Scrappy Strappy

It had been quite a while since I'd bought something for me. Something not necessary. I think the last time I'd bought something more than a couple of dollars for me was my new shoes at the beginning of the pandemic. And they weren't exactly frivolous. Actually, I just remembered, I bought a bunch of super budget-friendly used quilting books right before Lizard went into the hospital in August of 2020. Okay, so my most recent purchase wasn't the first selfish thing I've done in what feels like years...

Now that we're both walking again and Lizard is beginning to get back on his bike for short little rides, I needed a new way to carry my camera. Carrying it with the strap around my neck was really beginning to aggravate both my neck and my elbow. The last thing we need around here is another surgery.

I'd had my eye on a harness for carrying a large camera for a while now, and the timing seemed oh, so right. I ordered it; I attached the camera four days later, and I wore it on our short little walk the very next day.

I didn't really like a couple of the strap connectors because I knew (from experience) they would not hold the weight of a big camera long term. I've had similar strap connectors on my point and shoot tied in secure knots for nearly as long as I've had the camera because, as I said, I learned the hard way a single-looped strap will not securely support the weight of a heavy camera long term.

After just one quarter-mile walk, I pinned the strap ends to improve the weight-bearing property. But even then, I knew eventually the pins will bend, and if I wasn't paying attention, my camera could go crashing to the ground.

I mean, there's a reason backpack manufacturers don't use those cheesy glide slides without doubled or even tripled webbing stitched in place to prevent the straps from totally letting go. They can loosen without permission, but they cannot drop your load.

The first time I wore the harness while riding my bicycle, I realized the neck of the harness was bearing on my neck just as much as a strap because the arm openings are so one-size-fits-all huge. I toyed with the idea of buying a fishing vest with D-rings on the chest so I could attach the straps that came with the harness. The best-made (and best ventilated, because it won't be the only layer I'm wearing) vests I could find didn't have D-rings where I needed them, or if they did, the D-rings were not big enough to accommodate a heavy camera. Because, let's face it, fisherpeople aren't looking for ways to attach their camera to their vest. They've got other goals on their minds. (But heck, I'd sure have room for spare batteries and memory cards, plus filters, LED lights, and even a crochet hook and ball of thread!!!)

And then I realized I could actually make my own vest. I don't have to buy one. Making one similar to the one pictured above would be a lot more time-intensive than two-day shipping, and it might even cost more to make it than it would cost to just add D-rings to a ready-made vest. The option is something I will explore thoroughly but probably not until winter (or the Delta variant, whichever comes first) has me locked back inside.

And then I realized my backpack already has D-rings, big enough and in the right place, and I could use the straps that came with the harness to hook the camera to my backpack!!! I stitched some reinforcement in the webbing, of course, because I want to trust the setup.

I'm sorry I didn't get a photo of me walking on the greenway with my camera securely attached to my fashionable turquoise blue Osprey pack. I really did have a blast on that day's walk to the park and ride, and I must have looked super official because all the bird-watchers who in the past have just smiled as they passed by stopped to chat about what I'd seen and where. That was a hoot!

The third time I used my backpack as my camera strap, the strap clip that came with harness snapped. Fortunately, I was holding the camera (aiming it at a bird, in fact), so my camera did not fall. But a new strap system is now desperately needed. I wish now I had not spent the money on the harness, but I guess it did set my creative juices in motion. So it served a healthy purpose. And now, I just need to rig up my own backpack connectors. In the meantime, the neck strap will have to suffice.

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