Wotancraft's Parashooter Slim Camera Straps Have WWII Aesthetics

Wotancraft has unveiled a new, slimmer version of its stylish and practical Parashooter Strap Series, inspired by the pragmatism of old-school photojournalism. The slimmer straps are designed for compact cameras and are available in neck and wrist lengths.

The Wotancraft Parashooter Series camera and wrist straps combine paracord and leather to deliver a distinct, practical look reminiscent of WWII-era military gear. Wotancraft says the strap series is inspired by war photojournalist Sean Flynn, who took his Leica M2 into war with a homemade strap made of materials he found on the battlefield, including parachute cords and grenade pins.

While Wotancraft’s Parashooter Series straps don’t include grenade pins, they do rely on paracord in various colors and designs. The straps feature Atwood Paracord 550, which is a durable, hard-wearing cord resistant to rot and mildew. Although designed for compact cameras, it may reassure photographers to know the paracord’s tensile strength is 249 kilograms (550 pounds). The front cord’s load rating is up to 20 kilograms.

Along with the paracord, the straps use high-quality, smoothly burnished leather. Skilled craftsmen repeatedly work the leather with wooden tools to achieve a very soft, smooth edge, ensuring the strap is comfortable against the skin even during extended use. Both the camera strap and wrist strap variants use thick, durable vegetable-tanned leather that Wotancraft says reflects the “rugged character of classic WWII-era military gear.”

While the first series of Parashooter Series straps released in 2023 was designed for larger cameras, the new Slim series is built for ever-popular compact, lightweight camera models. These include cameras like the Ricoh GR series, the Fujifilm X100, and slim vintage 35mm film cameras.

The neck strap version is 60 centimeters (23.6 inches) long, so on most adults, a camera worn around the neck will rest around the navel. The wrist strap version is 22 centimeters (8.7 inches) long. Both straps are 0.7 centimeters (0.28 inches) wide.

The Parashooter Series — Slim neck and wrist straps come in a wide array of colors, including with light tan, brown, dark brown, olive, and black leather and orange, red, blue, black, brown, and multi-color paracord. The wrist strap versions are all $35, while the longer neck strap length is $45. All of the new straps are available to purchase now.

Image credits: Wotancraft