Hi, I am looking for something like this camera strap http://www.mettlecycling.com/thegoods/m ... -pre-order to allow me to carry a camera safely around my neck without it banging about. I have been googling, but I can't find a UK alternative. It doesn't look that complicated to make - can anyone suggest the best place to get the materials and what I should look for?

Cheers

Profabrics.co.uk should have most of what you need to make something similar ... although you'll probably have to settle for poly' webbing rather than the seemingly 'hand woven from beard trimmings braid' the one in the link's made from.

Interested to see how well that works (both the $78 one and your MYOG version). I quite often carry a DSLR with me and I usually put a webbing loop through one of my belt loops just behind my left hip and I hook the camera strap (which goes over my right shoulder) to that with a mini carabiner (which is also one of the two that hold my neoprene camera case to the straps). I find that holds the camera in to my hip and stops it banging about. I do have to undo the carabiner to use, unlike the Mettle strap, but I've got used to it.

I find it hard to keep things balanced on my back when riding, but admittedly I haven't really got my head round how this strap works so maybe the Mettle strap solves that problem.

Nice one, thanks.
That looks a useful link and yeah, I can live without the beard trimmings

Northwind, I get what you mean, but I am not sure what I would clip to in my hip area (unless I sew something into my shorts) I shall report back and see how it goes....

Is it me, or does the short videos show nothing of any use? I have just sat and looked through them several times, and still can't work out how the strap fits/works

I think that might be intentional- you're supposed to see that it works, but not how it works. I think I've sussed it out, and it seems neat.
But at $78 they are rewarding themselves handsomely for the concept.

Yeh, not sure I would be happy with my cameras swinging about like that, even the cheap(er) ones!!

You get these sort of straps for SLR camera, a friend has one and swears by it, he loves it, I'm surprised a google search hasn't popped anything up

here you go these are mainly for SLR's but they should help with sites/ names to get one for a small compact camera

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/ro ... raps-10205

Thanks for that link, I didn't find that one.

I don't think any of them are what I am looking for though as they are all just a single strap. Whenever I have tried to carry my camera while riding it always swings round to the front (no matter how short I keep the strap). I remember in the 90's EBC did a messenger bag for cyclists that had an extra strap on the other side to stop it swinging forwards and I think that's what it needs (much as the hipster strap in the link does). It may just be a matter of adding an additional strap to the regular kind, with possibly some sort of quick release mechanism via a magnetic catch or something. I do usually stop to take a photo, but occasionally a bit of motion blur can be nice, so being able to access the camera easily on the move would be nice.

Bit of an odd ball recommendation but hear me out...

Firearm slings!

Not the old leather kind you see on ww2 rifles but the modern tactical kind.
My business involves Airsoft, which minics and reenacts modern military kit and there are plenty of "single point slings" available designed for quick access to a rifle. They are bombproof, stable, very fast to use and very quick to adjust on the fly.

Ive made my own for the sport and a few brands like Magpul, Hayley Strategic, Troy industries and the like develop them, with many replica Clones on the market aswell. Cant comment specifically for cycling use but i know they work well with camera gear, especially heaver kit and are designed for very active wear so dont see why not.


Just to throw my two pence in here!

Another odd ball solution for you here, I think I remember Alpkit doing a dslr shaped stem cell as a special for someone, perhaps they could do the same for you? With the right means of opening it I'm sure it would be just as quick and much less likely to swing around.

Probably not what your after but I thought it might be worth a mention

Interesting ideas, thanks. I like the idea of a stem pod of some sort - I hadn't thought of that. As a result of all these answers I now know that the thing I am looking for is a camera sling, rather than a strap, and armed with this knowledge I tried ebay again and found this:



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/351966874405

For a fiver, it seemed worth a punt so I have ordered one. Will let you know how it goes. For that price I wouldn't be shy about chopping it about...

It looks very much like the strap system from a courier bag.

Anyone figure how to make one/something similar?

Finding I’m not taking as many pictures with the fan of getting a camera out of a bag, so looking for something quicker to access.