Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting light weight tripods

Any recommendations for a light weight tripod for use under a spotting scope and digital camera?
Thanks

Royce

I've been partial to the Slik brand, but some of the carbon offerings beat them in weight but are much pricier.

I also smoked the head of a small slik on a sheep hunt, little field repair with some duct tape made it useable again though.

I use a spotter alot in high big country, one of the trade offs is in the lightweight ones, you often don't have as smooth of a head for panning, have to get the adjustments just right, ime almost on the verge of it collapsing under the weight of the spotter.

also graphite is your friend.

I spend mucho loot on my bp gear, but have never taken the plunge on the carbon tripods. the sliks are inexpensive and work well for my needs.

I need one as well.

Gonna have to check out the Sliks, should be plenty for a little Minox 62.

I just made the jump from a Zeiss Diascope with a straight eyepiece to a Swaro with the angled. Being as I no longer need to get to 60" to be able to stand and look through the scope as the angled will allow for a shorter spotting scope I am going to go with my current tripods little brother.

Right at 2 lbs even, same exact tripod head, folds down 1" smaller (only 13 inches) but still extends up to 54". The my current velbon is great. Just don't need the extra height it gives and I'm saving a couple ounces as well as space in my pack.

Here is the one I'm going to be buying here in the near future.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/589886-REG/Velbon_ULTRA_MAXIM_Ultra_Maxi_M_Tripod_w_.html

I use the slik also. I'm a middle of the road guy when it comes to equipment, I won't have the most expensive but will get the best bang for the buck. Carbon is light but expensive, not light enough for me to spend hundreds extra.

If money is no object that's great and look at the Gitzo.

I had used just the Slik compact 35.00 tripod and head for sitdown glassing with my 15s for years and they were fine. I've since upgraded to a Slick sprint pro and a Velbon 157Q head, for around 150.00 total. There is a world of difference in the smoothness in glassing with the two setups, both work though. I'm sure there are smoother/lighter setups than mine but it works great for me.

The setup weighs a hair over 3 lbs. There is a sit down pro model also that weighs less.

The cheap compact is less than 1 1/2 lbs if I remember right, steady enough with my big porros, sit down only, can't change the head though, and why I switched.

Here's a link, scroll down to the Slik and the Head.

Coueswhitetail

Kent

Alaska, I like that setup. I think you have the 57Q head, have you used the 31Q head in the link also, if so how do they compare. 2 lbs at that price is a great setup, might have to get one for my brother.

Kent

Kent,

I only have experience with the 31Q head. No its not as nice as some of the fluid heads I've used in the field, however, we also don't haul the fluid heads around in our backpacks generally either. Honestly I like my Ultra Maxi L so much that I used it even when basing off of the fourwheeler. Really the only difference between the Ultra Maxi M and L is the length of the legs. I'm probably going to be giving my bro my ultra maxi L.

I use a monopod for my spotting scope. I cut down each of the peices to make it a little more compact and it will fit sideways in my pack. It weighs next to nothing and takes up very little space.


Casey

I'd be interested to here how they compare?

Among thes best out there are made by Outdoorsmans, They are HELLA pricey (kind like McMillan, Swarovski, Cooper VERY proud of their equipment)

For some reason I thought I saw a pic of your Zeiss on a 157Q, when I was researching heads a few years ago, oops. Anyway I like the velbon heads so still will try your linked setup.

Kent

A gorilla pod works great where every ounce counts such as sheep hunting.

I have an old Velbon. Good tripod but weighs a ton and is pretty bulky to pack.

I went to the camera store last week and saw these:

http://www.benro.com/products_details_C-058EX.html#1

The guy says they're basically a chinese copy of a Gitzo. The carbon one was just 2 lbs and pretty solid. It runs $240.

They also have an aluminum one, the A058, that is about a third of that price and only a half pound heavier.

Very tempting......

I've had a Slik Sprint Pro for three years and love it. But I'm going to upgrade the head to the Velbon (tried to find a Slik head to work and couldn't get it done).

Thanks for the link Kent.

Per Doug's recommendation I picked up the Velbon Ultra Luxi-F and I really like it. It has also worked well enough in the field that two of the folks I hunt with "upgraded" to it.

Cameraland doesn't list it anymore but here is a google link to the bad boy... http://www.google.com/products/cata...;cid=16631560829083704059&sa=title#p

Yep,

I started out with the Velbon Luxi actually. Great tripod but the Ultra maxi line is just as stout and I don't need the second handle or the extra height or weight the Luxi line has so I just use that tripod for the Nikon spotter that lives at my cabin to spot grizz and dall sheep off the porch.

Thanks to everyone that poster replies. I have statrted researching all the recommendations.

Fred

Fred, what ever you get, don't get a tripod with legs that utilize a screw-lock system... get something with flip-lock levers.

Fred-lots of good ideas here, one last thought I'll add. In the shops where we used to work we carried a lightweight inexpensive Bushnell. It was cost efficient (cheap) about $29 and did the job very well for me. I don't know the item number anymore but you may take a gander and see if you can find one.

For the ching I've not found anything that would beat it.

Later

Dober

LOL
That reminds me of the time I found a Swarovski spotting scope stuffed in one of those $39.95. I think somebody had a buddy that he was going to sell a "tripod" to! It came from the main store that way.

Fred