BlackRapid Double Breathe Harness review

One of the greatest benefits of owning a mirrorless or DSLR camera system is the ability to change your lens to suit a specific subject. But there will be occasions when you don’t have the luxury of time to switch from say a telephoto to a wide angle, a prime example being when you’re shooting a wedding or sporting event. 

One moment you might be taking group shots with a wide-angle, and the next some important detail could be happening far away that you’ll need a telephoto lens to zoom in on - by the time you’ve switched lenses it’s likely that moment will have gone. That’s where a double camera harness comes in, giving you access to two cameras with two different lenses hanging off each of your shoulders.

Over the years BlackRapid has built a solid reputation as a manufacturer of camera straps, systems, and harnesses that photographers can rely upon. I’ve previously owned a BlackRapid Double Breathe Harness, which I found to be an essential accessory for wielding two cameras at weddings and events, though its latest iteration has some slight design tweaks and I’m keen to see how it performs. So I got hold of one to put it through its paces and see what it’s all about.

Specifications

Price: $179 / £149
Size: Standard or Slim
Colors: Black or Multi-Terrain
Strap adjustable length with pad: 63″ (160 cm)
Pad material: Nylon mono mesh, TPE foam, polyester, and air mesh
Pad Length: 16″ (40.5 cm)
Pad Width: 2.2″ – 4″ (5.5 cm – 9.5 cm)
Pad Thickness: 0.3″ (.65 cm)
Webbing: 100% Nylon
Webbing Width: 1″ (2.5 cm)
Strap Weight: 12.1 oz / 343g

Features

BlackRapid’s Double Breathe Harness is made from two single-padded shoulder camera harnesses. While predominantly designed to be a dual camera harness, there's nothing stopping you from unclipping the two shoulder pads and using one as a cross-body sling. 

The Double Breathe comes in two sizes: Standard or Slim, the latter has been designed with women, or people with a smaller stature in mind. It’s also available in a few color options including black or multi-terrain camo. An in-depth setup video on BlackRapid’s website gives you a full demonstration to get set up and a QR code is included in the packaging to take you straight to it.

The harness comes packed in a mesh bag which not only keeps your harness and its accessories safe and secure during transit, it sets the tone for the rest of the product as it feels well built and high quality.

The latest design change sees a white BlackRapid logo on the front, there’s also a metal buckle and strap on the back which keeps the two shoulder pads securely anchored together. It’s worth noting that BlackRapid also makes a Blackline II double camera harness which is completely blacked out with a black logo and black plastic buckles to help you blend in.

So the Blackline II blends in more seamlessly with darker clothing or even a tuxedo at a wedding and would be the better option if you’re looking to keep a low profile. Another design tweak is the new fabric loops which sit at the very top of your shoulders when wearing the harness and allow a third camera to be attached.

To get started you’ll attach the two provided fasteners to the base of your camera’s 1/4” tripod mount, or this can be to the tripod foot collar on longer lenses to help with balance. The fasteners are metal with a rubber disc that measures 3mm in depth giving you plenty of cushioning to firmly tension it to your camera and feel totally secure. 

As a side note, you can also buy adapters from BlackRapid so that the fasteners can be compatible with tripod plates for Manfrotto or Arca-Swiss and can save time in switching between these different adapters if you plan to use a tripod in the same session as you’re using your harness, or you just want to leave one adapter on your camera all the time and ‘set and forget’ about it. These adapters are a tad pricey at about $30 a pop, but they solve a problem so you may find it worth the investment.

The fastener is then attached to the metal carabiner which is both fast and secure. A spring-loaded knurled piece on the carabiner is then twisted to lock or unlock it. The plastic LockStar gate can then be used to keep it secure and stop the carabiner from being accidentally knocked or loosened - for added peace of mind the LockStar gate will only click into place when the carabiner is in its locked position. This is a nice touch and gives the user extra confidence that their expensive cameras and lenses are safe and secure.

As an added security measure the Double Breathe comes with two safety tethers which can be looped through each carabiner and then secured to your camera’s general strap lug for an extra attachment point and a failsafe if the worst was to happen. 

Once set up your two cameras will hang down by your waist and are nicely balanced with the padded shoulders taking the weight and are comfortable to wear. The straps are adjustable to make your cameras sit higher or lower, and bring them into a position that is easy for you to grab quickly.

Both left and right straps have front and back ‘bumpers’ which are used to secure and lock the cameras in place so they don’t unintentionally travel down the straps when you for example lean forward to pick something up, so that’s a very nice touch that can keep your kit safe from harm. They’re also adjustable with just one hand which is great for fixing them when you’re in a hurry.

Performance

I recently shot a wedding using the Double Breathe and to say it was a game-changer would be an understatement. The two large shoulder pads made carrying my two cameras quick, easy, and comfortable. The locking mechanisms are also extremely reliable and I never felt like my expensive kit was going to take a tumble, though it’s great you can attach a security strap to both carabiners via your camera’s strap lugs for extra peace of mind. 

The two shoulder pads are large so took the weight of both my cameras nicely, one loaded up with a 16-35mm f/2.8 wide-angle zoom and the other with a 70-200mm f/2.8 telephoto lens. This did mean that I was a little unbalanced as I had 1.5Kg of weight on my left shoulder, and 2.5Kg on my right, though that’s more my fault than anything - in hindsight it would have been better to go with a lighter telephoto lens such as a 70-300mm or even a 70-200mm f/4 lens to balance the weight more evenly across my body. 

Small holes have been punched out of the foam for ventilation which is a good touch and gives some much-needed ventilation to stop your shoulders getting hot and clammy. I’ve been testing out the Blackline II double harness recently too and found that it had larger ventilation slits and this did help it to contour to my shoulders a little better, and overall I found the Blackline to be a touch more comfortable.

It’s also worth noting that as the name suggests, the Blackline II is completely black so helps you to blend in a bit better, however having the bright white logo on the Double Breathe isn’t too much of an issue. In fact, as a wedding photographer, you often want to stand out and be easily seen by the bride and groom, but for street and reportage photographers, less so.

The Double Breathe scores top marks for speed and ease of use. It allows you to be really agile as a photographer and adapt to situations as they unfold instantly. You can set how far low your cameras hang down on each strap so that they’re perfectly placed to grab them in a hurry, depending on whether you need your wide-angle or tele-zoom lens, and the carabiners glide along the straps like butter so you can instantly bring them up to eye level and fire off your shots.

While I had full confidence in allowing both of my cameras to hang down by my sides, you do have to be a little careful of what you’re walking past so you don’t accidentally ding your lens, or knock over an expensive vase! Each strap has front and rear bumpers which can be easily slid along the strap with one hand to limit or expand the amount of travel your camera can move along. This is super handy if you need to lean forward to pick something up or move a light stand, but you don’t want your cameras to come hurtling forward!

The two shoulder pads are connected via chest and back straps which are both adjustable and have a small clip on them to keep any excess material from flapping around. The front chest strap also has a piece of elasticated material to make it a bit more comfortable as it has some much-needed give on the chest. There’s also the lightweight double Breathe Slim model which is designed for smaller physiques, though it has less padding so you might find it less comfortable than the standard.

There’s also an optional elastic coupler which helps cinch the back left and right straps together via velcro. You ideally want this low down the straps on your back to keep the harness secure. You can even add a coupler to the front straps too, which will add even more rigidity, though it only comes with one in the bag.

One small issue with all BlackRapid straps using the FR-5 Breathe FastenR is that they can be quite obstructive to cameras using a grip or with a battery grip installed, as they can get in the way when shooting in the portrait orientation with the fastener attached. This can however somewhat be mitigated with other fastener options from BlackRapid, such as the FR-T1 which has a more ‘flat’ design and can be less obtrusive, it’s also designed to work with RD-2 200PL-14 quick-release plates so would be a good option for photographers who need to switch between the harness and tripod regularly.

Verdict

Costing $180 or £149 the BlackRapid Double Breathe is expensive, though do you really want to trust a cheap strap with your expensive camera kit? The Double Breathe is a well-thought-out and lovingly crafted double-camera system that offers the perfect combination of style and substance. It may not be as chic as a leather strap, but I think its predominantly black aesthetic looks good.

While not completely black, like its Blackline II sibling, the Double Breathe with its flashy white logo and metal buckle is the better value proposition and offers a brilliant combination of comfort, speed, reliability, and security. For wedding and events photographers who need a double camera harness, this should definitely be on your list, though if your budget stretches to $200 and you want an all-black harness with slightly better padding the Blackline II would be worth a look-in too.