Steve Weinrebe's Mode Studio

Upstrap is known for camera straps that adhere to the shoulder like glue yet lift or slide off easily. The material of the shoulder rubber, and the tooth built into it, is lightweight, small in form factor, and simply a pleasure to use if you have ever had to hunch your shoulder to keep other straps from slipping off. And that is the case unless your shoulder has a natural upright tilt.

My LowePro bag with the Upstrap Bag Strap, and an Upstrap Camera Strap on my D4.

I have long planned on getting an Upstrap bag strap for my Lowepro Stealth Reporter camera bag. That bag is a nice compact bag, but the original Lowepro strap has  no staying power on the shoulder. Worst case is if I am wearing my Gortex rain parka, with which the original strap just keeps slipping right off.

I received my bag strap from Upstrap last week (Item # LT-B) for $38 (plus $4.50 shipping). The strap comes with metal clip ends, and all I needed to do to install it was un-clip the current strap and clip on the Upstrap Bag Strap. The shipped length was fine for me, so the entire process took about 30 seconds or less.

My Lowepro Stealth Reporter has taken on some serious weight since I upgraded my D200 to a D4 and I couldn’t tolerate the older strap without looking like a hunchback – and I already have photographer’s scoliosis as it is. With the Upstrap Bag Strap I can relax my back and spine and let the bag just sit, held by gravity alone, and not by my hunching my shoulder.

Verdict: Get this strap! If you have a camera bag and its current strap doesn’t hang you your shoulder without zero effort by you, then this will give you that “ahhhh” feeling as soon as you put it on. The price is reasonable, the quality is excellent, the customer service is superb, and you get the satisfaction of buying from a USA based business. Link to the Upstrap website here.

Posted by Steve Weinrebe, ImagingRandR.com