We assembled a list of the best guitar straps, preferring affordable straps made of highly durable, breathable synthetics or cotton with leather or leather-like strap ends. We also preferred straps with a maximum adjustable length of no less than 52”. Finally, we favored guitar straps with tough, secure adjustment mechanisms that won’t snap or break from prolonged use.
Of the models we put through rigorous testing, the Art Tribute guitar strap is the best guitar strap. We chose it due to its tough, durable, but attractive woven-microfiber construction and vintage pattern, being adjustable and long enough for use with nearly any instrument, its included strap-knob locking system, and for being a great value. Keep reading to see what else made our list. You can also check out our best music instruments list to see who made the cut.
Top 7 The Best Guitar Straps
#1 Art Tribute Woven Vintage Guitar Strap
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: A great-looking, versatile strap with an attachable locking system that remains comfortable to wear even for the longest and most frequent practices, sessions, and gigs.
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- Extremely durable and breathable fabric
- Comes with beautiful high-quality picks and a headstock strap button
- Adjustable length of 37-64” makes it great for all players and guitar sizes
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- Vintage design not for all tastes
- Plastic adjusters are slightly less durable than the rest of the strap
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The Art Tribute Vintage Woven guitar strap is constructed of high-quality, very durable, breathable and hypoallergenic woven microfiber and has an adjustable length of 37-64”, which is suitable for adults and children and most electric guitars and basses. It comes with two medium picks with the same design as the strap, a headstock strap button for use with acoustic guitars, and attachable locking pieces to keep straps securely in place even during vigorous movement.
It’s an all-around fantastic guitar strap built with nearly every type of use in mind for every kind of player regardless of size or age, and although the vintage 70s-aesthetic may not be for everyone, a lot of players will love its look and all players will love its durability, versatility, and excellent value. If you love musical instruments, take a look at the best upright bass.
#2 Ernie Ball Checkered Guitar Strap
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: It’s a strong, extra-long strap with distinctive looks made for working musicians who need a simple and reliable strap with plenty of versatility.
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- Made with durable and flexible polypropylene webbing
- Adjustable up to 72”
- High-quality leather strap ends
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- Does not feature a locking mechanism
- Might be too large for young children
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The Ernie Ball Checkered guitar strap is made with super-tough semi-flexible polypropylene webbing with real high-quality leather strap ends and a stylish, stitched checker design. It has an extra-long adjustability of 41-72”.
It’s not as feature-rich as our top pick, lacking a built-in or included locking mechanism or a feature for acoustic guitar use, but the extra length and simple, no-nonsense design make it a great choice for busy players who need a tough, reliable strap that can be used for even the largest and heaviest of instruments. Speaking of the heaviest of instruments you may also want to look at our guide of the best sousaphones.
#3 KLIQ AirCell Guitar Strap
Award: BEST FOR LONG-TERM USE
WHY WE LIKE IT: The KLIQ Aircell’s unusual design is purpose-built for maximum comfort and safe long-term use without sacrificing a lot of functionality.
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- Cushioning provides exceptional comfort
- Moisture-wicking neoprene shoulder strap keeps the sweat off the skin
- 3” width for better weight distribution
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- Shorter than most models
- Bulk may not suit all players
- No locking mechanism included
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The KLIQ Aircell’s large 3” wide shoulder pad runs the length of the strap and is made from a high-tech moisture-wicking neoprene that helps to keep sweat from lingering on the skin and features patented AirCell cushioning technology that relieves the load on the player’s shoulders while providing a secure hold. The strap is made of durable lycra with real leather strap ends and is adjustable from 46 -56”.
It’s an ingeniously-built strap made for long play sessions with heavy instruments that is especially great for musicians with significant shoulder or back pain issues, but with a much smaller range and a maximum length of adjustability, it won’t be ideal for all players and instruments, and it’s less of a value than many on our list. Still, it’s the best guitar strap for Les Paul and other especially heavy instruments. For a lighter instrument try our guide of the best cowbell.
#4 TimbreGear
Award: BEST VINTAGE DESIGN
WHY WE LIKE IT: It doesn’t cut any corners in using the best materials available with no substitutes, offering high durability and security along with tons of style and comfort, with real leather strap ends and included strap locks.
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- 100% cotton design is extremely soft
- Real leather strap ends
- Includes strap locks and headstock button strap
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- May be too long for some players
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The TimbreGear is constructed of 100% high durability, ultra-breathable cotton with 100% soft leather strap ends, a beautiful, vintage woven pattern, is adjustable up to a long 62”, comes with two strap lock and a headstock button strap, and has two pick holders built into the main strap. This makes it so you’ll never be without a pick in reach.
The impressive quality of construction and materials, beautiful, artful design, and added features make it an excellent choice for any player who values style and function equally and although it may be too long for some children to use, it’s an amazing value for a real piece of guitar accessory art. You might be able to use this strap on your best dulcimer.
#5 Fender Vintage Tweed Guitar Strap
Award: BEST ON A BUDGET
WHY WE LIKE IT: It’s a solidly built, great-looking guitar strap that’s comfortable and secure enough for frequent use, with a flexible, yet tough, polyester and spandex webbed design.
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- Flexible but tough polyester webbing
- Real leather strap ends branded with Fender “F”
- Classic Fender vintage tweed look
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- Shorter and less adjustable than many on our list
- No locking mechanism included
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The Fender Vintage Tweed guitar strap is constructed with a highly flexible but tough blend of polyester webbing and spandex, has 100% real leather strap ends, a look emulating the classic tweed construction of vintage Fender amps and guitar cases, and is adjustable from 44” to 52.5”.
Its lack of an included locking system and relatively small range of adjustability may make it less versatile than some models on our list, but it’s the best value of the models we tested. In other words, it’s a tough, easy-to-use strap with the added flexibility of spandex and great vintage looks. If you want another quality musical instrument, take a look at our guide to the best concertina.
#6 Mr. Power Guitar Strap
Award: BEST FOR LIGHT WEIGHT INSTRUMENTS
WHY WE LIKE IT: A secure, tough strap that’s excellent for use with acoustic guitars and other light instruments and has some nice extra features, including a built-in pick holder.
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- Headstock string included
- Wide range of adjustability at 36.6 to 65”
- Comes with 3 picks
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- Strap material less breathable than most
- No locking system included
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The Mr. Power guitar strap is constructed of nylon with microfiber strap ends, is adjustable from an impressive 36.6 to 65”, features a built-in microfiber multiple pick holder conveniently located near the headstock end for quick and easy access. It also includes a built-in string on one end for attaching to acoustic guitar headstocks and ships with three medium picks.
It’s neither the most durable nor comfortable strap on our list, but it’s a quality strap with a much higher range of adjustability than most straps on the market. The included string, picks, and very handy pick holder built-in make it a great choice for acoustic players of all ages.
#7 Buckle-Down Vintage Guitar Strap
Award: BEST FOR KIDS
WHY WE LIKE IT: It’s a durable but simply built strap with a good range of adjustability on the shorter end that’s a great choice for kids and student players who need a reliable strap built for their size.
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- Slightly flexible polyester construction
- Attention-grabbing, colorful design
- Comfortable enough for long practice sessions
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- No extra features like a locking system
- Less of a value than most on our list
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The Buckle-Down Vintage US Flag Stretch Guitar Strap is constructed from slightly flexible polyester with microfiber faux-leather strap ends, is adjustable from 29-54”, and features a colorful U.S. flag printed design.
It’s a simple, no-frills but very solid guitar strap whose wide adjustability starts on the shorter end, and although it’s less of a value than most on our list and lacks features like a locking system or pick holders, its small size, semi-flexible construction, and durability make it a good choice for children and other smaller players.
How We Decided
Guitar straps are basically an essential accessory even for the casual player, but they come in a lot of shapes and sizes, with a wide variety of features. For the purposes of our list, we focused on affordable but high-quality straps with a maximum adjustable length of no less than 52” that is constructed out of breathable, hypoallergenic synthetics or cotton with leather or leather-like strap ends.
We also liked guitar straps that were at least 2”, strong enough for usage with bass guitars, and which came with features such as a locking system, attached strings for usage with acoustic guitars, ergonomic design features or padding (for frequent gigging, long sessions, and players with back and/or shoulder pain), and vintage guitar strap designs or materials.
Leather guitar straps are popular among some guitarists but tend to be far pricier than standard straps, and so in the interest of value for functionality, we avoided them for the purposes of this list.
Finally, we favored straps that had unique features that made them stand out, like the Aircell’s air-cushioned shoulder strap and moisture-wicking material, Mr. Power’s built-in three-pick holder, and Fender’s classic Tweed design that emulates vintage Fender amps and guitar cases.
Best Guitar Strap Buyer’s Guide
The Most Important Features to Consider
- High Quality, Breathable Material
Guitar straps can spend hours in use, sometimes in hot, humid clubs and practice spaces, so while it’s obviously important that your guitar strap is made of highly durable material that will hold a heavy instrument, it’s just as important that it’s made from a material that will breathe and that won’t irritate exposed skin. Leather straps are highly durable and look great, but often a synthetic or partially synthetic woven material provides the most comfortable long-term use, as long as the material is hypoallergenic. - Maximum Adjustability
Most people wear guitar straps both while sitting and standing, and they’re not always attached to the same guitar- or the same player- which means you’ll need a strap that has a good range of adjustability regardless of the situation. Also pay attention to whether the strap you’re buying is made for acoustic guitar, electric, or both- acoustic guitars require larger and more adjustable straps with strings or other neck attachments at one end, since acoustics tend to have much larger bodies and don’t always have built-in attachments on necks for guitar straps. - Sturdy Adjustment Mechanism
Also important and often overlooked is the quality of the adjustment mechanism of the strap adjusters made of the low-grade, cheap plastic can and will eventually snap with frequent use, rendering your strap practically useless. Always make sure this component is sturdily built from high-quality, durable material. - Secure fit on guitar strap knobs
A guitar strap is fairly useless if it slips off the guitar’s strap knobs, and unfortunately not all guitar straps are created equal in this regard. A strap end is usually made out of different material than the strap itself- very often leather- and while a thick leather strap end seems like the most secure option- if the strap knobs on your guitar are too short, you won’t get a secure fit. A solution for this problem is a strap lock- an additional knob that attaches over the strap and the guitar’s knob to lock it in place. Some straps, including some on our list, come with a locking feature, but you can also buy one separately that will fit many guitars and straps. Make sure either way that the strap you buy will fit with plenty of clearance over the knobs of the guitar or guitars you’re buying it for.
