Going strapless is all the rage these days and that’s what today’s gear is all about. Spider holster is a small company you may or may not have heard about here in upstate NY. They have been around the photography scene making cool camera accessories since 2009.

They are probably most well known for their SpiderPro Camera holster. A unique product that offers a comfortable and secure way to carry your camera without having to deal with a strap.  Other companies like Peak Designs make similar products, but personally, I have not found one as easy to use as the Spider.

Their setups range from the basic holster and plate like the one I am reviewing today to a full featured custom belts with twin holsters complete with accessory and lens cases. I first discovered them on youtube back in 2010 with this crazy video showing a photographer jumping up and down with two dslrs attached at his hip.  It was effective marketing for sure as I ordered my kit the next day.  I used one of these systems for 5 years shooting abandoned locations and weddings. It was great having everything on my hip and ready to go. Two bodies, flashes, batteries, and a spare lens. It was a great time saver not having to drop a backpack and root around for something or having to run and grab something I needed, always at the decisive moment of course. I ended up selling the system to a friend when I moved to the mirrorless format in 2013.

Up until now, Spider Holster’s focus has been on the DSLR market. I’m not to keen on other designs out there and the regular Spider plates were way too bulky for the smaller mirrorless designs.  Moving to mirrorless and giving up my Spider Holster setup left me out in the cold. But now they have introduced a brand new line geared toward the mirrorless and lightweight pro camera crowd. The SpiderLite Camera holster. The company says the SpiderLight Holster & Plate is designed specifically for Mirrorless cameras and small DSLR and that it is lightweight, durable and extremely versatile. The perfect companion for anyone that wants an easy draw-from-the-hip, no strap solution to take their camera everywhere.

Fitment of the plate to the camera is straight forward. It attaches to the bottom of the camera with a simple #20 thumbscrew.  One of which I wish was a bit larger. It can be painful to tighten if you have large hands.  The plate features and integrated Arca swiss cold shoe. You are all set if your tripod supports it. I have a manfrotto that uses the special manfrotto design.  The manfrotto plate easily attaches to the bottom of the spider plate and only adds minor bulk to the size.  Once fitted, the plate is comfortable and does not get in the way of your hand on the camera.  The holster is a simple belt clip design with a few extra tricks up its sleeve.  Under normal use a special internal clip keeps the holster frombeing easily removed.  To remove the clip a simple pull out and up does the trick.  It is a simple yet effective mechanism.

The belt clip itself features two modes. A quick draw mode, where the lock is disengaged. You draw your camera out with just one hand. Great for controlled shooting environments. Mode two is the Secure Position where the lock engages every time your camera is put in the holster. To pull the camera out, you just flick the lock up while drawing out the camera to release it. This mode is specifically for active environments.

When you first get a Spiderholster, you are going to be extremely careful with it. I found after about a month of using it continually I became more and more comfortable with my cameras just hanging out there.

When the company sent me this for review I got just the bare essentials in the clip and the plate. They make a host of accessories so you can customize your setup to your liking.

One of the options I particularly like and will be getting is the backpack adapter.