Twin Needle Bino Pouch and Stock Pack

In an era of dwindling local manufacture, I feel a sense of pride whenever I learn of a new home-grown product. This sentiment is equally shared whenever I discover or see a product that displays the motif ‘Made in New Zealand’. Australia and NZ have had a close bond, forged in battle and tied by trade for a very long time and, after my own experiences with our Anzac brethren through service and hunting, I feel a deep sense of Kiwi patriotism.

Needless to say, when Australian Hunter was invited to review new hunting gear by Twin Needle, it was gratefully accepted. After three previous trips to NZ and embarking on my fourth for a summer alpine hunt, I was in a perfect position to test and showcase some products for review. I chose their Bino Pouch Classic and Harness, Rangefinder Pouch and bullet Stock Pack – all of which are practical items in a hunter’s kit.

The brand
Initially, I knew little of Twin Needle, but it wasn’t long before the brand became recognisable while watching popular NZ hunting clips on YouTube. Twin Needle, based in Christchurch, has been manufacturing high-performance outdoor equipment for almost two decades. They started off small by repairing outdoor gear and, through relentless research and development, have transitioned to making high-quality, fit for purpose kit that better equips hunters and hikers in their pursuit for adventure in harsh environments.

They tell me their gear has been battle-tested in the toughest environments by numerous guides, backcountry hunters, police and military personnel. Furthermore, Twin Needle’s designs have evolved and improved since the early days based on feedback to ensure they stand up against rugged use and remain reliable for a long time.

Customising gear and repairing outdoor products proves not only good for the average hunter’s hip pocket but, more importantly, for the environment. Nylon products are durable and don’t wear down easily, and for a pristine landscape like the one NZ enjoys, a tent is better up than down in landfill.

For years, my NZ guide Ryan had been using Twin Needle’s services to repair all manner of outdoor gear, regardless of manufacturer. In fact, one of the tents on our hunt had busted some stitching and he remarked that, when in Christchurch next, he’ll drop it off to Twin Needle HQ to sort it out.

Bino Pouch Classic and Harness + Rangefinder Pouch
At first glance, their $253 Bino Pouch Classic and Harness oozed quality. The fabric generally used in the pouch and straps is 500D (Denier) Cordura. I dare you to try and rip the material – it’s tough and handles the sharp stuff of NZ’s alpine, including thorny matagouri bush. Similarly, for the Aussie hunter that pursues sambar through spiky blackberries of Victoria or red deer through the lantana of Queensland bush, they’ll appreciate the tough quality. I tested the gear in both the NZ mountains and at home here in Queensland, where my skin wore many abrasions – but not the Twin Needle pouches.

The dual closure system of the lid includes a top panel magnetic strip and two heavy-duty YKK side zips. The cord finger loops on the zips aid with grip, while enabling fast and silent access to binoculars. On most occasions while stalking deer, I’d leave the zips undone during frequent glassing and just rely on the magnetic strip for fast closure. However, if the sky turned nasty or the wind whipped up a dust cloud, I would then use the zips for extra protection against damaging elements. I originally had concerns that moisture would penetrate the zips’ side stitching, but after enduring a few rain showers the binoculars remained dry.

The pouch interior is lined with a 210D smooth nylon cloth, stitched over a durable foam padding. The two protective layers combine to provide abrasion and bump free stowage for your valued binoculars. Extra rear wall internal and external sleeve-style pockets can be used for safe carriage of a phone or GPS device. The main pouch houses my Swarovski EL 10×42 binoculars with room to spare and would easily cater for the bulkier RF (rangefinder) model if needed. Twin Needle can also tailor pouches to suit any brand of larger binoculars, should the standard pouch not suit.

Hand loops stitched to the top of the pouch provide a good hand grip without having to cradle-carry it in the event of a fast grab moment. The Bino Pouch Classic would be useless without a good harness, and like most, Twin Needle have run with the tried and proven H-style harness. Its combination of padded shoulder straps and nylon webbing with hidden elastic provides strength and stretch for a snug fit.

The comfortable H harness has breathable airmesh padding on its underside, and not once did I ever feel it to be a hindrance when hauling my 25kg pack up the mountains. Four connection points using Mil-Spec Fastex-style buckles provide a rock-solid connection to the pouch and allow easy adjustment to strap length. Heavy-duty thread stitching around all edges and critical contact points is clearly evident.

Differing somewhat from my other bino harnesses is the lack of binocular retention straps. This wasn’t a major issue, as it allowed me to remove the binoculars without a tangle during regular glassing. I did, however, ensure I maintained a good hand grip and didn’t let gravity steal my $3000 Swaros!

Full wrap MOLLE is stitched around the front and base of the main pouch for additional pouch attachments. MOLLE is a military design that uses a system of straps and loops woven together to create a strong fitment of pouches to packs, body armour and webbing. This is just as well because I used it to attach the supplied RF Pouch.

Twin Needle also offers a multitude of different accessory pouches that fit up to any of their equipment, adding to the versatile nature of their products. The $54 RF Pouch has a magnetic flip lid and will fit many monocular-style rangefinder devices such as Leica CRF, Kahles RF and my Leupold RX model. Additionally, Twin Needle have designed their MOLLE so that the loops on the RF Pouch can be fitted to a hunter’s waist belt if needed.

The Bino Pouch Classic and Harness, along with the Rangefinder Pouch, are available in four standard colours including Multicam, Ranger Green, Black and Multicam Black, with Multicam the most popular for bush camouflage. Non-standard colours such as Woodland Digital, Kryptek Highlander, PenCott GreenZone and Badlands are also available upon request for an additional fee.

Bullet Stock Pack
The lesser-used of the three review products, Twin Needle’s $82 bullet Stock Pack would have to be one of the toughest-made pouches of this style I’ve ever seen. It too has a large (eight coil) YKK zip and is made from the same abrasion-resistant material as the Bino Pouch Classic and Harness.

A combination of three ‘one wrap’ straps and Velcro allow for comb height adjustment and ensure it won’t be taking a dive from the rifle easily, even when the hunter may not be so fortunate. The closed-cell foam padding of the pack not only protects the bullets from damage but also doubles up as a non-slip cheekrest for the buttstock – especially handy where a slimline mountain rifle may not have one.

The internal removable Velcro ammo holder has elastic loops that securely holds five .308-size cartridges, and the remaining pouch space will easily accommodate a spare detachable magazine. While it can be a convenient addition, the Stock Pack – when loaded – adds a noticeable few hundred grams to the rifle’s overall weight and may affect balance. For this reason, I was selective about when to use it, and it served me well on occasions where we needed a few extra rounds.

The Stock Pack is available for left- and right-handed shooters, and in the same colour options as the Bino Pouch Classic and Harness.

Final takeaway
For the brief period I’ve had the gear – particularly the pouch combination – it has spent more days exposed to the elements than in my cupboard. That includes a successful chamois and feral goat hunt in NZ and successful stag hunts back home.

During this time, I’ve formed the view that Twin Needle have done their homework and listened to hunters’ feedback. All three review items suited their respective category for quality, user friendliness and strength. The fact that they are made by our brethren across the ditch make it even more reason I have no hesitation in recommending Twin Needle’s broad range of hunting equipment, clothing and stitching services. Twin Needle gear is competitively priced when compared to the similar mass-produced items, and I encourage you to visit twinneedle.co.nz for more information.