My main considerations for a strap are:
Build quality - strap ends must be very sturdy and be able to take a lot of strain. I put my guitar straps under a lot of strain, from both guitar weight and vigorous onstage movement. So the strap ends must be able to take the abuse. Have broken many strap ends in the past, so I don't stinge when it comes to getting quality straps.
Length - has to be able to go from goth to funk (apologies to mono straps). i strap my guitar low for live shows, and high for sitting down / practice / recording.
Backing material - i move around very vigorously and need a strap that won't grip my clothes. so leather straps with the rough suede backing are totally out.
Comfort - ever carried a Les Paul non-stop for 6 hours straight? I have. nuff said. comfort is very important.
Design - its either got to be understated (plain dark colours) or really unique.
I used to use Dickies straps for the past few years, which were decent but didn't really distribute the weight well enough. They did put up with my abuse so that was a real plus. Used to use planet waves straps in the past, and they were pretty up to the task as well, except this one model which was really wide and comfy but used plastic connectors to join the strap ends to the straps. All it took was one show for the plastic bits to give way. after that, it was either metal or sewn-on. I had a gibson strap that was given to me, and I have been using that till recently, when one of the strap ends gave way during a show.
Have been using mono straps since ep2 of live n loaded... very comfy, very durable. it was a pain to fix on my dunlop straploks! but after that, a real joy to use. ive got 4 mono straps for my guitars now. CM have got new stock of their mono straps in short & long and in the normal colours. faster get before the nice colours run out and you are stuck with weird colours like kaki or ash grey...
