Strap Review: 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap

Last Updated on 12/28/2017 by Chris Gampat

When you think about sling straps for your camera, you’re most likely going to think about BlackRapid first; but the 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap is an option that honestly isn’t that expensive considering that it’s handmade Italian leather and rated to be much more durable than 4V states. Every now and again I actually have use and need for a sling strap. Of all the strap manufacturers out there, 4V is perhaps the last one that I’d suspect to make one of these straps. But believe it or not, I found the 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap to be not only incredible durable and useful, but surprisingly comfortable.

Editor’s note: it has come to our attention that there are various ways of connecting the strap to a camera. You can use split rings and thread the lacing through to connect it to the carabiner system. This makes it even more secure.

Tech Specs

Taken from the 4V product listing

The PIUMA UP KIT is the first leather sling strap specifically dedicated to mirrorless CSC and medium DSLR cameras. It is extremely lightweight, soft and comfortable. Its name means “Feather”. This beautiful leather strap can be completely disassembled in two parts, the shoulder pad and the belt. Thank to this innovative design it is possible to change/remove the camera attachment hook and set two different length mode (short and long) for increased versatility. The PIUMA UP KIT attaches directly to one of the strap connectors on the top of the camera: fast and easy. It is recommended to use the left attachment for better handling. Thanks to the innovative 4V Safety Hook, with a 3 step safety system, the PIUMA UP KIT is probably the safest sling strap in the market. The unparalleled comfort, the wide length adjustment, the superior quality of details and materials remain the signature of all 4V Design products. 

• Connects to the top of the camera
• Unique Military Standard Camera Hook with triple safety system. 
• High-Grip Technology lining for great safety and durability 
• Memory Foam for a great comfort 
• High-Strength Polyamide Military-Standard Webbing
• Scented Vegetable Tanned Tuscany Leather
• Beautifully detailed Hand painted edges
• Wide adjustable length (Short and Long mode) for a great versatility.
• Ergonomic Design for an unique experience
• Made in Italy

Gear Used

During my testing, I attached the 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap to the Nikon D850 and used a wide variety of lenses with it. 4V doesn’t really recommend this, but it worked out pretty well.

Ergonomics

The 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap is a pretty low profile strap that doesn’t cry out for attention the way some of the company’s other straps do. Instead, you can probably liken the 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap to the man who peacocks like crazy at a younger age but then grows into his own skin with confidence–all while maintaining good looks. I say this myself as I’ve now come into my early 30s and the stresses of running a business have surely put greys into my beard.

A fair portion of the 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap is dominated by this large, leather strap area. It is thoroughly padded and conforms to your chest no matter how large you are. It feels nice.

Here’s the padding and slight texture on the 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap’s underside. What I’m really shocked at is the fact that the strap remained comfortable the entire time that I used the Nikon D850.

The 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap isn’t a fixed length strap. Instead, it’s designed to be adjustable. This means that the camera that you own can slip down further.

All hardware on the 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap is metal and feels great. Plus it has solid build quality.

Build Quality

The 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap connects to a camera using this interesting clip. It unscrews while never completely coming off. Then you need to apply pressure while twisting to get the clip to fully unfasten off of the camera. It’s very interesting and works well with split rings. In fact, if you mated the 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap with the split rings that TAP and DYE used, then you’d have one heck of a strap.

Ease of Use

Once you’ve got the 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap attached to your camera, it’s pretty straightforward. Adjusting the length is pretty simple. One thing that really amazed me about the 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap is the fact that the strap remained so incredibly comfortable and despite 90 degree weather, didn’t cause sweat stains across my shirt. That’s fantastic. When reviewing the 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap, I didn’t really know that it wasn’t designed for big DSLRs. But it proved its durability to me by carrying a Nikon D850 and various lenses for a week.

Conclusions

The 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap is not only durable, but it’s got just enough patina to also look fantastic. The strap is comfortable and uses a way of connecting to a camera that I haven’t seen anywhere else. Plus it’s handmade in Italy and uses military-grade material.

What’s to hate?

The 4V Design PIUMA UP KIT Sling Strap earns five out of five stars.