Lightweight tripod?

[Solohntr]

Would greatly appreciate any input on a lightweight tripod. Have a goat hunt this fall and the two tripods I have are out of the question due to weight.

 

[luke moffat]

what scope are you putting on this tripod? the weight the tripod needs to support may dictate what people my suggest.

 

[Solohntr]

Luke, I'll be taking my Swarovski 80mm. Thanks for your help.

 

[colonel00]

What do your tripods weigh now or what weight are you looking to target?

 

[Solohntr]

They are both in the 4.5 to 5 lb range. . I would like to at least get down to 3 lbs or less. Thanks.

 

[luke moffat]

Solohntr,

This is what I have been using since 2012:


2.1 pounds with the Manfrotto 494 ball head on it. It seems to support my big 85mm Zeiss well and have zero complaints with it. Had a 5 pound super stable Manfrotto tripod I would use when weight was an issue with a Manfrotto 700 RC pan head, but I found I didn't really gain anything so I just use the small light one for everything.

It spends roughly 80-100 days a year in the field all over Alaska from Kodiak to the Brooks range to southeast...seems to work for my uses.

 

[CLICKBANGBANG]

I bought a Manfrotto BeFree carbon fiber tripod to try out. You might take a look at it to see if it fits for what you want. It runs up to nearly full tripod hieght, but only weighs 2.4 lbs. And it folds up very small. The legs fold back up over the ballhead to save space. I also bought the 700RC2 fluid head to try out with it.

I'll get out to use the tripod out with my binos this week. I still haven't bought a replacement spotting scope. I'm looking at the angled Swaro 20-60x65.

 

[blackovis]

I picked up this one, and it has been solid with my Vortex Razor 85: Schofeld Aluminum 6615T Medium Tripod w/ Pan Head

It weighs in at like 2 lbs not including the pan head. It's really compact and fits in my pack really well. The only thing is that it's just shy of being able to stand up straight and I'm 5' 10.5". It's perfect if you're not planning on standing and has options to spread the legs out wide to be more stable. The pan head is really smooth which makes it easy to glass around with.

 

[gknutson]

Luke what model is your tripod ?