The best mandolin straps?

[Kevin Winn]

Sully's or Little Satchel (available at Carter's)

[Andy B]

My favorites after many years are Hines and Little Satchel, which is similar to Hines. I am not sure if Hines is still available. Both are braided roo hide, thin, supple, and strong. Also a leather bootlace that came on a mandolin I bought years ago; the bootlace is similar to the two mentioned above in that it is thin and strong.

[TarHeelPicker]

I've tried Lakota (non-braided), Pinegrove, and Long Hollow. The Lakota is very soft, but the end is thick enough that it's tough to slide it around the scroll. The Pine Grove is beautiful and extremely high quality, but it's new and a bit stiff. The Long Hollow is absolutely fantastic, and I'd buy another in a heartbeat but it seems they are no longer in business.

[kdlrd]

I have a Levy's leather strap, which is cheap and easy to find here in Canada. It looks and feels quite nice and I haven't felt the need for something more pricey. It is really designed for an F-style, so I adapted it to my flattop with some kitchen twine (if it is strong enough to keep my grill cover down during winter storms, it is strong enough to hold my mandolin).

[Kirk Higgins]

I tried several over the years but currently use the Harrison strap. I am very pleased with it and this will likely be my last strap. The only place I found them for sale was through Northfield Mandolins. I understand you can order direct from Ronnie Harrison on Facebook but I do not have a Facebook account. Highly recommended.

[musicofanatic]

I am hip to the compulsion to accessorize, but I have never owned a mandolin that weighs more than a few pounds and being something of a minimalist by nature...I have never felt the need for more than a little support to maintain a mandolin in playing position. I long ago obtained about 15 feet of what I seem to recall being buffalo hide lace, 1/8th" wide, about half of that dimension in depth, from which I have devised many mandolin straps through the years. Easy to put a slice about 3/4" long near one end to slip over the endpin, and (in the case of a scrolled F model) a simple knot at the other end to hold it against the opening of the scroll. Aesthetically, I have never liked how a strap with a loop interrupts the graceful flow of the scroll and the knotted end is nearly invisible. Not that I wish for any of the aforementioned strap vendors to lose any valuable commerce...

[EdHanrahan]

... The Long Hollow is absolutely fantastic, and I'd buy another in a heartbeat but it seems they are no longer in business.

While I do have a Lakota (Flatiron F) and a Sully's (Martin 12-string), I've been impressed with the Long Hollow Softie ('17 A-1), because of its, yup, softness, as well as its clever offset shoulder pad that fits A or F styles just by reversing it. Plus its "woven-knot" length adjustment that still ensures softness. Sorry if they're actually gone; my search found "out of stock".

[Ira7]

I went to Goodwill and bought a woman’s narrow leather woven belt for 5 bucks.

[Denny Gies]

I got some thin strips of leather in a hobby shop and a booklet on how to weave them. Made my own strap and it works just fine, plus it was fun.

[Dave_W]

I am a big fan of Massimo Gatti's straps. Ordering from the US can require patience as they'll be making their way from Italy, but Massimo makes a great product and provides great service along the way. Highly recommended.

NFI, just a happy repeat customer.

[Rob Ross]

I'm with renoyd, I still like the embroidered cloth Souldier strap I bought years ago. ( https://www.souldier.us/MANDOLINSTRAP.aspx ) It is soft, comfortable, attractive, and the cloth provides good traction on your shirt or jacket so the strap doesn't slip. The only gotcha is the metal loop for adjusting the strap length. Don't let it slam down on your mando when putting it back in the case. I just curl a loop of the strap fabric around the ring to keep from having metal-to-wood contact.

My travel mandolin has a 20 year old cheapo 25¢ cloth sleeping bag strap from the Army-Navy Store in Anchorage.

[SeaDrive]

I use a D'Addario 3/4" leather strap that I bought from Sweetwater for 16 bucks. It has a smooth side and a rough side; the rough side is the "in"side, which sticks to my shirt, and keeps the mandolin at the desired angle. It has a shoelace-type tie, which I fasten under the nut. It's wonderfully functional, costs very little, and looks great!

[mee]

Randy Hogan if you can find one, I don’t know that he is still making them but check with mandomutt. Second choice is Lakota round braid. I tried many straps before I realized the most comfortable for me is thin and round.