I first reviewed theOP/TECH Utility Strap – Sling last month, but I made a biggie mistake about its clips, so I think it deserves this updated review post. This strap, or sling, whichever you prefer to call it, is notably versatile in how you can use it, to carry your camera gear. I’m really liking it a lot.
My use case is for this strap-sling to be slung across my shoulder, just as how OP/TECH had depicted, with camera hanging on one side.
You see, I’m not fond of neck straps, because I find the weight or pressure on my neck uncomfortable. But if I need my two hands free, it means I’ve to set my camera down somewhere, or put it back into my bag. This is quite cumbersome if it happens frequently. A shoulder strap seems like a nice solution. It has to be a proper shoulder strap though, because neck straps across shoulders don’t feel right to me either.
OP/TECH’s Utility Strap – Sling is pretty much exactly what I wanted. I can wear it across my shoulder, so it is secure with no risk of the strap slipping off. The camera is attached on one side, with a connector that slides along the strap. This means that while the camera is hanging off on one side of my body, whenever I need to use it, I can simply just slide it up the strap without even having to adjust the strap. More specifically, I can easily move the camera around without the having the move the comfy shoulder pad off my shoulders.
That’s basically what I wanted this Utility Strap – Sling for, and what I like about it.
The Utility Strap – Sling quite minimalist in design. It is lightweight, and comes with a comfortable shoulder pad made of neoprene on the inside and Lycra on the outside. The neoprene ensures that the pad stays in place on your shoulder with its non-skid characteristics.
The strap length itself is adjustable. OP/TECH provides two Uni-Loop connectors that slide along the strap. The two mating sides of the connector have a braided cord which you attach to the eyelet on your gear.
With the two Uni-Loop connectors, you can either attach two pieces of gear to the Utility Strap -Sling, or you can simply use them for both sides of your camera, like how it would work with a typical neck strap. The Utility Strap – Sling works equally well as a neck strap, if that’s how you prefer to use it.
You could potentially easily reconfigure how the Utility Strap – Sling is used. You see, the Uni-Loop connectors are pretty universal in OP/TECH’s line of straps and slings. The two connectors on the strap are of different genders, so you have some variety, particularly useful if you also use other OP/TECH accessories. The OP/TECH Wrist Strap, for example, has a female connector on the strap end, and thus requires to mate with a male Uni-Loop connector on the strap-sling.
If you like your camera slung on one side over or across your shoulder, this OP/TECH Utility Strap – Sling works very well. The sliding connectors and its versatility make this a really great strap, or sling.
The OP/TECH USA Utility Strap – Sling (Black) (Amazon affiliate link) sells for US$12.65 on Amazon, with free shipping to Singapore on qualifying orders over US$125.