I’ve been a user of Peak Design products for the last few years, mostly with their Peak Design Slide camera strap. It’s been the most comfortable strap I use, offering me the ability to use it as a sling and hold my heavy camera gear at my side, rather than in front of me.

Now, they’ve introduced version 3 of the strap. The newest Slide strap debuted in December, and I immediately ordered one! While the adjustments are small, the difference is mighty.

Increase in Comfort and Adjustability

If you’ve never seen or used the Slide strap, think of the material like a car seatbelt. Available in black or “ash” grey, the Slide is easy to adjust along this nylon material, and features a padded portion in the center that rests on your shoulder (or neck).

This is where I saw the greatest difference between the old Slide strap I had, and the new version. It’s significantly more comfortable, and provides greater movement when having it on. The old Slide strap seemed to be a little firm in the padded area, and that’s no longer the case. It’s also lighter and more flexible, which lends to its comfort.

The Slide strap is much easier to adjust, making for quick adjustments to change the length of the strap. The strap can be adjusted anywhere from 39″ to 57″ with adjusting sliders on both sides of the strap, that are both very well locked in place but easy to unlock and move around.

The gripped backing also seems more “grippy,” perfect for when you want a shoulder strap instead of a sling.

New Anchor System and Plate Compatibility

The Slide also features a new anchor system that is slimmed-down and angled, making it easier to use one-handed. The anchor cords are also slimmer, meaning they can be fit into the eyelets on your camera easier, and can be used with other types of plates.

The Slide comes with a brand new plate, which is a little larger than the size of a quarter. But you’re not only limited to that. If you have an old Slide strap, you can use the Standard or Dual Plate you already have. You can also use the newly redesigned Standard or Dual Plates. But what’s exciting is you don’t have to use a Peak Design plate at all — you can use the tripod plate that you already have, and just loop an anchor around it.

This increased compatibility is especially handy when you don’t want to lug a bunch of plates around during a long shooting day. If you’re using a tripod for a large part of your day, it’s important to have as much security and flexibility as possible, and so you might want to use your own plate instead.

Conclusion

I’ve used the Peak Design Slide for several years, and this latest upgrade just makes it that much more worthy to be the only strap in my camera bag. With the adjustments they’ve made, this purchase was a no-brainer for me.

The Peak Design Slide retails for $64.95, and is available in black and ash colors. It’s also available in a Lite configuration (perfect for small, mirrorless cameras) for $49.95, also in black and ash colors.