DIY "R-Strap" camera strap

I like the idea of the BlackRapid R-Strap... So I made one.
Here are some pics of what I did.

Step 1 The custom bracket

I used a piece of 1/8 inch thick aluminum L bracket to fabricate the bracket. 1/4 inch hole is drilled on one side and a 5/8 inch hole on the other.

The bolt (Standard 1/4 inch 20) had to be cut down so it would not damage the camera hole.

Tools used: small hacksaw for cutting rough shape and trimming the bolt.
Files.
dremel tool for sanding and polishing.

Comments

[glj_instructor]

I really like your solution, it is compact and with the official and highly scientific monkey test it seems strong enough for its intended use. The "tripod problem" (for me it would be a problem) could be solved by cutting a notch in the head of your bolt to take up a coin, a key or any other suitable piece of metal. I could imagine a shortened wrench fixed to the webbing in a small pocket (upcycling old bicycle tubes could work here) too. Great job!

[EbenezerGrinch]

Nice - congrats on making the only DIY R-Strap instructable which can compare to the real R-Strap functionality.  Everyone else missed the point - you nailed it.  Great instructable

[TheDangsAllHere]

Nice strap dude. I went to strapworks.com and got pretty much everything I needed for about $11. They have some quality stuff. As for the camera mount, went to home depot and got a 1/4" - 20 eye bolt, 1/4" wing nut, and a 1/4" washer to distribute the load. Works just like the R-Strap sans the fake shutter noises.

[JPphoto87]

 I just went there, strapworks.com + pocket change = win.

[talonts]

You said you got the swivel hook from a $6 strap at REI - do you have more detail on the strap? I have no REI within 200 miles, and haven't found anything similar on their website so far (just a pair of much smaller/lowload swivels). They have everything else there that I'd need.

[Dirtman]

Sorry for the long delay in a reply... The straps that I purchased are NOT on the website. However, there is one with the same swivel listed at $9.95. It is 1.5 inches wide so you will need to adjust the size of the strap material to fit.

The strap is available on REI's website.

Remember, if you use this one, be sure to get 1.5 inch webbing for your sling. And the bonus is that the strap will allow you to make TWO (or give one to a friend) as well as having a shoulder pad that is non slip and feel good.
Happy DIY'ing.

[rguillen]

Nice work, I noticed that the bolt is the only thing holding the camera, if the camera start rotating the bolt may come loose and the camera will come off eventually. Have you try a lock washer or Locktite?

[Dirtman]

I thought about that too, and originally had a lock washer on it. The problem was that with the washer in place it lifted the bolt a few mm's too high to allow the swivel to function properly. After removing the washer, I realized that the bolt would not come loose due to the cushion of the rubber under the bracket. I have used this setup for quite a few days and can honestly say that the thing has never come loose. Most importantly: NO issues with using the cameras in portrait mode.

[dpocius]

You could use a 1/4-20 shoulder screw, which would allow tightening the screw to the camera while leaving the bracket free to swivel on the shoulder. Or, slip a piece of thinwall 1/4" ID tubing over the bolt to create a shoulder. Either way, you would make the bracket hole ID a wee bit larger than the shoulder diameter. Also, this prevents torque on the screw axis (from the camera swinging about) from loosening the screw. You may even want to add a thin washer (ID same as shoulder dia.) between the bracket and soft pad on the camera mount to help prevent this.

[Dirtman]

Good suggestion. I am using a swivel hook instead though and it is working perfectly.

[killerjackalope]

If you didn't want to bother cutting a bolt you could chuck a couple of nuts on or even go nut washer nut and hand tighten against the camera for extra security, nice job, looks handy, I'm trying to work out a way of making my camera strap spread weight better, using old 35mm lenses, all metal and glass telephotos on a second gen 20D makes your neck and back stiff after four hours of constant moving and shooting, worse is next time it's six hours, thankfully I'll be more static so tripod's a possibility...

[Dirtman]

On my first prototype, I actually used two washers but it made the L bracket stick out too far for my tastes. If I use a washer (like a lock washer), the bolt gets in the way of the swivel hook and I really like that this one is so small compared to the first couple I made as well as the original available on the internet. To make it feel better on the neck and shoulder you could try a larger strap. Like 1.5 or 2 Inches. All the parts I used can be found in all three sizes. Thanks for the comments.

[killerjackalope]

Ah right, I've already a wide strap on it, it's more lower back over time, to use my friend's explanation it's like having double D's, which if she was even half right then new found respect there... you did your homework alright then, only other thing would be to use a dead quickmount or tripod to borrow the bolt from, if you had a sleeve on the bottom of the bracket that receives a 1/4 inch coarse bolt it'd also mean you'd be able to hook to tripod with out undoing the straps... Anyway good job, I reckon I'll try putting a little rest on the bottom so it doesn't hang down when I'm not holding it, that should lessen the strain...

[canida]

Nice! Easy and practical.