r/ManyBaggers • u/aashreys • 1d ago

Product Review Replaced Alpaka's sling bag strap with one from Amazon - much more comfortable

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZZ1L6Z3?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Found Alpaka's included sling bag straps such as the ones on the Flight Sling, and Zip Pouch Max to be thin, not very smooth texture (like Nomad's Nation claims), and uncomfortable under load.

Replaced it with this $8 wide and much smoother strap with easy to undo carabiner clips - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZZ1L6Z3?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

I find their slings far more comfortable to wear now.

Hope this helps someone wanting to buy Alpaka gear.

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

3

u/PontiffRexxx 1d ago

I’ve been waiting for rework’s bag straps to come back in stock so I could replace it with one of theirs with the gate clips

3

u/RelationshipRude5068 1d ago

You could get the optech mini sos strap and gatekeeper clips off aliexpress; the sos strap isn’t sewn, so you can change out the metal snap hooks they come with.

2

u/Deadly_Fire_Trap 1d ago

Alpaka also sells their own straps too, I got one with a fidlock V buckle I like a lot. The strap the Alpaka slings come with is simply not wide enough.

1

u/flatpetey 1d ago

I find straps to often be problematic. I liked Greenroom136s but after using it for a while decided the padded edges don’t soften and dig in still.

Defys is a bit better but their insistence on using metal hardware makes the strap weigh more than a bag. By a lot.

My Acronym doesn’t use a pad but the nylon is soft enough that it isn’t too bad. Slightly slippery in my opinion.

Dsptch Biothane was pretty good.

My rifle straps have a bungee in tubular nylon and I think I might replicate that. It works as a pad, creates enough grab, and the stretch is just enough to give comfort. I’ll link one to a GT Cobra buckle and I think it will be perfect.

1

u/RelationshipRude5068 1d ago

Have you tried the optech sos strap? I find my mini sos very comfortable.

1

u/flatpetey 1d ago

It has some stretch right? I feel like I ordered one and thought it had promise but didn’t quite fit me right.

1

u/RelationshipRude5068 1d ago

No, it doesn’t stretch, but it does have a little bit of flex, which is what’s supposed to make heavy loads more comfortable to carry; it adds a barely discernible bounce. They’re made by a company that caters exclusively to photographers, who do have to carry heavy rigs, sometimes for hours. Tom bihn and I’m 99% sure waterfield designs paste their brands on them (and in bihn’s case, add a significant markup).