As a photographer who has been inspired to spend most of his time in incredible (yet often precarious) places amongst our mighty Coast Range; I often find that the moments where a camera is the last thing I want to be dealing with, are often the moments that really matter. There is a delicate balance between the act and the art. Most importantly the camera cannot jeopardize a situation, it is an afterthought to the main objective. The same goes for any type of photography, the best camera is always the one you have, but even the best camera isn’t doing any good if it’s in a bag. I’ve experimented with tape, chord, carabiners, and all sorts of combination of the three to try and avoid committing to the camera bag but often these systems get tossed aside for the struggle I know, the neck strap. That is until I was connected with Cotton Carrier and their crafty solution to the problem of finding the best camera bag. This family-run and operated business located in North Vancouver has a long lineage of photographers working to create better experiences for active photographers.

With an easy to use locking system and low profile mount I’ve been using their chest harness in conjunction with a few of the coveted backpack straps (installed on my climbing harness or pack) to lock the camera out of the way but still within reach. On cold winter days, or just whenever the coastal squalls roll in; the slip-over weather cover keeps the camera out of your sweaty gore-tex, avoiding lens and sensor fogging -the Bain of any winter photogs existence. The harness is also outfitted with a backup strap that clips direct from the harness to the camera to avoid any user error, which I have been guilty of. There’s nothing like the gut-dropping sensation of testing a new system by shock-loading it with a $5000 camera a few hundred feet of the deck. Thankfully the products these guys make are meant to work and in the end it all comes down to function and efficiency.

The Cotton family have been hard at work streamlining their chest harness and are now releasing the next innovation that is lighter and faster, simplifying the experience and making it much easier to put on or take off -especially during heavy weather or cold conditions.

The holstering system is designed to work with any optics whether it be a camera or binocular and is now small enough and light enough to bring on most outings without a second thought.

To find out more about the new systems and check out the early-bird specials head over to their Kickbooster Campaign.

Feel like your not shooting enough yet?  Check out ML’s how to become a photographer guide.

Word and Photos: Kieran Brownie