The swivel hooks from Op/Tech are already much more than I need. They’re metal, and they weigh 40 grams each. I replaced them with plastic swivel hooks from ebay for 4 grams each. These were almost the only hooks I could find on the internet that were

cheap

plastic (for light weight) but have a metal spring rather than rely on plastic spring action

fit 1″ webbing

Next up, glue the swivel hooks in position so they don’t swivel. I wanted quick-attaching hooks in case I wanted to move the strap to another bag; otherwise I could have just looped the strap through a rectangular loop for ultimate light weight.

The shoulder strap of a messenger bag (or cross-body bag) can become fatiguing. Many shoulder straps have a pad to distribute the weight a little, but it’s still not great.

Tom Bihn actually offers a substantial upgrade in the form of their “Absolute Shoulder Strap”, which uses neoprene not as a shoulder pad but as the middle of the strap. That means that instead of just padding sitting between the strap webbing and the shoulder, the neoprene is a weight-bearing part of the strap. And neoprene stretches. The elastic action theoretically reduces perceived weight.

So I wanted that. And after a bunch of websearching, I found out that the Absolute Shoulder Strap is a rebranded S.O.S. Strap from Op/Tech, albeit with upgraded swivel hooks. And Op/Tech makes three versions of the S.O.S. Strap: the curved version, the regular, and the mini.