A DIY Camera Strap

Make a sturdy and colorful custom camera strap with a few household items.

One way to enjoy taking photographs without lugging around a camera bag is to use a neck strap. Neck straps also allow photographers to free up both hands without placing their cameras down and risking theft or damage. You can make a simple DIY camera strap with just a few feet of bungee cord, some rubber bands and shoestrings in as little as 20 minutes.

Things You'll Need

• 8 feet of bungee cord
• Scissors
• 2 wide rubber bands
• 2 shoestrings

Instructions

1. Cut off 6 feet of bungee cord and set the remaining 2 feet aside. Tie the ends of the 6-foot cord together, securing a tight knot as close to the ends as possible to form a circle. Pull two sides of the loop of cord outward to make an oblong shape, and place onto a flat surface.

2. Take the left loop of the circular cord and fold it to halfway to the right so it reaches the middle of cord. Hold it down. Take the right loop of the oblong circle and fold it all the way to the left, so it meets the fold you made in the left loop. You now have six parallel lines of cord, all of equal length, with three loops on each end.

3. 

   Colored rubber bands can complement the color of bungee cord you selected.

   Wrap one rubber band around three of the loops about 1 inch from the end. Continue twisting the rubber band and wrapping it around the loops until they are tightly secured together. Take another rubber band and repeat this step on the opposite end. You should have six flat lines of bungee cord with three even loops on each end, all secured together by rubber bands about 1 inch from each end.

4. Take the 2 feet of loose bungee cord by one end. Fold it over about 3 inches on that end to make a loop. Twist the loop once and pinch it tightly at the twist. With your other hand, slide your thumb and index finger into the loop and grasp the top of the loose cord, near the loop. Pull it about 1 inch through the loop, forming a second loop going through the original loop. Pull the short end of this second loop while holding the very end of the cord, which will tighten the first loop onto the second loop. Repeat this step on the opposite end.

5. Slip one looped end of the loose cord over one end of the banded cord. Place the loop directly over the rubber band. Grab the short end of the cord near the loop in one hand and the long end in the other, and pull firmly to tighten the loop. The loop of your loose cord should completely conceal the rubber band.

6. Weave the loose cord under and over each of the six banded cords. Weave upwards, then downwards and continue weaving until you have reached the opposite end and exhausted the length of the loose cord. Pull the three loops of the banded cords through the remaining loop of the woven cord to conceal the exposed rubber band, and pull the short end of the woven cord to tighten.

7. Fold one shoestring in half. Pull the looped end of the shoestring through all three loops on one end of the woven bungee-cord neck strap. Pull the loose ends of the shoestring through the single loop of the shoestring and pull tightly, securing the shoestring to the woven neck strap. Repeat this step on the opposite end with the other shoestring.

8. Pull both dangling strings on one end of the neck strap and push them through the plastic strap holder on one side of your camera. Tie them together in a tight knot at the end. Ensure that your knot is larger than the opening on the camera so it doesn't slide through. Repeat this step on the opposite side of the camera and neck strap.

Resources

• Skip To My Lou: Camera Strap Cover Tutorial
• TipNut: 15 Camera Strap Cover Tutorials: {Free}