I have a Nikon prostaff 16-48, any experience on what would be a good sturdy tripod for this scope? Will be using it for some back packing trips as well as local use, would like to keep it light as possible without sacrificing sturdiness!!
Spotting scope tripods?
- Thread starter deerhunter
- Start date
I have the carbon fiber sunpak. The head is junk but the tripod is sturdy enough for my vortex viper spotter. The head has as much to do with stability as the tripod. Of course weight equals stability so there will be some sacrifice. I plant to upgrade the head to the outdoorsmans pistol grip and call it good.
The guys at S and S Archery have some cool carbon tripods that look quite nice and aren't too pricey. You still have to pony up a bit to get something that isn't frustrating to use in the field though. No such thing as light, stable and cheap. The Outdoorsman's tripod can't be beat for durability, but metal is cold, carbon fiber is warm. Your choice.
You really want to determine how you will use the tripod, and go from there. If you will literally never stand up to glass, you can save weight and expense. If you stay close to the road and don't backpack, that's a different animal than the tripod you want for serious backpacking.
This was the first year I really jumped in and put the tripod and head under my scope that it deserves, and let me tell you, the difference was amazing! I glassed longer, with more comfort, and as a result, never saw so much game. Something to consider. I sure never knew the head and tripod were so important.
A lot of serious hunters swear by the Outdoorsmans pan head. They go with the pan head, not the trigger set-up, because you can just "nose-bump" the optics to keep panning. Becomes a bigger deal as the sessions get longer, believe me. Comfort is king, or you wind up hurrying, getting frustrated, and I know I missed a lot of animals that way. The independant pan and tilt lockout switches are handy, too. Can't say enough good things about that head.
If you can swing the sticker shock, consider a Gitzo Traveler 1542-T tripod. Weight is 2.25lbs, and it will extend enough for me to stand up to peer over brush and I'm 5'10". That's a nice feature when you are ridge hunting and opportunistically glassing. Also, it is unique in how it folds up. Something you may not consider, but a tripod that collapses down to a short length hides in your backpack better and won't get hung up on brush. The 1542's legs swing 180 degrees up and parallel to the center post, making it very compact, yet opens up to almost 6' with a scope on it. Also, the twist lock legs are a joy to use, and you will constantly be adjusting leg length as you reposition on the hill sides. The lever lock legs aren't as effortless to me, but thats just an opinion. The ONLY downside to this rig is price. Doubt I will be picking up a second one, ever! But oh is it sweet in the field.
Happy shopping, hope this helps!
(btw, total weight of head/tripod is 2lbs, 12 oz)
You really want to determine how you will use the tripod, and go from there. If you will literally never stand up to glass, you can save weight and expense. If you stay close to the road and don't backpack, that's a different animal than the tripod you want for serious backpacking.
This was the first year I really jumped in and put the tripod and head under my scope that it deserves, and let me tell you, the difference was amazing! I glassed longer, with more comfort, and as a result, never saw so much game. Something to consider. I sure never knew the head and tripod were so important.
A lot of serious hunters swear by the Outdoorsmans pan head. They go with the pan head, not the trigger set-up, because you can just "nose-bump" the optics to keep panning. Becomes a bigger deal as the sessions get longer, believe me. Comfort is king, or you wind up hurrying, getting frustrated, and I know I missed a lot of animals that way. The independant pan and tilt lockout switches are handy, too. Can't say enough good things about that head.
If you can swing the sticker shock, consider a Gitzo Traveler 1542-T tripod. Weight is 2.25lbs, and it will extend enough for me to stand up to peer over brush and I'm 5'10". That's a nice feature when you are ridge hunting and opportunistically glassing. Also, it is unique in how it folds up. Something you may not consider, but a tripod that collapses down to a short length hides in your backpack better and won't get hung up on brush. The 1542's legs swing 180 degrees up and parallel to the center post, making it very compact, yet opens up to almost 6' with a scope on it. Also, the twist lock legs are a joy to use, and you will constantly be adjusting leg length as you reposition on the hill sides. The lever lock legs aren't as effortless to me, but thats just an opinion. The ONLY downside to this rig is price. Doubt I will be picking up a second one, ever! But oh is it sweet in the field.
Happy shopping, hope this helps!
(btw, total weight of head/tripod is 2lbs, 12 oz)
I got the Promaster 6160 head and 525T tripod from S&S Archery and really like it. They have a sale on now to. Total weight is a 3lbs 1oz and it goes high enough for standing with an angled scope and low enough for prone. Remove the center post and it drops to 2lbs 14oz and still goes high enough for kneeling. It also collapses to 14" to fit easily in the side pocket of my Eberlestock J34 for easy packing with the head still attached.
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squirrelduster
Active Member
Check out the Vortex tripods. I have the high country model and its always in my pack. Pretty light and stable, not very expensive either.