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Necks weren’t designed for holding much more than your head. Sling straps hold the weight of the camera on the shoulders instead. Made with the ability to switch back and forth from shoulder to neck carry, this type of strap design often offers more comfort for all-day shoots. The Wandrd Sling is one of those straps. Made from incredibly soft nylon material, the strap is a happy medium between the expensive leather and the cheap, scratchy numbers that ship with your camera.
Priced at $54, the Wandrd Sling sets itself apart with an easy attachment system that doesn’t leave anything dangling on your camera. Even the tool for adjusting the anchor that sits in the tripod socket is hidden right inside the strap. While sturdy and comfortable, a few minor changes could have helped the strap reach perfection.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Constructed from a sturdy but soft nylon
Quick length adjustments
Easy to mount on the camera
Built-in tool for camera anchor
Reasonably priced
Tested to 100 pounds to accommodate any handheld camera
Cons
Need to remove the bottom anchor to switch to neck strap
A wider strap would have been a little more comfortable
Needs a little more grip
Tech Specs
Adapted directly from Wandrd:
Recycled soft-touch nylon & hypalon
Custom metal “quick-connect” hardware
Non-slip silicone print
Smooth adjustment sliders
Max Length: 46.75″ (118.7 CM)
Minimum Length: 29″ (73.6 CM)
Width: 1.25″ (3.2 CM)
Maximum capacity: 100 pounds
Gear Used
I used the Wandrd Sling on the Nikon Z 6 II with the Nikkor Z 24-70mm f2.8 lens. I also briefly tested the sling with heavier gear — the Nikon D850 and F-mount 24-70mm f2.8.
Ergonomics
The Wandrd Sling is a 1.25 inch-wide, soft, black nylon strap. A small, roughly ten-inch section of the underside has a stripped silicone pattern.
Just above the camera mounting gear is a quick slide loop. Located on both sides of the strap, a small loop allows you to loop a finger through and quickly lengthen or shorten the strap. This loop is backed by stiffer fabric. On one side, that thicker leather-like piece hides a small metal part that screws in the tripod mount anchor.
When worn as a neck strap, the Wandrd attaches to both of the hooks at the top of the camera. A Hypalon adapter is included. This is to help attach to cameras, like Canons, that have the anchor built right into the body. As a Sling, one side attaches to the top, and the other loops around the included metal anchor that sits in the camera’s tripod mount.
The strap uses a hook attachment with a loop of rubber-like Hypalon cord. The flexible loop easily went through the attachment loops on the Z6 II and slid into the hook. While the cord looks a bit thin, it feels sturdy, and I didn’t notice any wear signs.
The soft nylon construction is comfortable and doesn’t chafe or dig. While the strap is relatively comfortable, it’s not perfect. I wish it were wider: wider straps tend to better distribute the weight. The silicone grip wasn’t quite enough to keep my camera on my hip when not shooting, It tended to want to pull around a bit to the front of my thigh.
Build Quality
The Wandrd Sling is largely constructed of new nylon made from recycled materials. Wandrd calls this nylon soft touch, and it lives up to its name: the nylon is quite soft. Unlike the cheap nylon straps that ship with the camera, the strap doesn’t have rough edges. The construction feels high-end.
The buckles and attachment hooks are largely made from plastic, save for a metal tooth on the hook. While I can nitpick and wish for metal, it’s rated for 100 pounds even with the plastic clips. And, frankly, if a 100-pound camera-lens-flash-combo exists, I wouldn’t be wearing it around my neck or shoulder.
A Hypalon cord loops around the camera’s anchor and attaches to that plastic hook. Hypalon is a durable, rubber-like material. Because it’s thin and flexible, it’s much easier to get on ...