Vortex summit ss tripod

[Timberghost]

Hey boys, as I wait patiently for elknut to receive his shipment from vortex I thought I would draw on your guys experience as well.
Any of you have any experience With the summit ss tripod? Decent quality for the money? Thanks and take care, rob

[ElkNut1]

Hey Rob, it's a fairly new Tripod out by Vortex, most likely most haven't used or seen one yet? I've been playing with mine more & more these days & it is slick & sweet, I think you'll love it. This thing is small & stout, you will be amazed how small it packs down I know I was. The coolest design is no plastic snap hinges to release legs, instead you twist the rubber bumper foot on bottom of each foot 1/2 turn & pull to open then twist it back to lock leg like a rock. The leg can be partially extended or fully extended & lock in place, it stands to 54 1/2" or as low as 6 1/2" when spreading the legs all the way out. At 1.8 lb including ball head it's tough to beat & is my # 1 packer, now I just need my 50mm Razor to go with it! (grin)

ElkNut1

[pointysticks]

i have a review up..next thread over

i just took mine up to AZ for a run. it held a Viper HD spotting scope.

it packs down tiny!! i actually carry it in the spotting scope pocket of my Badlands pack and the scope in the tripod pocket. as small as it is, you would imagine it to be lighter..but it is fairly hefty. extending the legs is easy. like Elknut states..you only need to twist one knob and you can extend the legs to max height, or any length in between. i wish as you yank out the legs, it would systematically use the thickest leg portion until you needed the next thinner section. depending on the "yank" you could randomly extend the thinnest leg section before a thicker outer section comes out..it is very random on my tripod. not a huge deal, but as you could imagine, it is steadier using the thicker leg sections first (i dont know if what i just typed out even makes sense).

is it steady? yes. not so much fully extended. but down low in a kneeling position, the scope is held pretty steady. not so sure how i feel about the ball head. it is always too loose or too tight..finding that happy medium where you can scan for that darn deer you just saw in the binos can be a challenge. but once located, you can cinch it down tight and it will stay put.

all in all i like it. uneven terrain is easily handled by reaching down and quickly adjusting a leg or two. crouched on a mountain side, the thing is plenty steady. i had the heaviest pack in my group because i was the tripod/scope mule. when i made my brother carry the things..wow, my pack felt ethereal!

oh, the adapter plate kept coming loose on my scope. but i dont think any adaptor plate can be tightened down with a dime, or that dime-like tool they provide.

i am still in the market for a high dollar tripod. i want one used. this one will be perfectly fine until that happens.

[Indian Summer]

There was a day when I thought a tripod was pretty much a tripod..... until I used a friend's Swarovski. The feature I noticed immediately was how smooooth you could pan back and forth sideways. No stuttering at all, easy to push and stays put when you let it go. Gotta wonder how they accomplish that???

0f course the price is insane so I never bought one. Last month I bought a used Swaro spotting scope from a friend. Finally! He gave me a Vanguard tripod with it. I guess it was decent when it was new but it's pretty beat up. Taller than I need too.

So I'm in the market for a good one. I'll use this one when I'm standing near the truck so as long as the new one is high enough to sit & kneel to maybe see over tall grass that's fine. How often do you glass while standing Pointysticks? Is there a reason? I do all of my glassing sitting if I can.

I'll be watching threads like this one. Does Vortex have a top of the line model that's not too tall/heavy?

[pointysticks]

. How often do you glass while standing Pointysticks? Is there a reason? I do all of my glassing sitting if I can.

huh? it depends on the terrain. i was in tall grass.. sitting was not an options..and then there were these tall boulders i had to peek over. i would have been screwed if my tripod only had a compact option.

[Indian Summer]

I'm only 5' 6 so standing isn't much different than sitting. L0L I also have a bad back after a treestand fall back in the 90s so standing for hours on end is uncomfortable. Also the lower center of balance is steadier especially if it's windy.

[pointysticks]

I'm only 5' 6 so standing isn't much different than sitting. L0L I also have a bad back after a treestand fall back in the 90s so standing for hours on end is uncomfortable. Also the lower center of balance is steadier especially if it's windy.

my friend..if that is you in that picture with the elk antlers and full pack..i think your back is FINE.

lower is definately better. much better. i think a low tripod with an angled scope would be super comfy. i agonized about the straight versus angled scope thing. i opted for straight, thinking it would be easier to point in the right direction.

[Timberghost]

Thanks for the replies. I think I will give one a go. It will be primarily my sheep scope, so will be sitting and glazing or laying prone on a ridge.
Sounds like for the price point you can't go wrong. My swaro 65mm is 3 pounds so should be good to go.

On a side note, are you able to swap the ball head out for another?
Not to sure how I am going to feel about the tripod not having an arm for adjustment. Thanks, rob.

[pointysticks]

i think you can.

[ElkNut1]

Good comments guys! First off hunters have to understand that Tripods come in many different sizes & weights, they have a specific purpose dependent on ones hunting style. The Summit SS for example is designed for packing on your back for miles, with this in mind wt. & size is reduced to a minimum purposely to 1.8# - In order to do so lightweight components are used yet they are still structurally very sound. The Tripod is very solid, the head is a ball style head, it's very small & lightweight, it will work well for spotters up to 65mm & all Binos with a tripod adapter, after that the Scope wt in 4lb range & higher can be tricky on this small head even though the tripod handles it easily. It is manageable but you have to adjust ball control knob intricately because of heavy wt. Remember though that wt. is a factor for packing in, thus the smaller lighter head. The purpose & use of this model with Binos or Spotters 65mm & under works very well, it's not as smooth as my Manfretto liquid filled pan head I use on a larger Tripod but it does well for purpose intended. The Manfretto head is 1-1/2lb by itself so I choose not to pack it in. It is a near the truck head! My tripod & head near the truck weighs 7-lbs then add a 4# spotter & it's 11 lbs, that's a lot for packing! (grin) The 14"- 54-1/2" Summit SS Tripod & 11" long Razor HD 50mm Spotter weighs 53oz together, now that's lightweight & that 50mm spotter will move smooth as silk on that head as will as a set of binos.

But the heavier truck Tripod, head & Spotter are awesome for hours of glassing miles away. If a hunter wants to use the Summit SS Tripod as a near the truck unit then I'd honestly change to a pan style head, I've done this very thing with the High Country Tripod which is similar to the Summit SS, the Summit SS is a better unit though. So, as you can see when you get into serious spotting it's common to have two different setups, lightweight for packing & who cares how heavy for near the truck use! (grin)

Oh & by the way, the clip on the Rangefinder is for convenience, it's not intended to slide clip on ones pocket or belt & hike for unknown miles through elk country! It's best used for 3D Shoots, ranging a critter & temporarily & quickly slide it onto harness, belt or waistband just to get it out of the way for the shot without putting it down & losing it. Obviously ones are best suited for having a tether or the range snap type of harness, this way you cannot lose it. I would never consider just hooking it over a belt or pocket & off I go without an additional cord strapped to it. Many GPS units come with like clips but we should never put 100% faith in them against loss, a cord attached or secure pouch is much better to prevent loss!

ElkNut1