Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap review: an Arca-Swiss-compatible dual harness that converts to a single-camera strap

What’s better than one camera? Two, of course! Enter the Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap – an Arca-Swiss-compatible dual-camera harness that enables two camera bodies with different lenses to be hung off your shoulders, bringing them within easy reach.

There are a variety of situations where a dual-camera harness comes in useful, such as professional wedding or sports photographers who need to shoot with multiple cameras, allowing them to quickly swap to another camera with a different lens attached and ready to go.

Dual camera harnesses are nothing new, and I’ve previously reviewed the BlackRapid Blackline II, BlackRapid Double Breathe, and the Coiro Dual straps for Digital Camera World. However, the Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap has a couple of unique features, including the ability to be split in half and be used as a single shoulder sling, in addition to its Arca-Swiss plate design – so without further ado, let’s put it to the test and find out if this is the one you should go for.

Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap: Specifications

Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap: Price

The Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap costs $170 / £100 / AU$220, so how much of a bargain it is depends on whereabouts you're based. In the UK, it's considerably cheaper than Black Rapid’s most popular harness, the Double Breathe, which costs $180 / £150 / AU$270, whereas in the US there's a lot less in it.

The UK price of the Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap is more in line with the Coiro Classic Dual, which costs $98 / £98 / AU$155. That said, the Coiro harness is made from leather straps riveted together and can't be used as a single strap, whereas the Pro 2N1 Strap can, so it's more versatile on that front. I personally think the Coiro strap looks a little more stylish and characterful, which is important for me when shooting weddings. However, being made of leather, it won't be suitable for those who avoid animal products.

If you like the practical functionality of having a dual harness that can be used as single shoulder straps and also has a versatile Arca-Swiss plate design, you won’t be disappointed with the Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap.

There's also a Vanguard Pro Strap designed for a single camera only, which cost $120 / £75 / AU$150.

Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap: Design & Handling

The Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap has a maximum length of 178cm and a strap width of 2.5cm. Impressively, Vanguard claims it can withstand a maximum weight of up to 150 kg – though let’s face it, realistically we’ll be carrying much less than this, even with the heaviest of pro cameras and monster telephoto lenses loaded up.

Tipping the scales at 430g, the Pro 2N1 Strap is almost 100g heavier than the popular BlackRapid Double X Extra Comfort, undoubtedly because there’s a lot of metal hardware on the Vanguard harness, especially around the quick-release mechanisms. On the other hand, it's significantly lighter than the Coiro Classic Dual leather harness, which weighs a hefty 625g.

Padding on the shoulder areas of the Vanguard is fairly thin at 5mm. It also has a rubberized texture on the inside, so it’s less breathable than the BlackRapid. I’ll come on to how comfortable I found it to be in real-world scenarios in the Performance section.

The Pro 2N1 Strap is currently only available in black or a greeny-gray option, which makes it quite utilitarian – as a working wedding photographer myself, I often sacrifice the comfort and features of padded black straps in favor of a leather harness such as those from Coiro, which come in different color options and help to make me ‘look the part’, so I can inject a bit of character into my wedding outfit.

That said, if black is your thing, or you need the dual harness to shoot something like motorsports, this rugged, utilitarian design is almost definitely a better choice for you. It’s also no bad thing that black helps you keep a low profile, which could be desirable for some photographers or videographers.

One of the Pro 2N1 Strap’s party tricks is that it uses Arca-Swiss mounting plates. These require a tool, such as the included hex wrench or a flathead screwdriver or coin to affix to your camera initially, so in practice they take a little longer to remove or attach to your camera than the lugs that come with the Black Rapid and Coiro straps, which can be screwed in tight by hand without any tools. However, once the Vanguard plates are installed, you really have no reason to remove them again due to their versatile Arca-Swiss design, which is universally compatible with many common tripods and monopods.

There are clear real-world benefits for this, including wedding photographers shooting low-light scenes on a tripod and motorsports enthusiasts switching a single monopod between two camera bodies, each loaded with different lenses.

Cameras can be detached from the harness fast using the quick-release buttons, and while this is fast, this actually doesn’t allow the Arca-Swiss connection to be accessed; instead, you need to use the slower thumbscrew to detach your camera from the Arca-Swiss plate, and this felt like a bit of a strange design choice.

There are also two safety tethers included in the box, which loop through points on the harness and connect to the lugs on your camera to add another point of security should your camera accidentally take a tumble.

As you might have guessed by its name, the Pro 2N1 Strap can be split in half and used as two single straps, either going over your left or right shoulder, depending on your preference.

Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap: Performance

One of the most unique aspects of the Vanguard Pro 2N1 is its implementation of Arca-Swiss-compatible camera plates that connect to the harness. While these do feature a quick-release button, this disconnects a larger mechanism, so getting hold of the camera with just the Arca-Swiss plate attached takes longer and requires turning the thumbscrew to detach it from the harness.

However, this is still very speedy to do. As a wedding photographer, I don’t find myself having to faff around with changing tripod plates that often, unless I’m doing something particularly fancy such as a group shot at night where I’ll use a long exposure so that guests can write words with sparklers – here a tripod is essential, though I would say 99% of my wedding shots are taken handheld with them firmly glued to the harness.

But perhaps I’m being unfair – it could well be that the reason I have been reluctant to take them off the harness and use a tripod is that I know how much of a pain it will be to switch over to a tripod plate, slowing me down and potentially resulting in me missing a key moment.

Although I like to ‘run and gun’ most of my weddings using a dual harness, there are certain situations, such as the big family group shots, where using a tripod would be beneficial and ensure consistent framing as family members are swapped in and out, not to mention this would also remove any chance of camera shake creeping in from shooting handheld.

I reckon Vanguard’s Pro 2N1 Strap will be more desirable in the realms of sports and motorsports, where photographers are either shooting handheld or on a tripod, or more likely, a monopod. I can see the ability to switch cameras sharing a single monopod being very handy indeed.

The shoulder pads of the Pro 2N1 Strap have a solid rubberized texture on the inside, which makes them grippy but not breathable, unlike the Black Rapid Sports Breathe, which has holes for ventilation. The grippy texture on the shoulder pads do a good job of keeping the harness in place when you’re on the move, there are also two plastic bumpers on each of the straps that can be adjusted to restrict the range of movement to stop your cameras swinging about too much. This is particularly handy when you need to lean forward or crouch down as it stops the cameras from lurching forward unexpectedly.

Secondary safety tethers are essential on a camera harness to prevent your expensive camera and lenses from crashing to the floor should is slip from your grip once removed from your harness, or in the unlikely scenario that the main connection fails. While the Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap does come with these additional straps, their toggles appeared to pop out of their connectors with a very light touch and I would have been more reassured if it took a bit more force to separate them. That said, they never failed me during testing.

The Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap is pretty much half the price of Black Rapid’s Double Breathe, which is the company’s most popular dual camera harness. Doing a side-by-side comparison, the Vanguard sadly does feel of inferior quality, though it’s a much more budget-friendly option, so that shouldn’t really come as a surprise. The shoulder padding feels thin, basic, and is unventilated, while bringing the cameras up to eye level would often get snagged or caught and weren’t as smooth to glide up to eye-level as on the Black Rapid Double Breathe.

That said, it has nice features like an elasticated sternum strap and there’s no shortage of buckles you can adjust to make sure it fits your build perfectly.

All of the metal components on the Pro 2N1 Strap feel solid and of good quality, so there are no issues here; they feel hefty and built like a tank. However, I have a qualm with the design choice of the quick-release system, which, yes, it disconnects the camera from the harness so you can shoot untethered and handheld – but this doesn’t give you fast access to the Arca-Swiss plate, which requires a separate piece of metal to be unscrewed by a thumbscrew – it just seems like an odd design choice for me. The USP of this product is that Arca-Swiss connection – so why slow down being able to get to it and use it?

Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap: Verdict

You’ll struggle to find a decent double camera harness on the market for less than £100, which makes the Pro 2N1 Strap a really good budget option in the UK, offering great bang for your buck and, if you are limited by strict budgets, you’ll still be treated to some very handy features.

However, the US price of $170 is not quite so competitive, potentially due to higher tarrifs, and this makes it similarly priced to its competition from Black Rapid, which is built better, though doesn't have the flexibility of its Arca-Swiss mounting system.

I’ll make no bones about it – the Pro 2N1 Strap isn’t the most comfortable or best kitted out harness on the market, but it does offer a great set of features at a decent price. In the UK it costs similar money to the Coiro Classic Dual, so if leather products aren’t your thing, the Vanguard Pro 2N1 Strap offers a fantastic alternative.

Alternatives

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.

The Coiro dual Harness is a brilliant budget-friendly option that offers both style and substance. It comes in a variety of colors to help you look the part at weddings and although not padded in its most basic iteration, it’s comfortable and holds your cameras very securely.