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Carrying a tripod

Westside guy

Westside guy

macrumors 604
Original poster
Oct 15, 2003
6,506
4,604
The soggy side of the Pacific NW
Hey there,

I am hoping to get feedback regarding how you people carry your tripod around when day hiking or just walking around. I'm currently leaning towards an Optech carrying trap that hooks onto the top of the tripod and has a loop that goes around the end of the legs; but I see there are also soft bags, hard bags, etc.

It is unlikely that I'll be carrying any sort of heavy-duty photo backpack with any frequency.

Thanks!
 
I have a very light tripod (that kind of makes itself smaller when packing), and whenever taking it with me, I use a soft case. The tripod wasn't expensive, so I don't mind so much about taking care of it.

I really prefer this, it isn't rock solid, but if I had those big and heavy tripods I would never take them with me.

How big is your tripod?
 
I have just a strap that hooks around the legs and the top. I used a bag and it very quickly turned out to be a PITA. It'd trap more dirt than I wanted and was cumbersome.

The strap is long enough to be able to put on my shoulder or over my shoulder for longer walks.
 
My photo backpack (Crumpler Karachi Outpost) has straps on the outside face for carrying a tripod, but if I don't use that I havea tripod soft case that was my grandfather's from Black's when they used to be reliable haha. Once I get my new tripod, I'll likely get a strap for it, rather than use the bag.
 
My Kata backpack has a support for a tripod. It works well but you have to be careful not to spear people as it really adds some bulk to the already large backpack.
 
jessica. said:
I used a bag and it very quickly turned out to be a PITA.
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True... getting a tripod in and out of a bag just slows you down. I quite often go out with a camera, lightweight Slik tripod and cable release (rather than carrying a big bag of accessories). The Slik folds up very small, and has soft (neoprene?) sleeves around the top of the legs, which makes it so much easier to carry: no more chilled fingers on cold days.

The best kind of case, or strap, is the one that actually gets used. Too many photographers seem to leave their tripods at home. I don't have a tripod bag; my tripod is either strapped to my camera bag, or I carry it in my hand (folded up, or, if I know I'll be using it again shortly, extended). It's not an ideal situation, but it means I'm ready to shoot. If I had to keep getting it in and out of a bag, I might be tempted to cut corners and not bother...
 
Obviously a monopod isn't as good as a tripod, but you may find one of the "Hiking pole / monopod" combinations useful for a hill walk.
 
Westside guy said:
S
I have a Bogen/Manfrotto 190cxpro4 CF tripod with an Acratech Ultimate Ballhead attached. The whole thing is around 25" long and weighs roughly 4 pounds.
Click to expand...

What does the "c" in 190cxpro4 mean, carbon fibre? I have a 190 XProB with some sort of mag fiber head (I didn't want it, but it came as part of an awesome package at a cheap price), and it came with a soft Manfrotto bag. I like the bag because it's better than nothing, although TBH, I'd rather have a strap like you do.


Are these straps cheap?
 
Abstract said:
What does the "c" in 190cxpro4 mean, carbon fibre? I have a 190 XProB with some sort of mag fiber head (I didn't want it, but it came as part of an awesome package at a cheap price), and it came with a soft Manfrotto bag. I like the bag because it's better than nothing, although TBH, I'd rather have a strap like you do.


Are these straps cheap?
Click to expand...

Yup - it's a carbon fiber tripod, including the center post.

On the B&H website (US), most of the straps seem to be around 25 or 30 bucks. There are more expensive ones that have various "features". But the straps do seem to be less than the bags.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback!
 
Westside guy said:
Thanks to everyone for the replies. I decided to go with the Optech tripod strap. I've already got one of their "pro loop" camera straps, and it is very comfortable and well-designed - so I'd think their tripod strap would be as well.
Click to expand...

i have the exact same leg/head combo. haha thanks! i just ordered the strap.
 
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