In my trip report thread, I had promised to take some shots of this, so I did and
finally got around to processing them! (Expect holiday fireworks photos sometime around September!
)
The background... I knew that I wanted some way to carry my tripod more easily. I looked at commercial straps and most just didn't seem to appeal to me, they looked a bit wonky and some involved extra work to take them on/off, etc. Bags looked even worse; the last thing I want to worry about is what to do with a big bag when I take the tripod out; plus it's just one more thing to slow you down, and to carry if you're moving the extended tripod from place to place.
I bought an Op/Tech SOS Strap for my camera bag (old boxy Tamrac) and removed the existing strap. I decided to see if I could attach it to my tripod and how well that'd work. Turns out that it works fairly well. Here's how it looks. (Ignore the poor painting job in the background!
)
Basically, one end attaches to the center column under where the legs meet, and the other attaches to one of the legs. Here's closeups of the attachment points:
Surprisingly, I've
never had any issue whatsoever with the strap on the leg sliding up. Maybe the carbon fiber is just "rough" enough to get a good grip on it, or the angle that the strap pulls is enough, but it stays on there very well.
This is how I usually carry it when using the strap:
It's no great fashion statement but probably better than a photo vest or fanny pack.
The biggest issue is that it does slide on my shoulder, I often have to hitch it back up, otherwise it tends to slide down and go more sideways. I'll also usually be very careful to keep it upright if I'll getting on/off a crowded bus going to/from the parks. (I usually end up with the tripod on my back, camera bag on shoulder, camera around neck, and carrying a big folded stroller - what a mule!)
I may try the Op/Tech tripod strap one of these days, but for the moment, this works pretty well, and was essentially free. From what I've seen, no tripod strap is anywhere near perfect, so if you have an extra strap lying around and want to carry your tripod more easily, give it a shot!
(So back off, fellow eBayers, I'm in line first! 
