$5 DIY sling style camera strap

heliphoto · 07-10-2009, 10:11 PM

So, I had a BlackRapid strap, which I loved the concept of, with one exception. I'm usually carrying a heavy backpack 'round and the large padded section of the blackrapid strap doesn't work under the shoulder straps of my pack, so I had to slide it forward or back off my shoulder, leaving the 1 inch webbing supporting the load - this was marginally ok, but certainly less than ideal...

I decided that since I was already supporting the camera with bare webbing, I could make my own rig which would work better - 5 minutes at the local mountain shop scored me the necessary parts:

several feet of 1 1/2" webbing (or your width of choice) - I prefer soft "seatbelt" webbing to the rougher weave.
a 1.5" tri-glide - this could be eliminated with some stitching, but I'm sewing challenged, so so far, this is the fastener of choice.
a 1.5" ladderlock buckle for adjusting the length of your strap - could also be eliminated if you don't desire adjustment.
a small strong carabiner or similar secure hook.

With all that stuff, I assembled this...

Note, to avoid the potential catastrophe of the strap pulling out through the ladderloc buckle, you should double over the end of the strap and stitch it such that it won't easily go through the buckle (I actually used a hot-glue gun for this rather than stitching).

Now by whatever means desired you need a strong loop of webbing or similar attached to your camera by whatever means you can figure out which you can hook your strap onto, and you're good to go. A slick solution would be BlackRapid's own FastenR-2 for $12

My strap doesn't look nearly as nice/cool/polished as a blackrapid strap, but it's actually more functional for me, way better under a backpack, and about $45 cheaper. I actually think the 1.5" webbing distributes the load better over my shoulder and is more comfortable than the padded BR strap.

JonPB · 07-11-2009, 03:00 AM

DIY BlackRapids are most excellent. FTW, in the parlance of our time. I made the bare-bones version: an eye-bolt to screw into the tripod mount, and some 4mm utility cord knotted to appropriate length. The eye-bolt is secured using a wingnut to press down on a fender washer to press down on a felt pad (the kind you put on furniture feet) to press down on the camera body.

07-10-2009, 10:11 PM	#1
heliphoto Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Region 5 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,539	$5 DIY sling style camera strap So, I had a BlackRapid strap, which I loved the concept of, with one exception. I'm usually carrying a heavy backpack 'round and the large padded section of the blackrapid strap doesn't work under the shoulder straps of my pack, so I had to slide it forward or back off my shoulder, leaving the 1 inch webbing supporting the load - this was marginally ok, but certainly less than ideal... I decided that since I was already supporting the camera with bare webbing, I could make my own rig which would work better - 5 minutes at the local mountain shop scored me the necessary parts: several feet of 1 1/2" webbing (or your width of choice) - I prefer soft "seatbelt" webbing to the rougher weave. a 1.5" tri-glide - this could be eliminated with some stitching, but I'm sewing challenged, so so far, this is the fastener of choice. a 1.5" ladderlock buckle for adjusting the length of your strap - could also be eliminated if you don't desire adjustment. a small strong carabiner or similar secure hook. With all that stuff, I assembled this... Note, to avoid the potential catastrophe of the strap pulling out through the ladderloc buckle, you should double over the end of the strap and stitch it such that it won't easily go through the buckle (I actually used a hot-glue gun for this rather than stitching). Now by whatever means desired you need a strong loop of webbing or similar attached to your camera by whatever means you can figure out which you can hook your strap onto, and you're good to go. A slick solution would be BlackRapid's own FastenR-2 for $12 My strap doesn't look nearly as nice/cool/polished as a blackrapid strap, but it's actually more functional for me, way better under a backpack, and about $45 cheaper. I actually think the 1.5" webbing distributes the load better over my shoulder and is more comfortable than the padded BR strap.

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07-11-2009, 03:00 AM	#2
JonPB Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Portland, OR, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 430	DIY BlackRapids are most excellent. FTW, in the parlance of our time. I made the bare-bones version: an eye-bolt to screw into the tripod mount, and some 4mm utility cord knotted to appropriate length. The eye-bolt is secured using a wingnut to press down on a fender washer to press down on a felt pad (the kind you put on furniture feet) to press down on the camera body.