Prototype of new combo belt harness for Minelab GPX's

Here's some pics of a prototype unit I bought from Doc's in Las Vegas. He will have manufactured units out soon.
It's just what I was looking for to replace the stock GPX harness, it's very sturdy has a padded pic holder, canteen,
large battery pouch and a smaller pouch for goodies. When I use the harness without the large battery I carry a spare
smaller battery for the gold screamer.

Mr Big,

Anything would be an improvement on the Minelab jobbie.

When I look at your photos, I am not sure that I like that double decker pouch. Does the battery go on the inside pouch or the outside one - I guess it must be the inside one as there is no holes in the outside one. When you sit down for a rest, the lower pouch would get in the way I reckon and if you put anything vauable in it like a GPS, it might suffer the consequences.

Is the webbing belt very thick and stiff, because it needs to be.

There is one made in Bendigo Victoria (http://www.doubledleather.com/) which is terrific, although I modified mine a bit. They sell on the net.

All the best,

Jig.

Below is a picture of it with the camel water pack attached (optional)

The best pack system I have found is here:

http://www.nimrodpacks.com/packs.html

I have used one for over four years,
it is modular; you can add to it for different uses.
it is beautifully thought and incredibly well made.
It is a perfect match for Hipstick users too.

fwiw,


Flak

Hi Guys,

To answer a few questions, the belt works great for me, I wear it a little above my belt (a natural feeling position for me) and has not been a problem when sitting. The webbing is stiff and well sewn together, it just works great for me. I'm not one to promote anything...I had just been looking for so long to find what I wanted I thought others might benefit from what I found. All of the belts that have been mentioned here I'm sure work well, I'm very happy with mine.

G'day Flakmagnet,
Do just throw your battery into the bum bag, or do they make a harness/bag specially for detecting ?
Thanks,
Jig.

That harness looks identical to the Australian WALCO. I know Doc used to do business with them but not sure if he still does.

We use the first model WALCO belt and have done since it first came out in about '95 or 6. After 14 or 15 years they are still going strong. Light, comfortable and very well made. If it is a genuine WALCO I can recommend it, but not is it is a Chinese copy.

Cheers, Jim

Jim,

I was looking for a WALCO belt here in the US, all of the distributors here cannot get them to sell anymore
that is why this came out. It's also less than half the price of a Walco, I bet it last longer than the stock Minelab belt.
Have a nice day!

Big

jigalong,

The 'base belt day pack' has a small bag that holds the ML battery
and several other smaller items comfortably on the lower hips.
I cut a small hole in one end to let the power cord attach to the battery
but that is the only "mod" I have had to do.

What I find particularly well-done on these packs is that you can
adjust it in many ways to get a perfect fit, the hip belt is not only
very well padded but it has the proper stiffness to be a good lower back support
and works very well with a Hipstick, which is an important adjunct to my detecting.
I have also purchased various pouches that fit on the pack harness and
everything works together very well.

I have no affiliation with them but after a years-long search for just the right pack
this was the winner by far.

The other packs shown in the thread look promising too,
but I know this one works after years of wearing it.
Lastly is made stunningly well.

Happy New Year to a first-rate forum


Flak

The summer pack from Double D looks good.

One thing I did with the standard harness was to
replace the buckle with a 'quick release' one from a dive belt.
Means the belt is always adjusted tight enough and can
be easily adjusted at any time.

I also got rid of the padded bit.

Alan

Have had a lot of enquiries lately about our newly designed harness.

As you can see the belt is now made out of a stiffer material which will stop bunching up and also help support the HipStick lower connector.

The Pick holder is also now better quality along with better harness adjustment for smaller and larger people, the chest strap is now much thinner to accommodate speakers and the like without getting in the way. Lastly we now include a plastic canteen for drinking water but best of all thanks to our strong Aussie dollar there has been a major price reduction with the price now being $85.00 plus postage.

Jigalong your new harness is in the mail but might have been slowed down due to flooding.

Regards

Jonathan

PS As Jim Foster said the original WALCO harness was and still is the best but they come at the price.

Jonathon,
I look forward to test driving it. Thanks for that.
Jig.

Hi JP, are those two pouches both for batteries or is one for something else?
Thanks,
uncle bob

UNCLE BOB wrote:Hi JP, are those two pouches both for batteries or is one for something else?
Thanks,
uncle bob

The biggest pouch (closest to the body) is for the battery and the smaller one for toilet paper and the like.

JP

Hi JP, good of you to say that but as I have never tried and compared any of the other mentioned belts I cannot really say that they are the best, just that we are happy with our Walco belts.

Cheers, Jim

JP,

That looks like a first-rate harness. One question; can the various add-on's to the belt,
specifically the pick holder, be positioned in different parts of the belt?
I am a lefty and use the Hipstick holder on the left side of the belt fastener sort-of where the pick holder is.
I would also like to order one, can you tell me how much it might be
in US $ including shipping (to CA)?

All the best and Happy New Year


Flak