Review: Sailor Strap LT. neck strap
Keep on accessorising
Once I got a better grip on my Fujifilm X100T, I thought it may be a good idea to try a neck strap. I’ve been avoiding it since I’ve had DSLR because of their weight and the stress it gives to my poor and delicate neck 😉 I wanted something comfortable but also easy to fold and put in my pocket with the camera.
Enter the Sailor Strap LT. neck strap
While browsing the same interwebs for a solution I came across those silk rope neck straps and immediately felt in love with it: I needed one. There I found Sailor Strap which produces those handmade straps in Poland, at a correct price with free shipping! There is a bunch of different finishes so there is lots to choose from. Ordered, delivered a few days later, let’s put it on the camera right now!
Each side of the strap has an O ring which is a bit too larger for the X100T mounting rings. Place the thinner part of the O ring in the mounting rings and it will be OK but a bit too rigid. A thinner O ring, or an intermediary one, may be welcomed. The build quality is second to none, the polyester silk rope feels solid and soft at the same time, the thick leather has sturdy stitches, I immediately became confident I did the right choice going the handmade strap road. The black color matches quite well the camera’s color.
In action
The soft touch of the polyester silk is a pleasure on the neck. Even kept a few hours during a hot day, no irritation, no sweat, not even a bit of pain. The rope deforms a bit to absorb the weight on the neck, reducing the feeling of the (not very heavy though) camera hanging and bouncing. It’s also quite easy to make a knot for using it as a larger wrist strap if needed. It folds very well around the camera’s lens and therefore doesn’t really add bulk when the camera is in my pocket.
It’s been already 3 months since I have this strap, it is constantly thrown in a backpack or compressed in a pocket, and it still look as good as new. As Sailor Strap uses sailing rope – which must be resistant, you’re not kidding in the middle of the ocean! – this is not a surprise. That was also a motive for my buying this strap, I want durability for my gear, I don’t nurture it at all.
Note that those straps are designed for mirrorless and small DSLRs in mind. Don’t expect them to bear the weight of your pro DSLR with a 70-200 on it!
As an unexpected side effect, I can now shoot at chest level in a more stealthy way than before: having my hand on the camera, which itself hangs on my neck, I stabilised it horizontally by keeping the strap tense enough, and I shoot what or who is coming at me. It looks like I’m just holding my camera, no one sees me.
Conclusion
I’m very glad I got the Sailor Strap LT. It was a long shot as I’ve never like neck straps, but I am more than pleased that I went this way. Sturdy but with a pleasant finish, good looking, comfortable, what to ask more? Check out Sailor Strap’s website to find the finish you want!
Pierre Pichot 2016
Is that a large? Can you wear it across your chest?
Thanks
I’m not the thin type, so the large version is a bit short for me across the chest. It may fit someone pretty slim. There is a longer version (+ 20 cm) which should be OK.
curious.. how is the strap holding up? looks nice and price isn’t bad, but I worry that they may not last that long.. namely because of the polyester silk material.. they seem similarly designed like Artistan & Artists, and some people have said they start to fray.. i would hope the Sailor Strap doesn’t, but I don’t know anyone who’s had one long enough to give a “long term” or follow-up review to update on whether or not such a strap is actually surprisingly long lasting or sadly starting to show signs of fraying or otherwise falling apart within a year or so?..
HI! The strap is holding very well, even better than expected actually. It’s been almost 18 months since I got my first strap (got a second one a bit after for my film cameras), used in an almost daily basis. The leather looks is a bit more used, mainly because the ring is to big for the X100T’s strap attachement bit, it often blocks in a weird position and the leather pat of the strap compensates for it. But it doesn’t seems to be failing at all. The silk looks just like new, and is a pleasure to wear. I always carry the camera in a pocket with the strap rounded around it, so the strap is rubbed here an there all the time against cotton, leather, and the camera, and it still looks like new. I’ll update the post with a follow-up, it’s a good idea!