Using an Absolute Shoulder Strap on an old ID

[cjr]

Hi!

The ID bag I bought about 10 years ago is going strong, and frankly looks as good as new. It is on its 3rd MacBook Pro!

Unfortunately, I'm 10 years older and the fat spongy strap that came with it is starting to be uncomfortable for me I'm wondering if the Absolute Shoulder Strap would be better?

Is there a way to retrofit one to my ID? My ID's shoulder strap is attached by oblong clasps, maybe 2 inches wide.

Thanks,

Chris

[dnarud13]

I'm pretty sure that TB sells retrofit strap "Cheater-D" under "Parts" on the Accessories page. Here

My guess is that you cut the straps about 3-4" above the bag, to give enough length to loop it through the cheater-D and sew it down. I'd pay an alterations shop do an industrial sew job on them. I have 3 Absolutes; wouldn't use anything else.

Does that sound about right, Darcy & Co?

[cjr]

I'm pretty sure that TB sells retrofit strap "Cheater-D" under "Parts" on the Accessories page. Here

Ah yes, the 2 inch part looks the right width.

My guess is that you cut the straps about 3-4" above the bag, to give enough length to loop it through the cheater-D and sew it down. I'd pay an alterations shop do an industrial sew job on them. I have 3 Absolutes; wouldn't use anything else.

Or, I just insert the tails of those cheater adapters through my existing oblong clasps, and then the Absolute clips into the cheater adapters. That sounds less scary than committing surgery on my beloved bag! But would it be secure enough?

[adalangdon]

IIRC, they're not selling cheater Ds anymore (It hasn't been on the drop-down menu on the Parts page for some time now...)

[cjr]

IIRC, they're not selling cheater Ds anymore (It hasn't been on the drop-down menu on the Parts page for some time now...)

Oh, good point. That would certainly cause problems with my plan.

[moriond]

I'm pretty sure that TB sells retrofit strap "Cheater-D" under "Parts" on the Accessories page. * Here

My guess is that you cut the straps about 3-4" above the bag, to give enough length to loop it through the cheater-D and sew it down. *I'd pay an alterations shop do an industrial sew job on them. * I have 3 Absolutes; wouldn't use anything else.*

Does that sound about right, Darcy & Co?

@drnaud, @cjr The process of using the "Cheater-D rings" as an Adapter for the Absolute Strap on the ID Bag is even simpler than you describe, and involves no sewing at all. *Take a look at the pictures in @eristick's Adapter thread from 2007: you just remove the original padded shoulder strap for the ID bag from the toothed Tri-glides at the sides of the bag and thread the webbing ends of each pair of "Cheater-D rings" into these positions instead. The webbing ends of the "Cheater-D rings" are doubled over and tacked just the same way as the webbing ends of the original 2" padded shoulder straps for the ID Bag, so they won't pull through the toothed Tri-glide when you secure them any more than the original padded shoulder strap would.

The problem is that they don't stock/sell the "Cheater-D Rings" in either the 1½" or 2" sizes any more -- even though the descriptions for these adapters are still listed and the pictures for these two items are still included on the Parts product page. I commented in @jujigatame's bag hacking thread titled Making other bags better with TB-sourced hardware that they sold me the last pair of 1½" size "Cheater-D Rings" (for the Large Cafe Bag) last July, and the 2" size was already sold out by then, with no plans to restock.

And the current 1½" "Cheater-D rings" look like this, with triangular ends similar to what's used at the sides of the PCSB, Co-Pilot, Pilot, Brain Cell, etc.:


rather than this:


Sorry, I see @adalangdon has already given you this information. Best I could do is send you the shoulder pad of my old ID bag strap, since I switched to the Absolute strap as soon as this was possible in 2007.

moriond

[ceepee]

The hardware is probably available from the internet somewhere, it's just a question of finding out what it might be called in the non-TB universe. For example, I found this: 4407 2" Plastic Snap Hook Loop - Buckleguy.com
It doesn't look particularly robust, but it's a start

[cjr]

Thanks all.

@moriond thanks for clarifying how the adapters were fitted.

I think I'll look around and see if I can find an adapter from the non-TB universe.

These look really similar to the Tom Bihn adapters, don't they?

[ceepee]

I found the snap hook loop by searching Google for "bag hardware", then I looked at the images to find something that looked like a cheater d-ring. Then I searched Google using variations of whatever they were called in the photo Here's another I found, this time a UK store (wrong size though ): Solid cast large D Ring buckles snap hook adjusters triangle with bar molded, Nickel, APQ - green grizzly

[moriond]

Thanks all.

@moriond thanks for clarifying how the adapters were fitted.

I think I'll look around and see if I can find an adapter from the non-TB universe.

These look really similar to the Tom Bihn adapters, don't they?

Yes! Those look like the same adapters that are used for the "Cheater-D Rings", and that were also used, maybe in ¾" size, for the strap of the (now-discontinued) Breve for iPad bag. I was going to point you to the URL of Mil Spec Monkey's Do-It-Yourself page of suppliers for parts:

DIY-Stores

Your vendor (John Howard Company) is one of the sites listed on that page. I think that if you get short lengths of 2" wide webbing, and bar tack the ends that go around the Adapter and the other end where the webbing hangs free, just following the same design as on your original padded shoulder strap for the ID Bag, you should be fine. You might need to find a shoe or luggage repair store with a machine that can do the heavy duty bar tacking.

HTH

moriond

ETA: BTW The reason for needing an adapter to act as an intermediary for the ID Bag is that the Absolute Strap width is narrower than the 2" wide strap of the ID (and some other messenger bags), so the end of that strap (without snaphooks) can't simply be threaded through the toothed Tri-glides in the same way you can directly attach the webbing ends to 1½" wide webbing connectors. However, if you attach short webbing ends with the Cheater-D rings and thread these through the toothed tri-glides, you can easily hook the snap hooks of the Absolute Strap (and other straps with snap hooks) to the "D" ring portion of the "Cheaters". The results look quite good, as you can see from the pictures @eristick posted in her 2007 Adapter thread. You can also then unclip and transfer the Absolute Strap between different bags, as needed.