For many people, the Tom Bihn Absolute shoulder strap has been the go-to strap for carrying heavy bags. Red Oxx, known for their no-compromise approach to building bags, has recently introduced a competitive strap, the Long Hauler. Both Straps are based on the original Op/Tech S.O.S. strap, which has been available for many years. Op/Tech holds the patent on the internal control, stretch, padded, neoprene center section and both Tom Bihn and Red Oxx license this from Op/Tech and then upgrade the webbing and hardware. Tom Bihn uses heavier grade nylon webbing and a larger 360-degree snaphook than the Op/Tech, but retains the plastic tri-glides. Red Oxx uses even heavier grade nylon webbing than TB, an even larger, more robust, nickel-coated 360-degree snaphook, and uses beautiful stainless steel tri-glides in place of the plastic tri-glides on the Absolute strap. The Op/Tech S.O.S. strap costs about $24; the TB Absolute strap costs $30; the RO Long Hauler costs $35. Verdict: The Red Oxx Long Hauler is my new go-to shoulder strap.









Op/Tech S.O.S. shoulder strap





Tom Bihn Absolute shoulder strap




Red Oxx Long Hauler shoulder strap