To be honest, we’re not quite sure what this is. We’ve looked at the pictures, read the press release and racked our brains for comparable camera carrying solutions, and the closest we can get is the Peak Design Capture Clip, but worked up into a kind of sling harness with extra stowage.
Cotton Carrier says it’s follow up on its G3 carrying systems but a simple, lightweight and efficient alternative for “all types of photographer with any level of gear”.
It’s not a bag which stows and protects your gear, but a harness that makes it more comfortable to carry your gear around all day. Maybe like those backpacks or front harnesses (frontpacks?) for carrying small infants, but designed for camera gear instead.
The SKOUT is basically a sling-style setup that goes over one shoulder and then clips around your chest for extra security and comfort. There’s a triangular padded panel on the front which looks uncomfortably like some kind of boob/moob protector and has a zip-up pocket for small items, but your camera clips to the outside and remains exposed to the elements.
This is a gadget for distributing the weight of a camera comfortably, not tucking it away in a pouch. If it does rain, though, there’s a slip-on rain cover in a dangling clip-on bag.
This SKOUT could be a great idea that instantly convinces anyone who tries one, but while wearing cameras and lenses on complicated external webbing seems to be popular in some territories (not mentioning the US specifically), it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
However, while the SKOUT might be a little ostentatious for a stroll around a country house, it could be just the thing for a coasteering expedition off some Cornish cliffs in a force 9 winter gale.
Available: October 2018
Price: £79.99/$79.00
More information: Cotton Carrier website