This Strap Packs a Hidden Tool: Wandrd Sling Review
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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 the camera than those traditional metal triangular hooks.
The bottom camera anchor is made from metal but has three parts — the anchor, a rubber washer, and the screw. As someone who regularly misplaces lens caps, that’s a lot of little pieces that are easy to lose. The camera anchor is, however, pretty small and doesn’t get in the way. Unfortunately, the black paint is already scraping off the screw a little from too much tightening and loosening.
Ease of Use
The thin cord makes it easy to put the Wandrd Sling on and off, using the camera’s top slots. If you want a strap that you can take off in seconds and have nothing left on the camera, this strap will do the trick when worn as a neck strap.
I can’t say the same for the anchor that sits in the tripod mount at the bottom of the camera, however. Used when the strap is in sling mode, the anchor comes off with the tool that’s built into the strap (or a screwdriver, or loose change). The anchor needs to be loosened to fit the cord underneath. Switching from sling mode to neck strap mode will halt shooting for more than a few seconds. This was one of my biggest disappointments; on long shoots, I like to switch my camera’s position from shoulder to neck and back once one fatigues. Reshaping the anchor to allow enough room to slip the cord through would have been more convenient than loosening the anchor every time. (I found the strap much more convenient when looped through my tripod mounting plate instead. It has enough room to easily slip the cord through without taking it off.)
I did, however, love the built-in tool hiding under the strap. A tiny piece of metal doubles as a flat-head screwdriver, and you can use the strap itself to unscrew the anchor. I’ve been on a shoot ready to mount to a tripod only to realize I didn’t have the appropriate tool to remove my sling strap, so this is an excellent feature.
One more thing to love — easy length adjustments on both sides of the strap. Putting a finger through one of the loops, I could lengthen the camera strap with one hand. Shortening the strap was easier with two hands but still possible with one.
Wandrd Sling Strap Vs. Peak Design Sling
While the Wandrd has some excellent features, it’s not the only well-built sling around. The Peak Design Slide also offers both neck or sling carry, comfortable wear, and incredibly easy installation.
There are a few important differences, however. The Peak Design strap is about 50 percent wider. That and the slight padding built into the strap makes the Peak Design a little more comfortable. My camera also stayed in place on my hip much better with the Peak Design, where the Wandrd tended to want to drift forward and eventually rest against my thigh instead of my hip. I’m not sure if that’s because the Peak Design’s grippy material is more effective or because the strap is wider.
But, Wandrd still has some advantages. It’s a little more affordable. Also, when you remove the strap, it doesn’t leave anchors hanging off the camera. The bottom anchor requires a tool. If I attached the strap using the anchor instead of my tripod plate, I had to find the tool to remove the anchor to mount my camera on a tripod. And sometimes, I was on location where I couldn’t easily find that tool.
Conclusion
Likes
- The built-in tool to remove the anchor is genius.
- Adjusting the strap length is quick and easy.
- The nylon material is soft and comfortable.
- Putting the strap on and taking it off is easy and quick and doesn’t leave anything hanging off the camera.
Dislikes
- Switching from a neck to sling strap, you still have to remove the tripod-mounted anchor.
- A wider strap would have been a more comfortable.
- It needs a little more grip. The camera didn’t quite want to stay in place.
The Wandrd Sling is a comfortable strap that’s easy to install and adjust. With a built-in tool, you’ll never be on location without a tool to remove or adjust the strap. The black nylon is soft and offers a minimalist design that will seamlessly blend with the camera.
While the Wandrd is good, I preferred the wider Peak Design Slide. I didn’t like that the Wandrd eventually drifted forward as I walked instead of staying in place on my hip. The Wandrd also required loosening the bottom anchor every time you want to switch from a neck to a sling and vice versa. And while the Wandrd is very comfortable, the Peak Design is slightly moreso.
But, if you can’t stand leaving anchors hanging off the camera even when you remove the strap, The Wandrd is a good alternative. I love the built-in tool, the easy on and off, and the soft nylon construction. It’s a little more affordable too.
I’m giving the Wandrd Sling four out of five stars for a comfortable design and easy installation and removal.