Good lightweight tripod?

[TJH24]

I was looking for a good, lightweight tripod that I can use for my binoculars for glassing and for taking pics on solo hunts. What do you guys use?

[SilverDollars]

Howdy. I'm also in the market for a new tripod. I consider weight, length, and overal strength major factors. I've settled on this one for my self-given Christmas present. http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/sum ... -ball-head AND can be purchased HERE from ELKNUT here: http://stores.elknut.com/-strse-templat ... x/Page.bok Note it's weight of 1.8 lbs and folded length of 14 inches and a width of 3.8 inches. It has a 3 year warranty and the reviews and features seem to fit my interest and needs for packing in.

[Indian Summer]

Howdy. I'm also in the market for a new tripod. I consider weight, length, and overal strength major factors. I've settled on this one for my self-given Christmas present. http://www.opticsplanet.com/s/vortex-summit-ss-tripod Note it's weight of 1.8 lbs and folded length of 14 inches and a width of 3.8 inches. It has a 3 year warranty and the reviews and features seem to fit my interest and needs for packing in.

Looks nice and I'm in the market myself. Handleless head? How do you keep it fixed in the place you want it???

Did you know Paul sells Vortex here at great prices? Might want to talk to him about it.

Hey Nut... how about your take on this tripod???

[ElkNut1]

Yep Joe is correct guys, I am a Vortex Dealer & also carry the Summit SS Tripod!

Joe, it's a super little guy, it's my goto Tripod when carrying the 50mm or 65mm Spotter or any Bino. I love the wt of it at 1.8# - It compacts down to 13" & opens to 54-1/2" tall minus the Scope! There's no snap buckles to release legs instead they do it by a 1/4 turn unscrew type action, it's fast. This little guy is tough as they come & extremely sturdy! With the Spotter or Bino on top you use that to move up/down or left/right, no handle is needed. I've used mine 30-40 times now & absolutely love it's size & versatility. Here it is setup on my sons mule deer hunt a couple weeks ago.

ElkNut1

[flystrait]

I use a Velbon Ultrareversible tripod it folds up to 11" and goes up to 61" It weights 2.8 lbs and it is very sturdy. I set a Zeiss 85mm on it and its pretty solid. I mainly was looking for something that I would carry in my pack and I have not regretted it since.

[Indian Summer]

At 1.8 Paul it sounds nice. So... the ball mount has enough tension to hold a spotter on it's own? Will it work with my Swarovski 20-60 by 80mm? Wouldn't want it to wander forward & down from the weight ya' know. Any way I could add a handle? I like panning with the handle. Obviously that would add a bit of weight though.

[ctdad]

What does that tripod sell for?

[SilverDollars]

Howdy. My apologies Elknut for NOT realizing this sooner! I edited my post and made the changes. My purchase for the Vortex SS tripod will have to wait until later this next year as well as a purchase for another Vortex scope which will be for my Ruger that I am giving new furniture to. The Vortex optics are awesome products as I have binos, a spotting scope, and a rifle scope... all are Diamondbacks. Their products are top quality and priced to fit my Texas public high school teacher budget! I have made my commitment to them as I have had superb customer service as well. Elknut, I am really exploring your site now and have noticed that many other needs and wants can be met through you. Thank you! I am a believer in supporting this wonderful web site through these links of yours.

GREAT PICS BTW!

[ElkNut1]

Jim, not a problem at all bud! Glad to see you a part of the Forum here & that you're enjoying it! Thanks!


ctdad, the Summit SS Tripod sells for 129.00 shipped! Thanks!

ElkNut1

[ctdad]

Great. I'm buying one. I'm also interested in a new spotter that is lighter than my swaro. I don't know weight of mine off hand but does vortex sell a light weight spotter too? My current spotter and tripod weight is over 7lbs combined.

[ElkNut1]

It all depends on the Spotter? The setup in the above photos is the Summit SS Tripod & Razor HD- 11-33X50mm Spotter, it weighs in at 54oz together.

The Razor HD-16-48X65 Spotter & Summit SS Tripod would weigh in at aprox 72oz together.

There's also the 85mm?

ElkNut1

[Z Barebow]

I did my research and settled on the Vortex Summit tripod/Vortex Razor 50mm scope combo purchased from Elknut. Received last week so I haven't had time to try it out. I doubt I will be disappointed.

For all Vortex optics, Paul is the man. Great to work with and pricing is top notch also. A couple of years ago, I bought a pair of 10x42 Vortex HD Viper binocs from Paul. He basically talked me out of the HD Razors. Who does that? Someone who has your best interests in mind.

[kevin_t]

I use a snipe pod. It comes in about 6 ounces and doubles as a bipod for the gun. The action is not as smooth as a high quality dedicated tripod, but it is so light it gets used a lot. I use it for camera and video stuff often as well.

[pointysticks]

i also use the Summit SS.

i like the tripod..i dont love it. in windy conditions, i find i have to set it up low, or the thing will vibrate. i've hung my pack off the hook in the middle for ballast, and it works okay. set up is super quick, and you can find the legs offer pretty good range for some crazy uneven ground.

the ball head, you cant..(well at least I cant) find the happy tension point where you can kinda "pan" the terrain. i would probably love the tripod more if i owned an angled spotter where i can set the pod up low all the time.

i think a tripod is one of those things i bought a lot of less expensive ones, and keep stepping up and up until i end up spending a million dollars to end up with the tool i should have owned and bought in the first place.

i'll be using mine this january in AZ for couse..after that, i'll probably buy another one. if i can afford it.

[huntabsarokee]

I had the Summit SS and sold it. Just couldn't get use to the cheap ball head. The tripod itself was fine for my 50mm. Didn't buy a replacement yet but will definitely try a pan head.