waka Rapid Camera Neck Strap with Quick Release and Safety Tether

e Waka Camera Neck Strap with Quick Release and Safety Tether has been my go-to strap for a long time now, and it’s held up really well through a lot of use. I’ve used it with my DSLR on shoots, travel, and just casual photography, and it’s been super dependable the whole time. The adjustable sling style makes it comfortable to wear for long periods, and it keeps the camera secure without feeling bulky or in the way. The quick release system is really convenient when you need to detach the camera fast, and the added safety tether gives extra peace of mind. Even after many, many uses, it’s still in great shape and feels just as solid as when I first got it. Overall, it’s a simple but really well-made strap that does its job reliably every time.

So, I've been meaning to review this strap, and today it broke, and I figured it was time. It was not through trivial use in that it broke, but in taking a foul ball to one of the strap clips (sports photography). Honestly, for the price, it's held up well, was comfortable, with room to keep an extra set of cards on me and an emergency microfiber. I've had the safety catch my camera when I've accidently released the main clip, as well as a weird situation where I had the main clip on a telephoto tripod mount and the safety on the camera and didn't have the mount secure or something and found both hanging separate, but safely, at my side. Still pondering replacing with the same, or looking to upgrade now that I'm much more invested in my gear...it is really hard to beat at the price.

This is a fairly long review, but the short answer is that this seems like a well thought out product with a few compromises for weight, balance, and length. If you are reading this, then you are looking for an alternative to the traditional camera neck strap. And, if you are looking at this specific Waka strap, then you are trying to determine if this is as good as the much more expensive straps from RapidBlack and CarrySpeed. There is little doubt that this is a copycat product based on the designs of one or both of the more name brand items, but does that mean it is not as good? Are you putting your expensive glass more at risk? I just returned from a week long birding trip where I used the strap daily for several hours at a time and my impressions are based on this intense but short-term experience with it. I carry a Nikon D7500 and a Tamron 150-600mm with this strap. Together, the camera and lens weigh about 8.5 pounds/3.86kg. Because of the lens weight, I attach the strap to the tripod foot of the lens, not the camera body. The attachment plate has a ring at one end for the strap to attach. With the strap attachment ring facing the objective end of the lens, the ring balances so that the lens and camera hang perfectly horizontal at my hip. The safety tether I attach to the shoulder strap loop of the camera body as there isn't an appropriate point on the lens tripod foot. I am about 6 feet tall and 200 pounds. Adjustment Ideally, I'd want the lens to sit at my side just above my belt. This position minimizes the amount of camera movement as I walk. However, if adjusted to this ideal walk position, then the strap is too short to bring the camera up to shoot above horizontal. This is mostly due to having the mount attached to the tripod foot and also having the strap attachment ring on the mount far forward. If I were to move the attachment foot to the camera body, then it would be fine at this ideal adjustment point. As it is, I had to adjust the strap to ride at my hip. It is still comfortable, but does move around more. This position is still very comfortable at the shoulder. One point to make here is that if I were to use this strap with a smaller lens, I would attach it to the camera body tripod mount. In this position I could adjust the strap so that the camera would hang above my belt. But, I won't make this adjustment because that's one element of this strap that I don't like; it's a pain to adjust the length. Once you have it where you want it, there is no burning need to change it, but don't expect to be making easy adjustments on the fly. Under arm strap Mostly no issues with the under arm strap, but one caution. Twice when putting the shoulder strap on, I accidentally looped the under arm strap around the main strap, making it about 2 inches shorter. This meant that. once buckled, I could not lift the camera high enough to take a picture. It was easy to fix once I realized what I was doing wrong. This was operator error, but because the strap had looped on the backside of the strap, I could not tell I'd made that mistake. Mounting plate No big issues with the mounting plate, though it does flex a little when I walk. The screw seems to stay tight and I never feared it unscrewing from the tripod foot. As others have noted, it does squeak some where the strap attaches with my heavy lens and body. Safety loop I'll admit to being dubious of the plastic slide and nylon strap of the safety loop. However, before leaving for the birding trip, I attached two five pound weights to one end and repeatedly dropped/jerked the weight. The strap held. This "test" was more weight and the drops/jerks were more violent than I'd expect in the real world. Comfort At the shoulder, this strap is very comfortable My old sling strap, which was not padded and did not have the under arm strap, dug into my neck and became uncomfortable very quickly. With this strap I had no such issues. There were two places that were a little uncomfortable, but again bear in mind that I'm carrying a heavy lens and camera. First, the buckle of the safety tether slides up the main strap when you raise the camera. When you put the camera back down, the tether buckle can go back down as well, but in my case it does not. With the heavy camera and lens combo I have, I had to push the buckle back down the strap. If I didn't push it back down, the sharp edges of the buckle dug into my stomach. Also, the two plastic stops that prevent the strap from sliding too far also dug into my side a bit. If you aren't carrying a heavy combo, this should not be a problem. Note that these two stops can be easily removed. I've already removed one and am contemplating trying without the second as I do not believe they are essential to the strap's use. Durability Time will tell on durability. After carrying my lens and camera using the strap for approximately 40 hours last week, I saw no signs of deterioration or deformation. There are a lot of plastic parts with this strap, so it remains to be seen how well it will hold up. One key element is that the main buckles are safety buckles (my term) that require you to unlock the buckle by pressing the center before you can pinch them to release. Storage pockets A nice touch, but not that useful in practice. You could put an SD card or possibly a lens wipe in these, but don't expect to put your lens cap (unless very small) in these pockets. Final thoughts Compared to BlackRapid or CarrySpeed, how good is this Waka strap? I don't know. I have not compared this directly. But, in my week of birding/hiking, I can say I'll continue to use this strap going forward. But, I will always use the safety tether as I would not be at ease using the strap without that backup support. Will update this review if any impressions change.

I’ve purchased quite a few of these for my photography business and they are used in the field daily. They definitely last a long time even with daily use in all kinds of weather. Almost as nice as the high-end models. Pros: Quick Release System: The quick release feature is great. It allows for rapid attachment and detachment, making it super convenient when I need to take it off of the strap. Safety Tether: This gives me peace of mind, knowing that my equipment is secure. The tether is strong and reliable, preventing accidental drops. Comfortable Wear: The strap is padded and comfortable around one’s shoulder, even during long shoots. No more neck strain from heavy gear! Adjustable Length: I love the flexibility of adjusting the strap length. Works for all sizes of photographers. Durable Material: The strap feels sturdy and well-made. It's survived daily outdoor shoots, and they’ve never broken on me. Very comfortable: It's great around the shoulder instead of on the neck. The connection to the bottom of the camera is handy and keeps it in the perfect position. Cons: Style Factor: While functional, the design is pretty basic. If you're into fashionable camera straps, this might not be your cup of tea. Buckle Placement: Occasionally, the buckle can rub against the neck, which might be uncomfortable for some. Overall Experience: Despite a couple of minor drawbacks, the waka Rapid Camera Strap is a great accessory for my team. Definitely a 5-star recommendation for both amateur and professional photographers!

Works great and is comfortable.

For being a shoulder harness it is what it is I have a big camera so it makes it extremely heavy and where I have to attach the piece from the harness to my camera I have to take it off in order to change out my battery and I do race track photography so for me that's kind of a bummer if you have a lighter camera and you're just using it for short-term I think it would be fine but I don't feel as secure with my big camera on it as I do with my chest harness. But it was good quality and it did have some good safety parts to it it's just not for me so I'm giving it to a friend

UPDATE after four years: Still going strong. However, two things I would change: 1. The under-the-shoulder strap is basically useless and will allow the strap to slide off the shoulder when sitting which becomes quite annoying after the umpteenth time you reposition it. Far better if the strap went across the chest and under the opposite arm. My plan is to re-orient it just so, IF there is enough length. 2. and this plagues ALL of these similar straps. The "scallop" on the shoulder pad is exactly opposite to how it should be and I believe that is a big part of why the strap wants to migrate off the shoulder when sitting. Just take a look at it and think about it a minute = if the scallop were reversed and on the neck/head side, it would make a lot more sense and your neck would not be pushing it away from your shoulder. The only cure for this that I can see is to just wear it backwards. None of the above matters when standing/walking as everything stays in place and is quite comfortable. I have two of these and have used and abused them for over a year. I wear them like crossed bandoliers and carry two cameras; I like this better than any double-camera harness I have tried. Both cameras are 7DMkII; one with Sigma 50-500mm and the other with Sigma 18-250mm. I have not found a broken stitch nor a frayed edge yet. The trigger-snap on these is far superior to the more common so-called "safety snap"; you know, the kind that has the little threaded collar that is supposed to prevent the snap opening. After our fourth "safety snap" broke, I quit buying any strap that has them; if a strap does not have this style trigger-snap, I pass on it. All of my long and rough life, I have used this same style and size of trigger-snap on the bridle reins of my horses and have ridden countless miles in rough brush country in places where angels fear to tread; and, I have never had a bridle rein to come loose; a horse can put a heck of a lot more force on a bridle rein; so, I highly doubt that anything you will be doing with a camera hanging on your side is going to cause one of these trigger-snaps to come open. As for the tripod plate, I have used countless of these and have never had one to torque itself loose; and, I have never had a plate to move or twist from the position that I put it in. I cannot say that for those sexy little screws with a loop formed on them; when I used to use that style, I had to keep a weather eye on them all the time as just the motion of carrying the camera would soon twist them loose. Also, with this style of hanger, you can screw tripod plates and what-have-you onto the camera without having to remove it. Not so with those sexy little looped screws available on the more spendy straps; they must be removed before the tripod hole can be used. That being said, I have just recently switched everything over to Arca-Swiss and I now use the wonderful Cavix QR-60 Arca-Swiss plate that has a hanging loop incorporated; if you feel like you always get what you pay for and want to pay ten dollars more, the Morjava QR-60 is identical to the Cavix; both are available here. I have half-a-dozen of the Op/Tech USA Battery Holsters lined up on each of my straps with a Canon LP-E6 battery in each one. I employed Velcro straps to prevent the battery holsters sliding down the strap. At fifteen bucks, these are a very good deal and better than others costing a lot more.

I'm not a professional photographer. I don't make my living using an expensive camera. I am a guy who recently got his first DSLR and is just learning to use it. This is the perspective from which you should know where this review comes from. But the incredible amount of thought that went into this camera strap keeps impressing me. There's just so many features and little details that make this thing so handy, useful, and trustworthy (so far). - The shoulder padding is very plush. I feel I would need much more weight then my camera and lens to be close to uncomfortable. - It attaches to your camera via the tripod mount, using a Steel plate, thick (stiff) rubber pad, and plastic locking washers. The screw is even in a slot so you can adjust how the mount makes contact to your camera. Yes, this means it has a single point of failure between the camera and the thing holding it from freefalling onto pavement, but the mount is so strong in my opinion, I can't imagine it failing on its own. If it bothers you, there's another extra strap you can use to connect your camera strap mount to the shoulder strap itself for safety and to stop your camera from swaying around too much. - The sling design allows your right hand to be inches away from the camera at all times. This makes it so easy to have the camera up and ready for a shot. It slides up the strap so smoothly and slides back down to your waist so your hands are immediately free again. -The strap length is adjustable; it adjusts to your proper length on the back of the strap, while the front has a quick length adjuster you just grab and pull. That way if you're moving around alot, you can just pull it to reel in the camera closer. little impressive bonuses: - Almost every connecting piece is metal. The only plastic used is the buckles between the strap and the shoulder pad, but they are buckles similar to those used on backpacks. Except they're also locking. - The shoulder pad has a zipper pocket for sd cards and maybe a battery - There's an adjustable clip to keep the camera from sliding too far down the strap Usually I just use amazon reviews to point out flaws or complaints I have with products, but I have no cons or complaints to share. Just was genuinely impressed to get such a feature rich product for $16 on amazon. The only reason's I can think anyone might not want this is if they HAVE to have a neck strap for some reason. But the features are so nice, the strap is well made with good materials, and the price is good. I am not sponsored or paid to say any of this. Honestly, it's just a good strap.

Very comfortable to carry camera with 24-70 lens or with heavier lens like 100-400.

Well, where do I start, I read the reviews (as you do) ignore most of the 1 star, as mostly they’re whiners are have no clue what they’re buying and thought ok this seems fairly reasonably priced for something I was looking for to take the weight off my neck. I put it together, following the detailed enclosed instructions (that is sarcasm by the way) and proceeded to “climb into” the strap, best way to describe how you have to put it on, then at the same time as you’re climbing into it slip your left arm through the under arm strap. Next I attached the safety clip onto the supplied tripod mount(whatever it’s called) actually I didn’t because it looked crap and I had another better one from a handheld strap I’d bought previously. Ok that was fine camera is hanging round my front nether regions (it’s a Canon R7, with a 100-400 lens on it, with a teleconverter and hood) so climbed out of the strap, adjust length of straps, tried again. Was much better this time but….i noticed on the shoulder pad there is a flat side and a cut out side and the way I put it together the flat side was against my neck, hitch didn’t look right. So I flipped it over but that meant that the under arm strap was not seated correctly anyway I proceeded, stepped into it again felt a lot better and looked a lot better, yea the straps looked a bit twisted but as you can see from the photo’s a couple of the straps I tide a knot in them because I’m not 6’7” and 350 lbs. To be honest the straps are too big and there isn’t enough adjustment to make them fit a smaller frame. I’m 5’10” medium build and it’s too big. Last thing, the extra safety strap, I attached a quick release to it, as I already have one attached to the camera body. I’m on a trip next week visiting Minneapolis (no I’m not going there) to watch some baseball amongst other things so I may make additional comments on my return after walking round with a smaller lens on the camera and see how it is (if I remember) :). TLDR it’s a 3 star for performance, 4.5 for price

Il prodotto a mio avviso è destinato all’uso di fotocamere di peso complessivo importante (es.: FF, zoom, ...) perché scarica sulla spalla il peso che solitamente è a carico del collo. Se non ci si è abituati potrebbe risultare scomoda la tracolla ma io mi trovo benissimo e l’uso della fotocamera è pressoché immediato grazie allo scorrimento lungo la fascia

I was looking for a sling type replacement for my older carry speed which I still use. This is a good replacement. The only drawback is a Swiss arca plate has to be added whereas the carry speed has that built into the camera plate. Nice safety strap is also part of this unit along with storage in the strap. I like this neck strap, would recommend.

I don’t have much to compare it to but it is very comfortable for carrying around a camera attached to a large lens. I’m glad I bought it.