A Place for Everything and Everything in it’s Place
When going out for a bird walk, it is very helpful to have the right equipment to carry all that you need. This could include binoculars, field guides, spotting scope, water, notebook and anything else you would like to carry. I will share with you what I have found useful over the many years of my birding treks.
Most people carry binoculars with the provided straps when purchased, but there is a better way to attach binoculars - using a harness.
Binocular Harness
One item that I did not have when I first started was a harness for my binoculars. I can’t recall how many times my binocs would swing and hit me in the chest as I was trying to maneuver my way through low shrubs and fallen trees. When I came across these, I made sure that each pair of my binoculars is equipped with them. The harness hold the binoculars around you, but not by a thin strap that puts all the weight at the back of your neck. Instead, the weight is distributed through the shoulders. The binoculars are clipped onto the straps in front and allow you to move them up for viewing, but stop them from swinging when walking or leaning over to move under obstacles. More elaborate ones have enclosures for keeping binoculars dry from rain and snow and possibly carry small additional items. See below for some of my suggestions for purchase.
A small bag will make it much easier to hold the materials needed for birding.
Field Guide Bag
Next, you’ll want to carry your field guide and notebook in something that’s small and easy to carry. The most common options are over the shoulder bag, hip bag or leg bag. I’ve used all three over the years and still vary what I use based on season, purpose and length of walk, and how much I intend to carry. The shoulder bag is probably the easiest to find and purchase and can be something you already have. Just make sure it holds the field guide you’ve chosen and will carry anything else you’ll want. This could included a notice for observations, small camera, writing instrument and perhaps a spot for a water bottle. The disadvantage with shoulder bags is the fact that you have binoculars and possibly a camera around your chest/neck already and this will be competing for space on your torso.
This brings in the next option - the hip bag. I prefer a hip bag when carrying more items that add up to more weight. You can carry quite a bit and will not feel the weight around your waist. Usually these will have water bottle holding areas along with multiple pockets for organizing your stuff. When purchasing, be mindful of the size of your field guide and what size the bag is. My Sibley field guide is the largest that I use and will fit in my hip bags easily and will go on my leg bag but will be more limited what I can carry along with it. My hip bag is from Orvis and was originally designed for fishing but works well with birding equipment. It can easily hold smaller binocs, field guide, notebook, water in the external pockets and a few snacks, plus my phone. All this and you don’t really feel the weight.
The last option is the leg bag. This is my most recent style of bag to use. I use it sparingly - to me it is for a particular purpose. This is for shorter walks or when walking around a central location where water and food can be accessed. The other reason is if I am going into an area where it will be easier to have less things getting caught on trees or shrubs. This is what I wear when conducting bird walks and only need field guide and checklists. Makes it very light and easy to carry what I need and have very quick access to it since it is just a quick reach down into the bag for a field guide.
See below for some of my suggestions for purchase.
Spotting Scope Backpack
A lot of birders will carry a spotting scope over the shoulder. Although quick to set up, it makes it difficult to use binoculars effectively. A backpack designed to carry a spotting scope can help.
This item is very exclusive to birding and I know of only one that is available for purchase at this time. This backpack will allow you to carry a spotting scope with the tripod legs extended for easy and quick setup when looking at birds at a distance. I have used this several times (acquired it about two years ago) when guiding walks that were longer and had situations where we would need a scope to identify the birds. It is a great pack to have since you can keep your hands free to use binoculars without having to take a tripod off your shoulder to switch to binocular use. I know of only one place to purchase - the Seattle Audubon Society. The link for this item is here.
Suggested Equipment available from Amazon.