Graylight
Active Member
Grizbacker, the Manfrotto and the one you speak of will work, however, all in that price range will have you wanting for something... IMHO, save a little bit and buy something that you can hunt with for a lifetime...
Lightweight Tripod
- Thread starter Justin
- Start date
Grizbacker
New Member
Thanks Graylight. What manfrotto would you recommend? Also, what are your thoughts on ball heads vs. typical pan heads for hunting application? Thanks
twp1224
Active Member
What about a Gorillapod? anyone using one? Do you think they will hold up a Nikon ED50? they are light and can be wrapped around a tree, etc.
GameSlayer
New Member
I have a Gorillapod and it is cool that it can be used on trees and stuff but I think it fails in comparison to a real tripod that can be extended. Also I have an older one and had to put a ball head on it, and this does not work well for use with a spotter.. If all you want is a light small/inexpensive tripod to only be used occasionally it works.
I am in the market for a better tripod myself, one for use with my Nikon DSLR with a telephoto lens on it. And to use a spotting scope with as well. Sounds like I need to check out the Sliks, I was thinking a Manfrotto with a pistol ball grip..
I am in the market for a better tripod myself, one for use with my Nikon DSLR with a telephoto lens on it. And to use a spotting scope with as well. Sounds like I need to check out the Sliks, I was thinking a Manfrotto with a pistol ball grip..
Personally I like the BogPod RLD Series with interchangeable heads for a rifle rest and/or spotting scope. You can also get additional "switcheroo's" to add one to your spotting scope, camera, camcorder etc, so it's even quicker to change over. Best of all worlds. Light and have backpacked in to the wilderness with it too. Same twist style legs as mentioned in previous posts.
I had the High Country and was not impressed. One of the clips snapped. Sent it back and upgraded to the Ridgeline, but that seems too heavy and is not smooth with adjusting and the clips. Will be looking hard at the Slik 624 due to the twist lock.
jay
Active Member
i recently got the Cabela's Vanguard Alta Series Tripod 233AO. I am happy with it but personally haven't had another one to compare it to. It is reasonably priced @ 110.00 on the Cabelas website and have used it a few times and seems to work very well. It weighs about 3.5 lbs., so isn't the lightest but not too bad for the price. Very well built for the $ compared to others on the market, but you may sacrifice weight and quality in this price range. I recently purchased the Minox Compact Spotter on sale for 200 and couldn't see myself paying more for the tripod than the scope, so this was about right on price for me, and am very content with both spotter and tripod for the $.
Several of my buddies swear by the Outdoorsman's medium tripod. Their website states they weigh 2.4lbs, and with the long center post, it should weigh 3lbs, just under 4lbs with their pan head, and reaches 63". Overall a can't-miss rig for sure!
I went with the Gitzo Mountaineer Carbon Fiber GT-0541. Weighs 1.7lbs and is 56" tall, which with my Outdoorsman's Pan Head, the eyepiece level on my scope can reach 63.5". Total weight would be 2.25lbs, and can hold 11lbs. You can remove the center post if you want to go super-light and will not need the extra height, in which case you will be limited to 44". Also, the Gitzo has a retractable hook to hang your bag from to stabilize it and decrese vibration on windy days. I do not think the Slik has the handy hook, but it is a sweet looking tripod!
Obvious downside, and only one so far as I can tell is, it is a pricey tripod, but no more so than the Outdoorsman's. The GT-0531 is another option that is slightly less expensive, and reaches 51". Only question is do you want CF or aluminum? Both have pros and cons, like cold metal vs warm CF, does CF dampen vibration better, is the slight weight gain worth it, and is aluminum more rugged than CF? At this price point, it's more about whatever you are passionate about, because both are awesome. Parting thought is that if you have high-end optics and pack in to remote areas, there is no such thing as a good, cheap tripod/pan head. It's an either/or proposition, sorry!
I went with the Gitzo Mountaineer Carbon Fiber GT-0541. Weighs 1.7lbs and is 56" tall, which with my Outdoorsman's Pan Head, the eyepiece level on my scope can reach 63.5". Total weight would be 2.25lbs, and can hold 11lbs. You can remove the center post if you want to go super-light and will not need the extra height, in which case you will be limited to 44". Also, the Gitzo has a retractable hook to hang your bag from to stabilize it and decrese vibration on windy days. I do not think the Slik has the handy hook, but it is a sweet looking tripod!
Obvious downside, and only one so far as I can tell is, it is a pricey tripod, but no more so than the Outdoorsman's. The GT-0531 is another option that is slightly less expensive, and reaches 51". Only question is do you want CF or aluminum? Both have pros and cons, like cold metal vs warm CF, does CF dampen vibration better, is the slight weight gain worth it, and is aluminum more rugged than CF? At this price point, it's more about whatever you are passionate about, because both are awesome. Parting thought is that if you have high-end optics and pack in to remote areas, there is no such thing as a good, cheap tripod/pan head. It's an either/or proposition, sorry!