Tripod & Head combination ?'s

[Arrowslinger]

After recently purchasing some 10x42 SLC's, i've realized that great glass is worth every penny...so i'm biting the bullet and purchasing a Swaro spotter w/in the next few weeks. Realizing that a solid base to glass with is very important, i'm looking for suggestions on a tripod and head -i've used a manfrotto trigger head/tripod combo and liked it.

What do those that spend alot of time behind the glass use and/or wish you had?

This will be for day hunts and 3 multiday backcountry hunts for the year.

Thanks in advance

 

[betelgeuse]

I have a Manfrotto 3205G that is a great tripod and has served me well for 6 yrs. I use it for photography as well as my spotter. It looks cool because it's also green hence the G in the name. I use a 3030 quick release head.

It's also heavy. No good for backpacking.

They make some cool carbon fiber ones but they are mucho $$.

You can get by using a cheapy ( lightweight ) for backpacking if you dont extend the legs at all.

I would stay away from the trigger head. They are easy to use but not designed for much weight.

Check out the "fluid heads" for video cameras.

OK, enough rambling. If I had my choice; Manfrotto carbon fiber and fluid head with a long back handle for spotting.

I may be going for the Swaro spotter soon as well. I am currently testing out a $600 Nikon and am not real impressed.

It's only money.

Good Luck

 

[Coues]

I had a Bogen 3001 with a fluid head. I thought it was too heavy so I bought a Slik with a 3-way head. Wish I would have kept the Bogen.

It's actually pretty easy to take the 3001 legs apart and cut a few inches (and ounces) off each leg then reassemble. That's what I did. It helps, but it's still heavy.

If you like the trigger heads, check out the Outdoorsman's model. All of there stuff is made for hunting/binoc/scopes.

http://www.outdoorsmans.com/tripod.html

Whatever you get, stay away from the ones that have all 3 legs interconnected to the center column. You want one that all 3 legs can be adjusted independently. Also, most prefer the legs to lever locked and not twist locked.

The carbon legs stink for glassing in the wind. You might not like the weight of the aluminum legs when your packing them, but you will love them when you are trying to glass in the wind.

 

[SDHNTR]

Come on dude! A big money playa pimp like you needs an Outdoorsman and a Jim White fluid head.

 

[Arrowslinger]

Well.....I visited Sportsman's Warehouse the other day to learn a bit more about what they had in tripods/heads and after showing the incompetent salesman how to open the tripod...i left for greener pastures. A smaller retailer let me take a 2K Zeiss spotter, carbon fiber tripod, and Manfrotto trigger head out the door for a try in the parking lot...........yep, i'm sold the manfrotto side mount trigger head. It's exactly what i'm looking for! Sold!!

I'm still stumped on the tripod though....SDHNTR, how much do you like your Slik? I need somethin' before May.

 

[DEERSLAM]

Hey AS I have three different tripod and head combos;

I have a Manfrotto tripod with a pistol grip head. I use this setup for scouting or hunts like antelope where I'm driving from point to point to glass. Very steady but heavy.

I also have the Outdoorsmans medium tripod with their pistol grip head and the Jim White panning attachment. I use this setup mainly for day trips and when I'm going to spend alot of time behind the 15x56's.

And for my backpack hunts I have a Gitzo compact tripod with a pan head. It's very light and compact yet is plenty tall enough to use with my Swaro ATS 65. The angled tripod makes a huge difference on how small you can go on a tripod. I can use a shorter and lighter tripod with the angled scope.

Anytime you would like to check out any of the stuff I have let me know.

 

[Arrowslinger]

DS.....yep, i tried a Gitzo out this afternoon over at Badger John's. They're pricey, but extremely light and seem to be fairly rugged even for carbon fiber. I need to check out your outdoorsman tripod......gonna give you a call manana.

 

[richardoutwest]

I may know a little about this kind of thing. What I look for is what works! Not so much as name brands. Coues is right, Bogen are nice but really heavy! I switched to a Velbon chaser EFL-4 with a Velbon PH-157Q quick head. This allows me to flip a lever and go back and forth between my 15x56's and my spotting scope in seconds. $150.00 for both! I got mine at David's Outdoor Edge in San Manuel, Az.

 

[Glass eye]

I have the Manfrotto Bogen 3205GN3 with the pistol grip head. They don't make this model anymore but you can find one on ebay.
Tripods are like Binos; I have 8x20 swarovskis and you can't get any smaller, compact and lighter than that, but in low light they're worthless.
I also have 8x56 swarovskis and they are awesome in low light, but they are heavy and require a tripod.
So you see that you can't have both; If you go with a light weight tripod it will be easy to pack but limited in its use and worthless in the wind.
If you go with a manfrotto bogen it can set up anywhere and in any position you desire, high winds don't affect it but it is Heavy to pack in.
IMO, I would choose to suffer packing the extra weight and be comfortable behind my glass, rather than to be comfortable packing in and suffer behind my glass. If you're not comfortable glassing than you won't glass as much, and if it's trembling in the wind you won't see much either.

 

[SDHNTR]

AS, I like my Slik Sprint Mini really for one reason only. It's compact and lightweight. That was important to me as I have to lug it around. It's not the best in high winds but that was a tradeoff I was willing to make. It folds out wide so I can sit under it and it is quick and quiet to open and close. It's not big enough to use while standing up though. My primary concern was having one that was very packable, in that regard, it's great.