Let me guess. You’ve decided to buy a new camera and you don’t want to look like a tourist with that bulky neck strap that it comes with. Or perhaps you bought one of The Best Small Cameras, and find that a wrist strap is much more elegant fit. So if you need a wrist strap, I’ve used them all and I’ll cover what I think are the best camera wrist straps for your camera.

My personal travel friendly fave is a leather wrist strap + Panasonic GX85 + Panasonic-Leica 15mm f1.7, aka my Poor Man’s Leica setup.

There’s almost always a free neck strap that comes with every camera purchase. And to be fair, they work just fine for the most part. But when you start spending more time out shooting, you might find the weight of a camera constantly tugging on your neck to be a little too uncomfortable.

And because you also don’t want to walk around the city looking like a walking marketing promotional for your favorite camera brand, you start looking for alternatives. There are, of course, a lot of camera strap varieties with each having advantages over the other, but one of the most overlooked camera accessories out there is perhaps the humble camera wrist strap.

These little contraptions offer the perfect balance of comfort and security, which fortunately also eliminates that clunky feeling of having your expensive camera body dangling and swinging all over the place. So if you’re looking to invest more in comfort, we’ve tracked down some of the best wrist camera straps you can buy in 2023.

Gordy Wrist Straps – My personal favorite camera wrist strap

Gordy’s wrist straps are perhaps one of the most recognizable straps out there. For good reason. Everything Gordy makes is a thing of beauty. A is as minimalist as it can get in the looks department. Just one thin strip of leather, bound with a robust cord, and a few rings to attach to your camera — all these seemingly basic materials make for a very solid wrist strap.

I know this might raise some doubts about its reliability, so have a go at Gordy’s aptly named, “How Strong Are the Leather Straps?” page and see just how much weight it can haul. Don’t be too surprised if you see an old CRT monitor being held up by a chain and a camera strap while you’re in there.

Back to the design. The rubber ring on the wrist strap slides across the material very smoothly and cinches down on your wrist for a more secure fit. The design, thoughtful as it is simple, features a leather O-ring bumper to protect your precious camera from the inevitable bumps and scrapes.

You can also configure a Gordy wrist strap virtually however you want — from blinging it out with a titanium disconnect kit, picking a wrist pad and wrapping color, there are enough customization options that’ll let you come up with your perfect wrist strap.

If you don’t want to shell out the $25+, there’s plenty of copycat alternative on Amazon for under $10. I have a few of the off-brand versions in different colors, and have never had any issues.

Chris Niccolls of DPReview gives a special shout out to Gordy’s Camera strap being his all-time favorite strap in his “the camera gear that changed my life” video. It’s practically a love letter to wrist straps so definitely watch this one if you’re not sold on wrist straps just yet:

Peak Design Cuff – Best Wrist Strap When You Need to Switch

Good design is good business. Peter Dering knew this. So after a four-month trip around the world and finding how much of a pain it is to carry around bigger, serious cameras, he spent the next 10 months designing what would be an immensely successful, Kickstarter-funded product that will launch one of the best design companies for his fellow creatives — Peak Design.

The Peak Design Cuff is a product I feel best represents what a company that is perfectly in tune with their market can do. It makes use of Anchor Links, Peak Design’s very own quick-release system that can seamlessly work with other compatible Peak Design products. The Anchor links and housings have a very slim profile, that amazingly can carry over 200 pounds or 90 kilograms.

The Cuff is lightweight, compact, and cinches down on your wrist comfortably. It also has an automatic drop protection feature that “auto” tightens the Cuff around your wrist; perfect for the average butterfingers Joe.

I love this wrist strap. I shoot a lot in-studio, which means I don’t use any straps at all because my camera sits on the tripod and I don’t want anything in the way. The quick release allows me to easily remove the wrist strap within seconds (versus a minute with something like the Gordy Strap).

They’re under $30 on Amazon, and you can pick up a neck strap too if you want to quickly change to that when needed.

Here’s Lok C, presenting for Photo Gear News, with a useful hands-on demo of the new Peak Design Cuff.

Lucky Wrist Strap – The Premium Anti Theft Camera Wrist Strap

How many camera strap designers will actually try to cut the webbings off of their product on video to prove a point? I’m thinking not a lot. The from Lucky Straps boasts a cut-resistant (not cut-proof) anti-theft webbing that’ll provide much-needed peace of mind during your trips.

Made with Nubuck leather and at 30mm wide, the Lucky Wrist Strap will comfortably fit mirrorless cameras, DSLRs, to medium format systems if you wanted. The quick-release system on this beautiful wrist strap has been strength tested to carry a load of up to 50 kg. Thanks to the soft upholstery and high-quality Desert Tan finish, it’s plenty comfortable and stylish, too!

For an added fee, you can also opt to get your wrist strap embossed with your name or even a logo. That’s how you make your gear truly your own. These will be one of the more expensive wrist straps, starting at $61 on their website.

Melbourne based photographer Greg Cromie writes:

“The Wrist Strap is a little different to the long straps in that it doubles over on itself to form a loop to pass your hand and wrist through. The leather is really soft against your skin. A 30mm D-ring is connected to the end of the strap via rivets for a strong connection. This D-ring allows you to slide the strap closed against your wrist for greater security.

And that’s really all there is to it. Like I said, pure and simple – no need for maintenance or leather-care.”

Henri Camera Wrist Strap by Eric Kim – For Photographers, by a Photographer

Let’s step away from all these “utilitarian” wrist strap options for a minute and have a look at a pure artisan product, like the Henri Camera Wrist Strap by Eric Kim. If you’re after a wrist strap that’ll match the prestige of a film or digital Leica, the Henri might be it.

The Henri is designed by Eric Kim in collaboration with Haptic Industries and the result is nothing short of stunning. Eric, who himself is a name almost synonymous with modern day street photography, probably knows a thing or two about good camera straps. Everything in the Henri series of gorgeous leather straps is beautifully handmade and handstitched by craftsmen in Saigon.

These are made in limited-batch runs that preserve a degree of excellence in the production line, so you’re also getting the exclusivity of owning such an elegant wrist strap by Eric — plus you’re also supporting artists and craftsmen with respectful wages!

It’s worth noting that the Henri wasn’t designed for DSLRs or other heavier systems, but will perfectly fit Leicas (film or digital), Fujifilm cameras, every micro four third cameras and other similarly sized cameras.

Here’s a nice overview of the Henri Camera Wrist Strap by Eric and Cindy themselves:

DIY a Wrist Camera Strap!

If you want something done right, do it yourself, or so they say. So if you’re not really feeling any of the wrist straps we’ve covered, it might be a good idea to make one yourself. All you’ll need is a roll of paracord (or a paracord craft kit), a few keyrings, half an hour of labor and you’ll have yourself a DIY paracord camera strap.

Going the DIY route offers a few advantages. Mainly, it’s the amount personalization you can do since you’ll be choosing the paracord patterns and colors, and deciding on what kind of braiding you’d want for your wrist strap. Second, and perhaps something that holds more appeal, is just the sheer satisfaction of making and using a piece of gear you’ve made yourself.

YouTuber and photographer Evan Raft has done an awesome job with his DIY paracord camera wrist strap for his x100F. He also compares it to a commercially available paracord strap from DSPTCH. The most obvious difference between the DIY and the DSPTCH strap is the buckle and attachment systems. But, if you’re okay with rolling with a keyring for your homemade paracord wrist strap, then it’ll definitely be a fun little project for you to try out.