I tested twenty some odd camera straps in the effort to find the best camera strap available. Abie Straps was awesome enough to provide me their beautiful Prairie Breeze strap.
Abie Straps is a really cool business that is the pet project of professional wedding and portrait photographer Ellen Leroy. What makes Abie Straps so cool is that Ellen donates all of the proceeds to help treat blindness in third-world countries. It also helps that she makes some pretty sweet camera straps. Her goal is to produce ultra high-quality straps that can reflect your personal style and personality. Abie Straps offers dozens of designs from funky to sleek to retro.
I really liked the style of this strap. It had kind of a vintage-timeless feel to it. It combines leather piping with a comfortable suede backing and cotton print. Classy-looking metal rings connect it to buckles and the nylon attachment straps. I love being able to quickly remove the strap, but I wish the attachments left behind on this strap were a little smaller. I ended up removing them completely when I was using a tripod in the wind. Finally, the strap hides a discreet pocket on the inside that is perfect for storing extra memory cards (The detail you get when a wedding photographer designs the strap!).
This strap is super comfortable. I think it delivers on the goal of mixing comfort with style. The only downfall to me is the cheaper nylon attachments that have to be threaded through the buckles. I have learned it is pretty tough to find a strap that does not have this same attachment style so if it is not a deal breaker for you, then you are going to be very happy with this strap. I finished my testing a couple months back (this was my last strap to test) and this strap is still on my camera so you know it has to be pretty good.
You can get your own abie strap on Amazon (only a few designs available) or from Abie Straps. They are currently selling for $119. For more, check out our Recommended Gear.