The Managing Director recently bought an Optech shoulder strap, and kept raving on about how good it is. Eventually I was persuaded by her persistence and got one for myself: all I can say is I wish I had done so ages ago. The load is spread more widely, which almost makes it feel as if you are carrying nothing, plus the elasticated centre part of the strap removes any shoulder ache from the jolting of the bins as one walks. At the end of a five mile hike the other day my shoulders felt fine - this would not have been the case with the strap the bins came with.
About £15, recommended.
[QUOTE=romancitizen]The Managing Director recently bought an Optech shoulder strap, and kept raving on about how good it is. Eventually I was persuaded by her persistence and got one for myself: all I can say is I wish I had done so ages ago. The load is spread more widely, which almost makes it feel as if you are carrying nothing, plus the elasticated centre part of the strap removes any shoulder ache from the jolting of the bins as one walks. At the end of a five mile hike the other day my shoulders felt fine - this would not have been the case with the strap the bins came with.
About £15, recommended.[/QUOTE]
You are certainly correct with your assessment. I have replaced my Leica strap years ago by one from Optec. Saw it on a pair of a friend of mine, and it took less than two minutes to convince me! However, the strap on our Zeiss Victory (I) is also very comfortable, so we left it on.
I notice that WE has some Optec straps, but usually stores have a very limited array. Thus it is good to check Optec's website for a complete list of all their products: http://www.optechusa.com/