Someone at Peak one day was clearly fed up with the state of tripod plates and their anchoring system. I think a justification for the lack of a tool-less option to remove this is that why ever really take it off? When I'm carrying my camera its usually resting on my lower back, and that's only comfortable for me with the anchors on the right side and bottom of the camera. While their included small attachment for anchoring to the bottom should absolutely have a tool-less system, this allows me to not compromise on anything. It always on, and I can connect to any tripod while carrying my camera exactly how I want. This will not leave my camera unless I sell the camera, and then its going on the next one. Brilliant!