Did they improve the padding on the straps?

What's wrong with the straps?

Peak Design slings and backpacks have very little padding on the straps. This leads to increased fatigue and strain on the shoulders. This is a fairly common complaint and there have been many posts across this and other subreddits on the issue. In regards to the sling with the removable straps, some have swapped it out for better comfort.

Personally, I carry my Everyday Sling V2 6L everyday, and despite having only a single camera, two small prime lenses, and my phone, it puts a lot of strain on my shoulder. I have carried heavier loads on other bags without issue. I believe the issue is with the straps, and it is the main reason why I am looking to purchase an Osprey backpack instead of a Peak Design one.

I haven't seen much discussion about this so far so I thought I would make a thread to see what everyone thinks about it.

Outdoor Line

Earlier this month, Peak Design announced their Outdoor line and at a glance, the straps on the sling and backpack appear to be thicker than their normal counterparts.

However, the Kickstarter video does not highlight any improvements other than the harness.

Ex 1: Video

When discussing comfort for the Outdoor Backpack they say "no bulky padding or gimmicky suspensions on these". Clearly this is just to highlight the new vest-style straps that help with weight distribution and load management.

In the other segments, padding is not mentioned.

Ex 2: Backpack

Outdoor Backpack and Everyday Backpack V2 Side-by-Side

The new Outdoor Backpack has a new ladder system for the strap, and "dual sternum straps" (chest) but once again the straps do not appear to have any improvements to padding.

Some YouTubers were given early access to "review" the new line-up and Terradrift said the straps were

a little bit stiff because they are so thick

So maybe there was some improvement?

Ex 3: Sling

Outdoor Sling 7L (Source: GearByOrlaigh) and Everyday Sling V2 6L (Source: Preview)

In my eyes, the padding appears to be slightly thicker, in some of the other promotional images it looks to be virtually the same.

Does it matter?

I believe it's an important thing to discuss because it tells us a lot about how they might approach a V3 for the Everyday Backpack and Everyday Sling line-ups.

Even if you had no issues with either product, that does not reflect the experience that other owners have had.

Obviously I am biased because of my issues with the Sling V2 but I am interested to see how many people are interested in this aspect being "improved".

Discussion:

Would love to hear what everyone thinks about this.

Do you guys think they improved the padding on either or both of the backpack and sling?

Do you guys care about this aspect at all? Do you think there's a better way to improve comfort?