I've been carrying a Domke J1 as my main photography bag. Currently it weights in at 20 lbs/ 9kg, and for me is really my full kit I take about 90% of the time. The bag is great, and I like shoulder bags over backpacks because I like having easy access to my gear without putting the bag down. But with the weight, it's hard to really carry all day, and also when walking with the bag resting on one shoulder, sometimes makes it hard to balance. After injuring my shoulder from a bicycle accident, I had to be more careful on the weight and amount of time I could carry a bag, so I was looking at replacing my Domke with a backpack or sling bag.
During this time I stumbled across the Domke backpack straps, which I figured since the price is under $20, I could try them out. When I received the straps, I noticed that they are very similar to the constructions of the Domke straps on their bags, the cotton feel material with metal rings. The construction is very basic, almost looks as if it was taken from a Vietnam era Army bag if they came in drab green. The instructions while extremely simple were enough to clip the straps in and was easy to use. Basically, the Domke bags have (or should have) metal rings to clip to, clip 4 connections and you're done. The nice thing about the straps is since they are made of cotten, they are not in the way when using the regular shoulder strap. I had no issues with the straps getting caught on anything.
In use I tested this during an all day photo walk. After a few hours my shoulder was very sore from not using the backpack straps, and after our stop, I tried out the backpack straps. The first thing I noticed with the bag fully packed, the straps are harder to insert your arms than with the bag unpacked (as I tested it at home). I am a thin guy so this wasn't an issue for me, but honestly it felt like I was wearing a smaller school backpack where the straps where not as wide as a hiking backpack. Now there are adjustments on the straps but you can not make the straps wider if needed. Once the bag was carried by the backpack straps, it felt actually pretty stable but I noticed the weight was not balanced. This is more of an issue that the straps are joined together via the center ring, all it takes is some manual adjustment by moving the pack, but if you're bag is not balanced, this might be a problem. The straps are not as comfortable as a good quality backpack but honestly, it's a welcome relief from having to use the shoulder strap after your already tired.
I would recommend anyone who has sore shoulders from long photo days to try out this Domke backpack strap. Also if you're using another brand bag, it's possible to use this backpack strap as the requirements are just 4 anchor points, which are common for most bags on the market. If you're using a ThinkTank Photo brand bag, there's an even better backpack strap available.
Just remember that it's alternative carry method and not a backpack conversion, you'll be happy with it. Also if you wish to pack this away instead of having it always connected you can store is in a small side pocket, as the straps are pretty compact.
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