Photo Accessory Reviews

Featuring thick, vegetable-tanned leather and the amazing tensile strength of seven-strand nylon parachute rope, WotanCraft Paracord X leather neck straps and wrist straps are available with traditional split ring or Peak Design Anchor Lock fasteners and are as attractive as they are practical. With a style that harkens back to their military inspiration, they add another dimension to WotanCraft's already extensive line of beautifully designed photo accessories.

Key Features
• Vegetable-tanned, high-quality leather
• Thick, hand-stitched linen thread
• Ultra-strong Peak Design Anchor Lock option
• Japanese CURA Split ring option
• Seven-strand nylon paracord rated at 550 pounds
• More than 100 style/color variations
• Hand-finished detailsSpecific Pertinent Details
Atwood Paracord 550 is made in the US to the highest possible standards. Constructed around seven strands of nylon inner core, Paracord 550 has a tensile strength of 550 pounds and is resistant to moisture and UV radiation. It's universally used by outdoor enthusiasts and is a staple found in every emergency kit. Paracord is often fashioned into bracelets worn by adventurers who insist on having it always available when needed. By combining this uber-durable material with top-quality leather, WotanCraft has created the "Parashooter" lineup of camera wrist and neck straps that offer rugged styling and outstanding performance.

Peak Design Anchor Locks are legendary and are rapidly becoming the de facto standard for all camera straps. We've reviewed them many times at Shutterbug, including here. Anchor Locks make it a literal snap to remove or switch straps via their quick-release design, so you can share one strap among several cameras, or switch from neck to wrist carry.

Traditionalists will appreciate the O-style Japanese-made CURA split rings. Each CURA ring undergoes 20 hours of polishing to ensure a smooth finish. Adding to their vintage feel, they gradually reveal their copper-colored core as they age in the same way a black-painted camera slowly wears to expose its brass underlayer. Split rings do not always work well with cameras that have slot-type attachment points, so consider carefully.

WotanCraft manufacturers amazing watch straps, shoulder bags, photo backpacks, bicycle packs, sling bags and genuine leather camera straps as well as other photo accessories. Their Pilot 7 camera bag — reviewed by us here — is the best-looking bag we've ever tested, and it's functional, practical and extremely durable.

Reasons to Buy Today
Exceptional high quality
Unique appearance
Extreme durability
Available with popular PD Anchor Locks
Available in >100 style/color variations
High leverage value-for-dollar proposition

Reasons to Shy Away
Rugged styling is not to everyone's taste
Leather straps are sometimes difficult to coil into a camera bag

Sum & Substance
WotanCraft Paracord X leather straps are highly recommended. We've been using the PD Anchor Lock version of both the neck strap and wrist strap for over a month and give them high marks. The balance between leather and paracord is just right, so the straps are surprisingly comfortable, even for all-day carry. We advocate the Anchor Lock version because it's easy to switch between wrist and neck carry, or to a thinner strap when desired.

Price & Availability
WotanCraft Paracord X "Parashooter" straps are available in over 100 styles/colors (all variations included) so you're sure to find exactly what you want. Most neck straps cost $99. Most wrist straps, $49. Both include a multipurpose cloth dust bag. Order directly from WotanCraft. Free international shipping to US.

—Jon Sienkiewicz