Peak Design Straps - The Cuff and Leash Review

 Two New Peak Design Straps – The Cuff and Leash

Peak Design Straps

Most people are familiar with Peak Design, a company that makes camera bags, packs, and straps. I have been a major fan of the company’s straps for quite some time and have mentioned them on a number of our Toy Shop episodes. Peak Design has, in my opinion, invented one of the best camera strap lines on the market.

The key to the company’s strap system success is the Anchor Links. These are disk-like devices with high strength cords through them. These easily fit into the camera strap lug. This is so easy to use. Have you ever struggled upon purchasing a new camera with trying to attach the metal ring to these lugs and then trying to figure out how to thread and adjust the manufacturer’s strap? It’s enough to take the wind out of the excitement of a new camera purchase.

Since using the Peak Design system, I have never been happier with the use of straps. Peak Design offers a variety of straps of varying widths as well as a wrist cuff strap. As soon as I get a new camera or even a review loaner, I insert the Anchor Links. Then, depending on the weight of the camera or how I’ll be using the strap, I decide on which strap to use.

These straps easily snap on and off. When they are attached, they are super secure. I especially like this strap system when in the field and using a tripod. Say it’s a windy day, and I want to do a long exposure shot. The last thing you want is a strap flapping around in the wind during a minute-long exposure. So, simply snap the strap off, and there is now nothing to catch the wind.

The straps have quick-adjust handles that easily and quickly change the length of the strap.

NEW Peak Design Straps

Peak Design has just released two new versions of their straps. These are the Leash and Cuff.

The Cuff

The Cuff is my favorite strap for street photography. I usually use this strap with my Fuji X-Pro2 or X100F. I can secure the camera to my wrist and walk around, and when needed I swing the camera up to my eye to shoot. If I need to use my right hand for anything, such as answering the phone, the strap holds the camera securely.

While I liked Peak Design’s older strap, the new one has some improvements that make it easier to use. Plus, it looks a lot nicer. My only complaint is that the strap can become a bit tight around the wrist when the full weight of the camera is hanging from it.

The Cuff is easy to adjust with the quick slide. Just pinch and slide the slider. It has a maximum opening for the wrist of 11.5 inches and a minimum of 5 inches. Through the use of some clever magnets, the strap can wrap around itself and function as a bracelet. Then, if needed, you unwrap it and hook it to the camera. It’s all rather clever.

Here are a few things about the new Cuff:

    •    New all anodized aluminum hardware

    •    New one-handed adjusting design

    •    Adjuster locks in open wrist loop position

    •    Magnetic wrist lock for storing as a bracelet

    •    Anchor connectors revamped—more secure, faster, lower profile than ever

    •    New ultra-smooth, twist-resistant nylon webbing with tighter, more durable weave

    •    Premium materials and refined aesthetics

    •    Choose from new black and ash colors

The Leash

It’s no secret that I am a mirrorless camera user. I use the Fuji, Olympus, and Sony mirrorless cameras. I have anchor points on every camera body. With these cameras, I use a wide camera strap called the Slide. It’s a great strap for when I have a battery pack attached and I’m using a heavy long lens. It distributes the weight nicely over my shoulders and neck.

My favorite strap for 80% of my work, however, is the Leash. It’s a narrower strap and is perfect for the lighter mirrorless cameras. Peak Design has now released a NEW version of the Leash, and I like it even better. It is made of a new material and has a new color. It has two innovative adjusters. You adjust the length of the strap by pulling on the loop and then sliding the adjuster to the desired size.

You can connect this strap to the sides of the camera either by using the camera strap studs or by attaching a plate in the tripod screw and then carrying the camera by one point on the bottom of the camera. I prefer this method, but it has drawbacks. First, the plus is that it is easy to slide the camera around to your back to keep it out of the way or slide it to your front when needed. The lens is pointing down, and it is a breeze to grab the camera and move it up to your eye for shooting.

The downside is that it uses the tripod screw mount, so if you want to use the camera on a tripod, you need to find the Allen wrench and unscrew the anchor plate. I don’t know about you, but I would most certainly lose the plate or forget the Allen wrench. So, if I know I am using a tripod, I attach the strap to the camera stop lugs.

Peak Design has also released new Anchor Points.  The cable for these anchor points is a bit thinner making it easier to insert through smaller strap eyelets.  They also tapered the round disk part so it inserts better into the spring clip of the strap.  These anchor points are extremely strong as is the cable.  I have never had an issue with one anchor point.

Here are the new features of the Leash:

    •    New all anodized aluminum hardware

    •    New low-profile dual aluminum/Hypalon quick-adjustment system

    •    Anchor connectors revamped—more secure, faster, and lower profile than ever

    •    New low-profile Anchor Link for varying your strap configuration

    •    New ultra-smooth, twist-resistant nylon webbing with tighter, more durable weave

    •    Premium materials and refined aesthetics for touch/stress point

    •    Choose from new black and ash colors

The Last Word

I love the Peak Design straps, mainly because of their versatility and ease of use. The anchor system is brilliant and works well. The new Anchor Links are designed to be a bit thinner on one side, making it easier to snap them into place. The cords on the Anchor Links are also thinner. This makes it easier to get the anchor points into smaller camera system lugs. Every one of my cameras and binoculars is set with anchor points. I can interchange any of the straps I have with these cameras at a moment’s notice.

With all the cleverness and thought that went into the straps, I do feel that Peak Design missed a couple of key points. The straps are made of very strong, seat belt-like material, but like seat belts, this material is rather slippery. Unless the strap is around my neck, I find it slipping a lot (off my shoulder). Peak Design has embedded rubber stripping into its wider straps, and that works fairly well, but it could definitely be improved upon. The best overall strap I have ever found that offers a true, almost magical non-slip pad is from UPstrap. If Peak Design could do something like what UPstrap has done, they would have a sure hit. The other area I think the company could improve on is padding. No one wants a strap to cut into their shoulders and neck all day. Peak Design could easily add a pad system to their straps, just as BlackRapid does, to make carrying loads all day a bit more comfortable. I was also thinking of adding a shoulder pad from a third party.  Now, this may seem like nit-picking, but I have used a lot of straps, and I have carried a lot of cameras around for hours.

The Peak Design straps are the best I have used for versatility and convenience. Add a shoulder pad that cushions and doesn’t slip, and they won’t be able to make straps fast enough. With all the cleverness that Peak Design seems to have at their disposal, how hard could that be?

Kevin Raber
August 2017

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