Cotton Carrier G3 Camera Harness Review – The Ultimate Camera Carrying Comfort?

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The Cotton Carrier G3 harness is a vest-style camera harness designed for wildlife photographers who need instant access to their telephoto lens while remaining nimble and unencumbered by bulky backpacks. The padded shoulder straps and torso hugging design effectively distribute the weight of your gear, reducing fatigue on a long day of shooting and encouraging you to cover more ground and find more angles. In this review, I’ll discuss my experience with the G3 harness and compare it to Cotton Carrier’s smaller Skout G2 harness to help you make the right decision.

cotton carrier g3

Disclaimer: Cotton Carrier provided the G3 camera harness for this review. No money changed hands, and they did not see the review before it was published. I may make a small commission if you purchase a harness from one of the links on this page.

Specifications

cotton carrier g3 harness color options
The Cotton Carrier G3 harness is available in Realtree Xtra Camo or Charcoal Grey.
  • Weight: 15.52 oz / 441g
  • Materials: Kodra Synthetic canvas with DWR coding and Nylon 6
  • Camera attachment: 1/4″ 20 screw
  • Available Colors: Realtree Xtra Camo or Charcoal Grey
  • Sizing: One size fits all
  • Available Versions: Single Camera, Dual Camera, Camera + Binoculars
  • Includes: Safety tether and weather cover
  • Price: $129 at review time. Check the current price.

Design and Features

Camera Hub

The whole point of a camera harness is to make your camera easily accessible for those fleeting moments you’d otherwise miss if it were buried in a backpack. At other times, the constant presence of your camera encourages you to take more photos. In the case of the G3 full-body harness or camera vest, the ease with which you can carry a telephoto lens should also encourage you to leave your camera bag at home and choose to travel fast and light. Without a backpack, you’ll feel less tired and find your arms much steadier.

The G3 harness uses a patented Twist-and-Lock mechanism to attach and detach your camera with a 45-degree twist while inserting or removing it from the nylon channel. The system requires you to attach an included anodized aluminum hub to the 1/4″ 20 thread on the base of your camera or lens foot. A thick rubber washer stops the Hub from rotating.

The Twist-and-Lock mechanism works exceptionally well. The aluminum hub slides smoothly into the nylon channel without binding. After ten minutes of walking around practicing with it, you’ll find the slight twist to insert or release the camera becomes second nature.

Inside Stash Pocket

On the inside of the harness front plate is a small mesh pocket large enough to store a hex tool or other small items. The hex tool for tightening or removing the camera Hubs makes the most sense to store here.

Mesh Stash Pocket

The back of the camera harness has a relatively large stretchy mesh pocket. This pocket is large enough to store a thin jacket, gloves, a small snack, or a small water bottle. You could even stash a couple of spare batteries and spare memory cards, though you should note that to access the pocket’s contents, you must remove the harness.

Those with smaller torsos will find a lot of excess strap length dangling behind them. Cotton Carrier really should include elastic strap keepers.

Safety Tether

cotton carrier g3 harness safety tether
G3 harness safety tether

A quick-release safety tether connects your camera to the G3 camera harness for peace-of-mind redundancy. I have no reason to expect the Twist-and-Lock mechanism to fail, but it’s always possible that I will fail and fumble the connection process if I haven’t had my morning coffee. In nearly ten years of using CC harnesses, it hasn’t happened yet, but if or when it does, my camera will be safe.

If you use the Cotton Carrier camera strap on days when you’re not using the G3 harness, the quick-release buckles are interchangeable between the strap and the harness safety tether. If you use Peak Design camera straps, the best way to integrate your existing Peak Design Anchors into the Cotton Carrier safety tether is to attach an Anchor Link to the end of the tether. This will then connect to the Peak Design Anchor on your camera. In some ways, this is a better all-around solution because it’s straightforward to disconnect the tether from the camera quickly, instead of threading the nylon strap as you must do when directly connecting the Cotton Carrier tether directly to the camera.

My solution if you use a Peak Design camera strap.
The safety tether is a nice feature, but not many will always want to leave this attached to their camera.

Rain Cover

The Cotton Carrier G3 camera harness has a Weather Cover that can be clipped to the harness D-ring for instant access. Cotton Carrier does not say this is a waterproof cover; it is merely a “weather cover,” likely to temper expectations.

You need to be aware that the cover is only large enough to enclose a camera/lens combination of up to 10 inches in length. That was fine for the smaller Skout G2 harness designed for smaller lenses, but it won’t cover most of the telephoto lenses wildlife photographers use with the G3. Instead, it will cover your camera body, which will be exposed above your lens. This is better than nothing and at least prevents heavy rain from getting into your rear LCD and EVF. However, if you plan to shoot in a wet environment, you should consider buying a proper camera cover and storing it in the G3’s mesh pocket.

Lens Stabilizer Strap

The lens stabilizer strap in place.

Depending on your lens size and whether you have the Hub mounted to the lens foot or the camera body, you may find the lens moves a little while you walk. In that case, deploy the lens stabilizer strap. This length adjustable nylon strap goes over the lens barrel and cinches tight.

Optional-use lens stabilizer strap.

Cotton Carrier G3 Harness Weight Capacity

Cotton Carrier doesn’t state weight limits for the G3 harness, mainly because different people will have different tolerances. During my initial testing of the harness, I tried it out with a huge range of lenses: Sony 70-200mm, Nikon 100-400mm, Sony 200-600mm, Nikon 180-600mm, Canon 200-800mm, Sony 600mm, Nikon 600mm, Nikon 400mm, Nikon 800mm, Sony 300mm, and Canon 100-500mm. Plus, various smaller lenses.

While this isn’t all the lenses some might want to carry on the G3, it does cover the most common sizes and weights for super-telephoto lenses. From this, I concluded that the sweet spot is lenses weighing around 3 lb (1365 g) plus or minus about 15 percent. This covers 70-200mm lenses, 100-400mm lenses, the Canon 100-500mm lens, the Nikon 400mm f/4.5, Nikon 600mm f/6.3, Sony 300mm GM, and Sigma 500mm f/5.6. With these lenses on the harness, I can walk comfortably all day (20+ miles).

Moving up the weight scale, we have the extremely popular-with-wildlife-photographers Sony 200-600mm, Nikon 180-600mm, and Canon 200-800mm lenses. I own all three lenses with almost identical weights at around 4.5 lb (2 kg). On the G3 harness, I found these lenses to be acceptably comfortable for moderate distances. Still, I was noticeably more aware of how the camera’s weight was always trying to pull me forward. For me, these lenses are the upper comfort level on the G3. Beyond this, I prefer to carry the lens in a camera bag or shoulder strap.

Gimbal Adapter and Super-Telephoto Lenses

Cotton Carrier offers a Gimbal Adapter for the G3, which allows you to carry large super-telephoto lenses on the harness and switch them easily to a gimbal head. This $79, 7.5″ Arca-compatible adapter plate is meant for larger lenses such as 400mm f/2.8, 500mm f/4, 600mm f/4, or 800mm.

This clever addition to the G3 accessory lineup solves two problems: First, you can quickly drop your long lens onto a gimbal or other tripod head without the Hub getting in the way. Second, sliding the plate up and down gives you more options for positioning and balancing your long lens on the harness.

In my testing, the rectangular rubber washer between the lens foot and the adapter plate was not long enough to bridge the gap between the two 1/4″ 20 threads on the base of my Sony 600mm f/4 lens foot. I emailed Cotton Carrier, and they immediately sent me a second one to solve the problem.

While I found the extra plate length helpful for balance, carrying a lens as big as a 600mm f/4 on the G3 harness is still not for me. Some people do this, but I wasn’t comfortable with the weight being so far forward. Rightfully, Cotton Carrier acknowledges that carrying a substantial super-telephoto lens on the G3 is a matter of personal preference. I appreciate that it’s an option, but this won’t be everyone’s liking.

Optional G3 Wanderer Side Holster

The standard G3 harness configuration allows you to carry a single camera, but the G3 Side Holster adds a second attachment point, either for a second camera or a pair of binoculars. The Side Holster costs $59 when purchased independently, or you can buy The G3 Harness with the Side Holster for a $9 saving. Personal preference plays a big part in what you might be comfortable carrying on this side holster. A pair of binoculars is generally my favorite option as I wouldn’t say I like the lop-sided weight of a camera and lens on the side.

G3 Harness Vs. Skout G2

cotton carrier g3 vs skout g2
Cotton Carrier G3 harness (left) vs. Skout G2 (right).
SpecificationSkout G2G3
Weight7.52 oz / 215.5g15.52 oz / 441g
Camera Capacity11 or 2*1
Includes Waterproof Cover?YesYes
Includes Safety Tether?YesYes
Rear Mesh Storage Pocket?NoYes
Camera Stabilizer Strap?NoYes
SizingOne SizeOne Size
Price$99$129
*1 Add a second camera using the optional G3 Side Holster.

Many considering the Cotton Carrier G3 harness will also contemplate the smaller Skout G2 harness. Having used both harnesses extensively, I want to touch on the key differences to help you make the right choice. If this sub-section doesn’t answer all your questions, you can look at my in-depth review of the Cotton Carrier Skout G2 harness.

The G3 is a much larger two-shoulder harness designed to comfortably carry heavier camera and lens combinations than the smaller Skout G2. That said, it isn’t only those using larger cameras that should look at the G3. As we saw earlier in the review, the secondary benefit of the G3 is that it can carry a second camera or a pair of binoculars when you add the G3 Side Holster.

After using, or at least attempting to use, both these harnesses with lenses up to monstrous 800mm primes, my recommendation is this: The Skout G2 is excellent for lenses up to about a 24-70mm f/2.8 in size and weight. APS-C and M43 shooters must do some mental gymnastics to calculate equivalent lenses. On the other hand, the G3 harness is suitable for lenses up to the size of the Sony 200-600, Nikon 180-600, or Canon 200-800mm in weight and length.

In terms of comfort, the G3, with its vest-style design, is a clear winner. The heavier weight of larger telephoto lenses is more evenly spread across your shoulders and around your torso for lessened fatigue during a long day of wildlife photography.

Conclusion

The Cotton Carrier G3 harness is one of my favorite and most-used camera accessories for wildlife photography. The G3 pairs best with mid-sized telephoto zooms like a 100-400mm or Canon 100-500mm, or lightweight primes like the Sony 300mm GM, Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5, Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3, or Sigma 500mm f/5.6. With a lens of that size, I can walk all day long. The G3 will also carry something larger and heavier, like the Sony 200-600mm, Nikon 180-600mm, or Canon 200-800mm, although you will start to feel the weight of these lenses after a couple of hours.

The key to getting the most out of the G3 harness is to carry as little gear as possible. I like to go without a backpack, preferring a small belt pack for batteries and memory cards. Whenever I take this lightweight approach to wildlife photography, I’m amazed at how free and unencumbered I feel compared to when carrying a huge backpack. I walk further, usually find more animals, and I’m freer to explore different angles.

Perhaps most importantly, it puts a smile on my face and, combined with some of today’s phenomenal lightweight prime lenses, has helped put the fun back in photography when I’ve found myself in a rut. The G3 harness comes with my highest recommendation for use with the types of lenses discussed in this article. Remember to check out the smaller Skout G2 for smaller lenses up to 24-70mm.

Where to Buy + Save 10%

Cotton Carrier has offered Shutter Muse readers a 10% discount on anything purchased in their online store. Simply use the discount code SHUTTERMUSE after clicking here to access the store.

As always, using my links for your purchases is appreciated. Of course, the best way to buy the Cotton Carrier G3 Harness is to buy directly and use our discount code above to save yourself 10%. However, if you can’t buy directly, I’m including a few other options below.

Photo of author
Professional photographer based in Yukon, Canada, and founder of Shutter Muse. His editorial work has been featured in publications all over the world, and his commercial clients include brands such as Nike, Apple, Adobe and Red Bull.

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