on a long lens and your camera hangs straight down. When you scramble up a steep trail or scree slope the front element of your lens can come dangerously close to cracking against boulders and tree roots.
Are you tired of missing the good shots and views? I was!
Many of us tuck our optics safely into our backpack. But once the camera is stashed or the binoculars are in their case that's where they stay! You miss those great shots and views that always pop up and then are gone an instant later. An elk. A woodpecker. An osprey diving for a fish. A child or grandchild in perfect light. But your camera is in your pack, so you don't get the picture. At best you come home with a few snapshots taken at a trailside stop, featuring people feeding hungry squirrels. Let's face it - for the good stuff, the really great shots, Mother Nature doesn't offer "do-overs".
Why own optically perfect binoculars if you miss the action getting them out of the case?Hunting for a real solution: criteria for a belt worth buying and using...
You know what you need when it's time to hit the trail and catch the best light, the quick animals and most colorful flowers. You want a strap that will keep your camera or binoculars handy and secure, and...
- It should be comfortable to wear all day.
- You want it to work with all your gear, from your Point and Shoot up to your Digital Single Lens Reflex with a two pound, 100-400mm telephoto lens attached.
- You need to be able to wear it comfortably even when you have a backpack or a fanny pack on.
- You don't want a strap diagonally across your back or crossing your shoulder blades where it will rub whenever you have a load, or that requires removing the pack to take the belt on or off.
- When you use your camera or binoculars you need immediate full range of motion - whether it's to put your camera on a tripod or to hand your binoculars to your companions.
- You don't want to spend 10 minutes unbuckling and struggling out of straps when you put on a coat or take off a sweater.
- You want to be able to release your gear with gloves on.
- Wouldn't it be nice if it would hold your dog leash when your hands are busy framing a great shot? How about a water bottle?
- You want it to be durable — you don't want stitching that will unravel, or a belt that stretches or kinks. You don't want metal that rusts or tarnishes over time, or buckles that become brittle and crack just when you are depending upon them. You want to take it everywhere — wet, dry, hot, cold —without worrying if the belt is up to the task.
Sometimes a backpack isn't an option - ever tried riding a chairlift with a backback on? Ever dropped your backpack with all your gear OFF the chairlift while fumbling with your poles? I have. Take it from me, you want a belt that won't interfere with your skiing, will work in the cold, and still lets you shoot from the chairlift! - It should be easy to put on — without readjusting or making decisions each time.
- It should work in all kinds of settings - hiking, skiing, boating, skating. Whenever you're active and want a camera or binoculars at-the-ready, it should work for you, working with you to secure your gear!
- It shouldn't clutter you up with 13 different connectors and other do-daddie junk that jingles and catches on your backpack or gets snagged by the underbrush.
- And fer cryin' out loud, it shouldn't cost more than your 77 mm Circular Polarizing Filter!
My Personal Solution
I struggled with all these issues until early 2008. I tried and discarded multiple belts and harnesses. I finally gave up trying to find one that worked well and was comfortable in all settings — at ANY price.
If you can't find what you want? Make it!Instead I built the first Hiker's Camera Belt — just for me. First I chased all over town and searched ebay finding the parts. Then I sewed the first version on my wife's sewing machine. It wasn't beautiful - at least not on the outside. BUT - it let me grab my camera fast enough catch a mountain goat, a smile, a sunset. It let me secure my camera without looking as I moved on. I could swing my arms again, and use my trekking poles. The belt went on (and came off) with one quick buckle so I could take off my jacket or add a sweater. It supported my 70-200 mm F2.8 lens on a Canon 20D with a battery grip. And it was handy for keeping my binoculars and my old (but handy) Canon G2 Point and Shoot from swinging around like a teather ball when I jogged a bit on dog-walks. Nirvana!
Refinements...
Gradually I added a few more basic features. I knew I didn't want anything that dangled or got in the way of the belt's primary purpose, but I gradually figured out ways to refine it without adding hassle. Now the Hiker's Camera Belt holds not just my camera, but also a water bottle and even the retractable leash for our golden retriever while I shoot and walk.
The "Best Camera" is the one with you...
How many times have you been at the right place at the right time — without your camera?It wasn't long before other hikers were asking “Where did you get that? I've got a camera like that, but I didn't bring it because it's too awkward to lug around! I usually end up just taking snapshots with my cell phone. But they don't enlarge very well."
I got tired of explaining how to make a belt like mine, and of answering emails about where to get the different parts. It was distracting me from my photography! I consulted with professionals who have experience making high-quality outdoor gear. Using their input I refined my prototype into a design that could be assembled and sewn in quantity. This resulted in a Hiker's Camera Belt that was even more durable and even easier to use!
Finally, it's Ready!
Now you can get the results of that work plus my final field testing (a week of hiking in Glacier Park — it was a tough assignment, but someone had to do it!)
You won't find any fancy logo. No brochure. No marketing plan. No sales team. No 800 number. Not even a very fancy web site — just these few pages, an order form, an email address, a PayPal account, and a PO box. Why so simple? Because I want you to get a great camera and binocular belt at a great price. But I'm just a lone photographer in Montana, so I have to keep it simple.
No more missed shots, and NO RISK!
This stuff only happens ONCE! Take your gear along and get the shot!When you go out, do you pause, asking "Do I want to take the camera? Will the binoculars be in the way?" How many times have you regretted NOT having those fine optics along? How many great shots and outstanding views have you missed because it was "too much hassle" to take your gear along? The Hiker's Camera Belt makes that question a thing of the past.
How confident am I that you'll like the Hiker's Camera Belt? Confident enough to refund your full purchase price for THREE months. Buy one and use it for a season. Hike with it. Go birding with it. Go orienteering with it. Go geo-caching with it. Ski with it. Walk your dog with it. If you don't agree that the Hiker's Camera Belt made it easy to take your camera or binoculars along safely and securely, simply return the belt for a full refund of your purchase price.
Quality. Guaranteed.
I've used the best quality parts I can find, and I've tested the completed product extensively to assure strength and durability. Everything is sewn on commercial sewing machines with top-quality thread. But if your Hiker's Camera Belt breaks or malfunctions for any reason in the first year you own it, I'll repair or replace it. Free. Yes, even if you accidentally slam the buckle in a car door at 30° below zero and crack it, or your puppy chews up the unique shock-absorbing tie-down, simply return the broken part (post-paid) with a note explaining what's wrong and I'll repair or replace it. No charge. I'll even pay the return postage.
Questions gladly answered.
Have you looked over this site, but still have questions? Please use the Contact Me page (or drop me an email at aheld@IVMONT.com or HikersCameraBelt@gmail.com.) I'll do my best to answer as soon as I'm back from shooting!
Ordering is easy!
Ready to order? Click HERE.
Want to see photos showing how to fit and wear the Hiker's Camera Belt? Click HERE. (Hey, I'm a photographer, I'll use any excuse to show you pictures!)
Get a Hiker's Camera Belt today:
because Mother Nature - and your family -
seldom offer “do-overs”!
If you're quick, you might even catch King Tut visiting Yellowstone Park...