Cotton Carrier CCS G3 Review

This is an honest review of a product I use in the field all the time. It’s not sponsored, and nobody’s paying me to say nice things. The shopping links below are referral links that help support the channel, but they don’t affect what I say in the review.

I received my Cotton Carrier CCS G3 from my thoughtful wife (and birding partner) Sara as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago. It has been genuinely game-changing for my photography, videography and our YouTube channel in general. I used to carry my camera by hand, but after an hour or so, it became uncomfortable for my arm muscles and my wrist, which negatively affected my motivation. Carrying the camera on the CCS G3 harness makes it feel almost like the camera is not even there at all. I genuinely can’t speak highly enough of this harness.

The harness distributes the weight of the camera (and, optionally, binoculars or a second camera) evenly across my shoulders and torso and I’m able to be out in the field all-day, walking around from place-to-place across trails with the camera secure but also ready to go when I spot a new or interesting bird. The locking mechanism keeps the camera in place, but a rotation of the camera allows me to remove it rapidly.

There is a strap that wraps around your torso, and a strap for each shoulder. These are all adjustable and the torso strap clips open and closed to easily wear/remove the harness. Cotton Carrier says that the harness is good for chest sizes 26″-57″. If you watch our YouTube videos, you will see our birding friends Jason and Spring also use the same CCS G3 harness and we arrived on the planet is different shapes and sizes – but it fits all three of us comfortably!

The harness features a “twist and lock” mechanism that makes use of the chest plate (pictured above) and a camera attachment (or optional “everything bracket” for binoculars). The harness also comes with a rain cover, if you get caught in the elements. My camera and lens setup weigh about 3kg (6.6lbs), plus I have the optional side-holster (more on that later) carrying my binoculars and I basically stuff a mobile phone tripod stick into the waist/torso band, and it all holds together well.

The build quality is good, mine is still in perfect condition after a couple of years of weekly use. I highly recommend it and speak positively about it here in this review, but many people have spotted me wearing it in the field and I’ve recommended it there, too.

The Cotton Carrier CCS G3 comes in two designs. I personally prefer the grey design, but it also comes in a camouflage pattern.

The CCS G3 also comes in three configurations. This is a slightly confusing area, but I will try to explain the three different options.

Option 1: Single Camera Only – Holds one camera on the chest plate. Does not come with side holster

Option 2: Two Cameras – Comes with side holster and hardware for two cameras (two “hub” attachments).

Option 3: One Camera, plus bins – As above, but comes with one “hub” and one “everything bracket”.

If you are a birder first and photographer second, I would recommend option 3 (pictured by the model above). It comes with the chest plate, an aluminium “hub” for attaching a camera to the chest, the side holster and an “everything bracket” for attaching binoculars.

If you are more of an out-and-out photographer, option 2 might be more appealing. This comes with two “hubs” for attaching a camera to the chest and a second camera to the side holster and does not include the “everything bracket”.

Purchasing Options:

Note: These products sell out quite frequently. Let us know if you are having trouble.

If you use a tripod frequently…

The mechanism for attaching the camera to the harness makes use of the “Hub” attachment which is permanently screwed into the tripod attachment on the camera (or camera tripod collar). This means that a tripod cannot be readily attached at the same time.

In this case, you have the option of using the “Cotton Carrier Adapter Plate” as an intermediary piece.

This attaches to the base of your camera (or tripod collar) and provides at attachment for the hub as well as additional screw holes for a tripod head/plate. The way this works in the field, you would release the camera from your harness and slide the already attached tripod head or plate onto your tripod. The image below probably shows this better than I can ever explain it!

You would need to ensure that this works with your particular tripod plate, camera/tripod collar combination.
This piece can be purchased:
🇺🇸 USA: Get 10% off with our referral Direct from Cotton Carrier
🇺🇸 USA: Amazon.com
🇨🇦 Canada: Amazon.ca

Summary

Overall, I highly recommend this harness. It has drastically improved my comfort in the field, it almost completely takes any sense of weight from carrying my camera. Because I have the camera+binoculars option, it also allows me to use my bins much more easily than before. Most importantly, I’m able to bird and photograph for much longer without aches, pains and I find I can be out for much longer without feeling drained.

The harness can be a little fiddly to adjust to your size the first time you use it. Having a good friend, wife, husband, partner, or dextrous pet is advantageous, but this is just the nature of an adjustable harness. With a heavy camera or changes in the season (layers of clothes), it will need readjusting from time-to-time. But it is worth the small effort. The back of the shoulder straps disappear behind meshing and they are held in place by velcro. This was a little disconcerting when I first realised! But I’ve been using it for two years and I haven’t had any issues whatsoever with any lost grip or slipping. If you’re concerned, there’s an optional binoculars/camera tether that you could use, or you could wear the camera strap around your neck as a fail-safe. Ultimately, your shoulders act as a brace and very little strain is actually placed on the ends of the straps. Otherwise, there are no issues or downsides to this harness.