Thanks, Domke

Qwwikkk!

I paused at the state fair, people flowing around me, as I adjusted the strap on my Domke camera bag. I assumed the strap was sticking with my shirt due to the profuse sweat being produced by the blazing sun and high humidity.

Later someone would notice the black marks running diagonally on the back of my shirt like tire tracks from a toy car.

Two ways to carry a camera bag: hanging from your shoulder or over-your-head -across-your-chest bandolier style. For safety reasons I prefer the bandolier carry; it's hard for the bag to fall and also for someone to grab it and run off with my equipment.

Domke designed its strap for those who like to let their bag hang off their shoulder, inserting two parallel strips of rubber along its length. Good design until years pass and the rubber breaks down, especially in hot weather.




Checking the strap, I noticed pieces of the strips falling off. I ended up spending some time removing the remaining rubber -- it just rubbed off -- and then gluing a fabric strip over what remained to prevent another shirt from being ruined.



Unlike the bag, the shirt was beyond fixing, despite soaking it with laundry detergent. It was one of my favorites, a button-down summer short sleeve, cool and comfortable, that will be buried in the landfill.

No more rubber strips with my camera straps. I don't need the extra grip -- or the toy car tire marks.