16/02/08 - Security Strap For Your Camera - Check Out The Slim, Comfy, Slash Proof Camera Strap!
At the age of 32 I have now been using Domke Gripper Straps almost exclusively on my cameras for more than half of my life. I don't enjoy change, I tend to use the same things over and over again, from generally only wearing the same types of clothes to always packing the same candy on my trips (KitKat Bars) to sticking with the same camera strap year in and year out.
Why do I mention my discomfort for change? Because I think it is important to mention this at the start of a post about my switching cameras straps from the tried, tested and known Domke 1" Gripper Straps to PacSafe's CarrySafe 100 straps. I have referred to PacSafe many times in the past in various online forums, however I have always referred to PacSafe's outstanding metal-mesh bag protectors, never their straps..........in fact I had never really paid any attention to PacSafe's straps until last week!
I must credit my introduction to the PacSafe CarrySafe 100 straps to Calgary, AB, based photographer Dan Bannister. Dan is a globe hopping travel and commercial photographer who participated in my No Jet Lag Photo Workshop to Hong Kong, and he had the PacSafe CarrySafe 100 straps on both of his camera bodies. Once I saw these straps I was intrigued by them. Why was I intrigued? Well for starters they are slash proof which makes them more secure for walking in dense area that may leave you prone to a professional thief slashing your strap as they yank down on your cameras. Secondly these"secure straps" remained thin in profile, light in weight and flexible when wrapped around my wrist rather than other security straps I have seen. Every other "security camera strap" I have seen tend to be wide and seem to scream "I am a tourist," these straps are the complete opposite of that.
The PacSafe CarrySafe straps are made from a very durable nylon with a high-tensile steel wire running through the entire strap. By having the steel wire run as an uninterrupted loop through the construction of the strap the wire runs up the front and back of the strap making it difficult to be slashed quickly and it also secures your camera if you sit down to eat and loop the strap around your chair or table......with a quick yank your table or chair is going for a ride which makes theft of a camera very difficult.
The PacSafe CarrySafe straps have some very subtle design features that really stand out to me as a user. I love that the ends of the straps, that you use run through the camera's strap lugs are cut in in a triangular shape. Buy having the strap ends triangularly shaped makes it much easier to attach them to your camera. Attached each strap took me less than 3 minutes , rather an an average of 10 minutes with the Domke Gripper Straps.
To make your strap a tad more secure, these straps also have a "lock / unlock" latch on the D-ring. I purchased two straps, one has this extra security feature which I love, while the other strap did not. By model number and item number, these are considered identical products, so I am guessing one is an older model of the strap. If you can , look for the PacSafe CarrySafe 100 with the "lock / unlock" feature it is a fantastic little detail which should not be overlooke. From an ergonomics stand point, I need my straps to be comfortable, whether they are on my shoulder, on my neck or wrapped around my wrist. These straps meet my needs and exceed them!
Only time will tell if I will stay with these straps over my old habit of buying Domke Gripper straps. At $19.95 the PacSafe CarrySafe 100 costs about the same as the Domke 1" Gripper Strap, feel about the same as the Domke, while offering an additional source of security for protecting camera equipment.......something the Domke straps do not offer.
Below are a few photos of the PacSafe Carry Safe 100 strap. The first image is the PacSafe CarrySafe side by side with my Domke 1" Gripper on Canon 1D series bodies. The second image is of the CarrySafe 100 on my body, the last two are detail images of the triangle-shape at the end of the strap and the strap's lock/unlock feature.
Although I have just begun to use my PacSafe CarrySafe 100, I can already tell you this.....I highly recommend looking into purchasing these straps for your equipment!
Happy Flying!
-Fish
--Click On The Image Below To Enlarge It--
6 comments:
Thanks so much for writing about this, I'm going to order one today.
I agree with the review in almost every way. But one issue I find with this strap that is a bit irritating. The padded neck portion of the strap seems to be rather slippery. If you hang it just on your shoulder it will slide off easily. This is compounded if you are wearing anything like a nylon jacket. I actually added puff paint on the underside in an effort to give it more grip. It did not work.
Hey there Fish, hope all's well. If I'd known you were eying my gear so closely, I might have kept a better eye on it :)
Matt, you're right, the shoulder pad is not so good. The solution lies in the question "what do I do with these old Domke straps now that I've got new PacSafes?"
In my case, I cut up the grippy part of the Domke strap, drop by a luggage repair place and for five bucks, they sew on the Domke grip to where the Pac Safe pad is.
Solved!
One thing that I do NOT like are the 4-6" pieces that attach to the camera body for most QR straps. They're a pain to deal with in many ways.
The PacSafe straps have hooks, so they should be able to use the utility hooks or, even better, Adapt Its by Op/Tech. While those are "designed" for the Op/Tech Swivel Hook system connectors, they should work equally well with any strap that has a swivel hook. The Adapt Its are also very cheap -- should be less than $5 a pair.
I'm not sold on the padding. The whole reason why I want to switch camera straps is so that I can get rid of the blaring "Nikon" strap that came with my camera. I love my Domke bags and was considering their camera straps, although I do like the security features that PacSafe offer. (I used a PacSafe mesh locker for my backpack and it was great.)
Another reason I want to switch straps is to cut down on the bulk that I'm dealing with each time I take out my camera and put it back.
My question is, do the Domke straps distribute weight and are they comfortable over long periods of time?
Thanks to your review, I bought one today. Will post a review of my own on my own blog.
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