Founded in 2010 in San Francisco by Peter Dering after a four-month road trip left him demanding more from his camera accessories, Peak Design has been disrupting the camera accessory market with its new, innovative, and environmentally responsible products, which often begin life on Kickstarter.
One such product to make it into production and has become one of the company’s core products is its Slide and Slide Lite camera straps. A Peak Design spokesperson said “We never intended to be a camera strap company, but we saw there was an opportunity to improve on the straps out there – Slide and Slide Lite are our answer to that”.
Peak Design claims the Slide and Slide Lite straps to be “the most versatile pro camera strap in the world”, big claims that I’ll be thoroughly putting to the test in this review. Whilst the Slide is bigger and more suitable for heavier setups and DSLRs, it’s the smaller Slide Lite designed for lighter gear and mirrorless camera systems that I got hold of for this review.
Peak Design Slide Lite: Specifications
Peak Design Slide Lite: Price
At the time of writing the Slide Lite costs between $69.95 / £54.99 for its standard black, coyote, midnight, sage and ash colorways. Using online price trackers this appears to be as low as the price goes even when on sale. There’s also a special Carryology edition of the strap which costs $69.95 (US) or £65.68 (UK). By comparison the full-fat Peak Design Slide costs $10/£10 more than the slimmer Slide Lite.
In the US the pricing appears to be the same both on Amazon and Peak Design’s own website, though in the UK it looks like it's a little more affordable to buy through the Peak Design website.
It’s worth comparing the Peak Design Slide and Slide Lite models to Black Rapid’s popular Sport Breathe which costs a little more at $100/£99 but also has a handy sliding mechanism and also has a beefier shoulder pad for potentially better comfort when wearing heavy kit for extended periods, though it’s only available in a minimalist black color option.
I think the Slide Lite’s pricing is pretty fair and within gift buying territory if you really wanted to treat the photography lover in your life. Peak Design’s marketing claiming it offers three straps in one (sling, neck and shoulder) also help make it feel like you’re getting a lot of strap for your money, and it’s made from premium and eco-friendly materials too.
Peak Design Slide Lite: Design & Handling
Compared to Peak Design’s larger Slide, which has strap width of 4.5cm, the Slide Lite is more demure and contours to the body better with its width of just 3.2cm – a reduction of 29%. Otherwise, the two straps both top out at a maximum length of 145cm and can be shortened to as little as 99cm. The Slide Lite is also 30% lighter, tipping the scales at 104g.
The normal Slide with its wider strap design is aimed at DSLR shooters or those using big heavy telephoto lenses for long periods of time, whereas the Slide Lite is designed for lighter lenses and mirrorless setups. Both the big and small versions are comparable to my Canon straps, which have a 4cm for DSLRs and 3cm for mirrorless. However, I prefer that the Peak Design ones have a more subtle black finish with some premium feeling metal hardware and quick release tabs too – it also doesn’t scream photographer as the stock Canon straps do.
One thing I’ve always liked about Peak Design is how they go above and beyond with their marketing materials and there’s no shortage of videos on the official Peak Design website to help you get set up and get the most out of your Slide Lite. One such video demos how the Slide Lite can be used three different ways, either as a sling, shoulder or neck strap.
In the box you’ll find the Slide Lite in your preferred color, four of the latest 3rd-generation anchors with each supporting over 90kg. Though it’s worth noting the Slide and Slide Lite are also backwards compatible with the older style Peak Design anchors too. You also receive an anchor mount, 4mm hex wrench and a microfibre pouch to keep it all safe and secure when not in use.
As the name implies, the Slide and Slide Lite have been made to slide effortlessly over your clothing so you can bring your camera up to eye-level with as little friction as possible. You can also adjust the metal hardware to lock the strap in place to stop your camera from falling back down to waist level when the action is happening.
But there will be times when you want a bit more friction on the strap to stop it sloshing around too much and that’s where turning the strap over reveals its new grippy silicone pads which keep the Slide and Slide Lite in place when worn over the shoulder.
Peak Design also says it’s using a new softer material drawn through nylon yarn to improve comfort, and is also more water resistant. The Slide Lite also sports tubular webbing and an internal EVA pad, which is more resilient whilst reducing bulk. The quick adjusters are also now molded into the webbing to help reduce bulk and create a slimmer profile.
Also in the packaging with the Slide and Slide Lite, you’ll find two pairs of quick release anchors – handy if you lose one, or would like to put a set on your backup camera. There’s also an anchor mount which is screwed into the tripod connection of your camera with the provided 4mm hex wrench and allows one, or two, of the PD anchors to be attached to move the strap out of the way of the LCD screen or viewfinder, and there’s also a microfiber pouch to keep it and the accessories in when not in use.
Peak Design Slide Lite: Performance
As a reviewer of camera accessories and technology of many years, it takes something special to stand out and impress me, but the Slide Lite really blew me away. Its two large metal buckles are really high quality and click into place really satisfyingly, but they have a functional use that makes it a joy to shoot with. These buckles are easily unlocked with one hand – a nice touch is that they can be locked either facing upwards or down, depending on your preference, and these allow the strap to be shortened or extended with rapid speed.
This is particularly handy if you’re wearing the strap cross-body over the shoulder, as when you bring the camera up to your eye, you can quickly shorten the strap to stop it falling down to waist level, so it’s much closer to your face where you need it to be. This system works tremendously well, my only gripe is that the buckles only face the correct way up when using the smooth side against your neck by default, and they’re the wrong way up when using the grippy rubber side. The buckles can be flipped over but require a special star-shaped Torx head that isn’t included.
Another downside of the strap using metal hardware is that you need to be careful of it scratching your camera or, more importantly, the LCD screen. This isn’t too much of an issue however, as the quick release components directly next to the camera screen are plastic and rounded over so unlikely to cause any damage, but you do need to pack it away carefully to make sure the metal isn’t close to your camera’s screen when inside a camera bag to prevent it rubbing against it.
Peak Design claims its Slide and Slide Lite provide “Unrivalled versatility stability and comfort” and for the most part, I agree. While the Slide and Slide Lite don’t offer any additional padding, like the OpTech Pro Loop does with its large neoprene pad, the Slide and Slide Lite due to their design are much more easily worn across the body which I find more comfortable as it puts the weight onto your shoulder rather than your neck, though it’s versatile and can be worn in both positions with ease.
For a long time I’ve been a fan of Peak Design’s quick release system with plastic button toggles that connect to a camera’s strap lugs and allow the main strap part to be removed or attached quickly. With the Slide and Slide Lite it’s much the same story, though I have to say it’s a little trickier to use than other Peak Design straps (though not by much) simply the button toggle runs into the strap and buckle a little so I found I usually needed to use two hands to carefully guide it past this obstacle. This issue to one side, as with other Peak Design straps I’ve tested the button toggles clip into the harness with a reassuring click and feel rock solid – the strap is rated to carry an impressive 90kg! I tested the Urth Core Camera Strap recently too, and found its quick release system to not be very ‘quick’ as it was very stiff and a little difficult to undo, but the system found on the Peak Design strap here was much faster and easier by comparison.
The Slide and Slide Lite are also compatible with a host of other Peak Design products including their pouches such as the Tech and Field Pouch V2 (plus who knew Peak Design made Shoe and Wash pouches!), and a Peak Design Capture clip can also be tethered onto the strap allowing a second camera body to be attached, or even binocular or a POV action camera with the right adapter.
Peak Design Slide Lite: Verdict
The Peak Design Slide Lite impresses with its versatility and thoughtful design. Ideal for lighter mirrorless setups, it offers multiple carrying options: sling, shoulder, or neck. Its quick-adjusting metal hardware allows for rapid length changes, proving particularly useful when worn cross-body. The strap's slim profile and high-quality, eco-friendly materials also help enhance its appeal.
Some care needs to be taken in order to avoid damage to your kit from the metal hardware, but this issue to one side I’m glad the metal hardware is there – it feels high end and premium and is really practical and a joy to use, too.
It can reassuringly handle up to 90kg and Peak Design's quick release anchors are some of the best in the business for speed and reliability. It is a bit of a shame that a specialist tool has to be used to flip the metal hardware around if you want it to face the correct way when using the rubber side of the neck strap, but this is a blemish on an otherwise very impressive accessory. It offers a significant upgrade over standard camera straps, providing both functionality and a premium feel.
