Cotton Carrier SlingBelt & Bucket review

Cotton Carrier began life when Andy Cotton, a special effects supervisor of over 26 years transitioned to life as a professional landscapes photographer and realised he couldn’t find a product that met his camera carrying needs in a comfortable, safe and accessible way. Working previously in special effects he followed the KISS principle – Keep it simple, stupid! With people’s lives at stake, there’s no room for error and he wanted to bring this simple and effective approach to his new ideas for camera carrying equipment. Cotton Carrier is also a member of 1% For The Planet, pledging to donate 1% of annual sales to support nonprofit organizations focused on the environment, so by purchasing from the company you know you’re supporting a good cause.

The Cotton Carrier SlingBelt which I’ll be looking at in closer detail in this review is largely different to other carrying systems on the market, many of which I’ve also reviewed recently and you can find them in our best camera straps buying guide. The SlingBelt is different because it takes the weight away from your neck or even shoulders as a conventional camera strap or sling would, and instead puts it firmly around your waist via the belt system, with Cotton Carrier saying “This ergonomically designed belt sits comfortably and distributes the weight of your gear across your hips. Say goodbye to upper body fatigue and eliminate neck and shoulder pain.” It can also be used with optional accessories such as a second camera mount holster or lens bucket which I also managed to get hold of for this review.

The Cotton Carrier SlingBelt started life on Kickstarter in October 2019 and in just 40 days smashed its funding goal by 1200% and raised over $150,000(CAD) from over 1000 backers. Since then it’s quickly gone on to become one of Cotton Carrier’s flagship products – I got hold of one and put it to the test to find out how it performs…

Cotton Carrier SlingBelt & Bucket: Specifications

Cotton Carrier SlingBelt & Bucket: Price

The Cotton Carrier SlingBelt started life on Kickstarter in 2019 where early backers could invest $113(CAD) for one SlingBelt and Bucket system – the price now is much more steep, but that’s the deal with Kickstarter, you can grab a bargain by getting in early.

At the time of my review I found the Cotton Carrier SlingBelt retailing for $99(US) or £85(UK) while the Lens Bucket and Dry Bag costs $55(US) or £42(UK). There's also the Wanderer Side Holster available in grey or camo for $65 / £51 and Everything Bracket to lash a tripod or binoculars to one of the attachment points and this costs $30 / £26.

It's also worth noting that spare 'hubs', the metal quick release connection that affixes to your camera, are quite steep at $29 / £20 for a replacement.

Whilst I’ll cover all of the features that the SlingBelt has to offer in more detail in the next section, in a nutshell it comes with the large waist belt and a CCS metal mounting plate to dock your camera and wear it on your waist, it also comes with a shoulder strap to secure your camera to your shoulder. The Lens Bucket and Dry Bag, plus other accessories like the Side Holster are optional modular add-ons that you can purchase if you need them.

Cotton Carrier SlingBelt & Bucket: Design & Handling

The Cotton Carrier SlingBelt has a nylon exterior, polyester trim and polyethylene foam for padding on the inside. It’s made in Vietnam and all seems to be built to a high standard with no shortage of heavy duty stitching around the key areas to support heavy camera setups, though buckles and hardware are plastic as opposed to metal which keeps the weight down but makes it feel less premium.

The large padded camera dock on the belt boasts Cotton Carrier’s Patented Twist & Lock design. This works by attaching the provided CCS ‘Flat Hub’ to the base of your camera with the supplied hex key – this is an anodized aluminum hub with a rubber washer and a bolt that is tightened to the tripod mount socket on the bottom of your camera. I’m generally not a fan of this design as it stops other accessories from being mounted and also the aluminum hub, rubber washer and bolt aren’t glued or tethered in any way, so it’s really easy to lose a piece and then have to fork out for another. However, once attached it means you can insert it into the holster and undock it with a simple 90º twist.

Attached to the main camera pad is a raincover which collapses down into a small pouch and clips onto the fabric loop on the harness. Whilst collapsing down to a very neat size that doesn’t get in the way, when opened up it’s large enough to fit over a camera body with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens attached and has a toggle to cinch it in place and keep it snug to your camera. However, I don’t think you’d be able to fit any bigger lenses in, such as a 150-600mm as the rain cover isn’t big enough.

The SlingBelt comes with a Sling Tether which at first I thought would take the weight of the belt and transfer it to your shoulder to stop the belt falling down – a bit like with the Think Tank Racing Pro Harness I reviewed recently. However, this is not how it works. Instead, it’s a shoulder strap with the only function of attaching to your camera so that you can wear your camera over the shoulder and also acts as an emergency safety device to make it more secure, should you accidentally drop it.

The SlingBelt is said to be one size fits all, with a diameter ranging from 66cm to 137cm. Cotton Carrier doesn’t state a maximum capacity for the SlingBelt, though it’s made from a heavy duty 37mm strap and in my tests loading it up with my DSLR and 70-200mm f/2.8 lens weighing 2.4kg it felt very secure. It’s likely the case that your hips will give in before the strap does under very heavy loads.

The SlingBelt weighs 220g on its own and the shoulder strap adds an extra 91g. The Lens Bucket is a further 180g and the drybag if you need it is 92g which tucks away inside the bucket and can even be clipped in. The anodized metal CCS quick release plate for your camera weighs 19g, so fully loaded up you could be looking at around 600g plus whatever your camera and lens weighs attached. If you use the side holster for a second camera body it will tip the scales even further.

One of the standout features of the SingBelt system is that you can pair it with other accessories which attach to it. The belt itself has two Velcro landing pads for modular accessories to be bolted on, such as the CCS G3 Wanderer Side Holster or Lens Bucket and Dry Bag.

Cotton Carrier SlingBelt & Bucket: Performance

The Cotton Carrier SlingBelt system is modular a bit like the Think Tank Pixel Racing Harness V3.0 I reviewed recently, however where I found there to be a bit too much choice with the Think Tank system (with over 10 different pouches) Cotton Carrier’s system is less overwhelming. Cotton Carrier has gone for a more minimalist system with just a few add-ons: the Side holster and Lens Bucket. Whilst it’s not as customisable as the Think Tank system, it’s a much simpler design and easier to get your head around.

Cotton Carrier claims its SlingBelt system is the world’s most comfortable and versatile support for cameras, lenses, binoculars (using the Everything Bracket) and additional equipment and if you’re not a fan of having the weight of your camera kit on your neck or shoulders then this would certainly be a system to consider as it transfers the weight to your waist and can still be used in addition to a camera backpack if you wish.

Walking around with with a DSLR and 70-200mm f/2.8 lens attached was a little on the heavy side and did tend to mean the harness would tip forward, though for lighter setups it works much better. I found the weight distribution around the hips to be good, though the supporting material around the camera dock is quite stiff and I suppose this is good for confidence as you know your camera is connecting to something substantial, though I found it needed to be carefully moved into a comfortable position that didn’t get in the way when walking.

Whilst the SlingBelt does come with a shoulder strap, this is for tethering your camera to and using it as a security device when not docked to the belt. This works quite differently from the Think Tank Pixel Racing Harness V3.0 I recently reviewed as the Think Tank model has a shoulder harness to keep its belt in place and stop it from slipping down – the Cotton Carrier model has no such accessory, so you do feel a little vulnerable that the belt could fall when bearing very heavy kit.

Let’s move on to the Bucket & Drybag which is a useful optional extra for keeping an additional lens or accessory like a flash inside. Unlike the Think Tank V3.0 system which has over 10 different types and sizes of pouches to fit to its belt, Cotton Carrier simply offers a single one-size-fits-all lens ‘bucket’. This bucket measures around 15cm in diameter and 18cm tall, though it has a trick up its sleeve as a zip around the bottom can be used to expand the bucket to around 34cm – large enough to easily take my 70-200mm f/2.8 lens.

While the top section of the bucket has a little padding, when expanded, the bottom part has no padding which makes it a little vulnerable. Expanding the bucket also reveals a drain hole on the bottom so water can escape. Speaking of rain, the bucket comes with a dry bag that is a little taller than the expanded length of the bucket, allowing you to get a few wraps in the rolltop to seal it up whilst making full use of the total space inside the bucket. It can also be clipped into the bucket using two clips. The drybag is made from 600Dx600D waterproof polyester with sealed seams and does a good job of keeping the elements away from your expensive lenses.

The G3 Wanderer Side Holster would also be a good choice for this system as it attaches to one of the two Velcro landing pads on the waist harness and allows a second camera body to be attached, or if you get one of Cotton Carrier’s Everything Brackets you could use this wrap around and attach a pair of binoculars or even a tripod. It’s worth noting that while the side holster is available in both grey and camo colorways, the SlingBelt is only available in grey.

The SlingBelt comes shipped with Cotton Carrier’s proprietary CCS Flat Hub – a piece of hardware that needs to be bolted onto your camera to be used with the quick release system on the waist belt. I’ve come across this hub system before when I reviewed the Cotton Carrier Skout G2 and Cotton Carrier G3 Harness so I know it well and I have to say it’s not my favorite design and would benefit from some refinement. The hub itself is comprised of an anodized aluminum hub, a rubber washer and stainless steel bolt – I have no problems with the quality of any three of the components, but they’re so easy to fall apart and lose a piece – you’re then looking at spending $30/£20 on a new one, or forking out for new washers. When I look at the design of Black Rapid’s quick release system used in products like the Blackline or Sport Breathe, Black Rapid has integrated the bolt part into its main ‘hub’ and its rubber washer also sits much more tightly against the threads of its bolt to make it harder to come loose – so it’s much easier to keep everything together. If you drop the Cotton Carrier CCS hub on the floor, its three components separate and go flying in different directions, if you drop the BlackRapid one – it all stays together.

Unfortunately this isn’t my only complaint with the CCS hub. Unlike the BlackRapid design which uses the metal hub itself to turn to tighten it to your camera, the CCS hub requires a hex wrench, so you’ll need to remember to take this with you in your kit bag if you need to remove it, or if it comes loose and needs to be tightened up. The CCS hub really is a blemish on an otherwise very good product. The SlingBelt also doesn’t come with a spare, so you’ll need to make sure you look after yours to avoid forking out. I would recommend using a dab of super glue to fix the rubber washer to the metal hub so that at least these two parts stay together more easily.

Once the CCS hub is secured in place to the base of your camera with a hex wrench, it uses Cotton Carrier’s patented Twist & Lock mount, which means when mounted, your camera and lens point towards the ground. To either mount it or release, you need to twist the camera 90º before you can unlock it. This works absolutely fine with small and light setups, though it becomes increasingly more difficult to twist and turn heavier kit and longer lenses.

Cotton Carrier SlingBelt & Bucket: Verdict

My verdict for the Cotton Carrier SlingBelt & Bucket system is a little tricky as there are big parts of it that I love, but others that I’m really not a big fan of. If you find neck and shoulder straps uncomfortable then this product is definitely one to consider as it puts the weight firmly around the hips. Though it would also be worth checking out the Think Tank Pixel Racing Harness V3.0 – which although a more complex system, does offer a greater range of options if you really want to get into the weeds and customize your setup to the nth degree. But I appreciated that Cotton Carrier kept its product range minimal and simple so that it’s easy to understand.

Potential customers should however be aware that the CCS ‘hub’ attached to your camera and used to dock it into Cotton Carrier’s patented Twist & Lock system is a weak point, with fiddly parts that are easily lost (and expensive to replace) and also requires a hex key to attach, remove, or simply tighten up – so make sure you don’t leave yours at home on a shoot!

The SlingBelt has two Velcro mounting points for accessories and to get the most out of it I recommend the Bucket & Drybag to store an extra lens and a Side Holster for an additional camera with lens attached, or a pair of binoculars using Cotton Carrier’s Everything Bracket.

Black Rapid Sport Breathe
BlackRapid’s Sport Breathe offers top build quality, comfort, features, and security. It’s clearly BlackRapid’s most popular strap for good reason – the Sport Breathe strikes the perfect balance between price and performance and its price point of under $100 will be the sweet spot for many photographers looking to buy a quality strap.

Black Rapid Blackline II Double Camera Harness
The Blackline II Double Dual Camera Harness does everything its more affordable Double Breathe sibling can but builds upon it with softer and more breathable shoulder padding, it’s kitted out with an all-black design that will be a hit with photographers looking to keep a low profile and not attract attention.