Knowing that I will never convince a die-hard strapless flyer to even try a strap, I will say when I started I flew without one for a couple years, then switched to using one by practicing with it a on the simulator one winter. I can't imagine going back to hanging on to the transmitter, my hands are so much more relaxed with a strap, I can concentrate on the sticks, not dropping the box. I considered using a tray but don't see any advantage with my style (thumb on the end of the sticks) of flying.