Travel tripods are great not only for fitting in your suitcase but for going on long hikes. They can help to keep the weight off your gear down and make the trip more enjoyable. You are also more likely to use tripod if it is light and compact and can fit in your backpack. There are a number of different things that you should be looking out for when you choose a travel tripod. You should be checking to see how compact the tripod is. How much it weighs and what the payload is. I have made a list of seven different travel tripods that that I hope you will find helpful.
First up is the K&F Concept 62 this is the cheapest of the tripods on list costing £55.99 on Amazon.co.uk at the time of writing.
- Minimum height........... 410mm
- Maximum height.......... 1580mm
- Weight........................... 1.1kg
- Material .........................Aluminium
- Pay load ........................10kg
The K&F Concept 62 travel tripod is excellent value for money, it comes with a padded carrier bag, I found these very useful for when you just want to put your tripod in a backpack and head out to shoot they keep everything nice and neat and compact. This particular tripod also has a hook that you can hang your backpack off to add extra weight to the tripod. This can be really useful when your in windy situations as it helps to give your tripod that extra bit of stability.
- Minimum height........... 380mm
- Maximum height.......... 1440mm
- Weight........................... 1.5kg
- Material .........................Aluminium alloy
- Pay load ........................6kg
Vanguard make some excellent travel tripods and this is no exception. This tripod would be considered an entry-level tripod, but it has excellent build quality and a great design. I preferred this model the VEO compare to the VEO 2 because it has built in spikes on the feet and lever mechanisms on the legs to lock in place.
- Minimum height........... 390mm
- Maximum height.......... 1500mm
- Weight........................... 1.7kg
- Material .........................Aluminium alloy
- Pay load ........................8kg
For me this is my go to tripod for almost every landscape adventure. I find it quick and easy to setup, and reliable in most cases. The one thing that does lack is a hook on the bottom to add extra weight, this would off been nice touch. I have captured many great photos with this tripod and once again I like the spiked feet that come with that and the lever mechanisms on the legs. This tripod can hold 2kg more than the VEO 235AB and it has a small bit of extra height.
- Minimum height........... 400mm
- Maximum height.......... 1440mm
- Weight........................... 1.14kg
- Material .........................Aluminium
- Pay load ........................4kg
Manfrotto is a well-established company in this industry and have a great reputation. This Befree tripod is a great option for travel. I really like the locking mechanisms on the legs and the overall build quality of this tripod.
- Minimum height........... 400mm
- Maximum height.......... 1420mm
- Weight........................... 1.1kg
- Material .........................Carbon fiber
- Pay load ........................4kg
This is the first of the carbon fibre tripods on the list, it weighs a mere 1.1kg. It is extremely light especially if you have any backpacking or hiking to do. You can be sure that the build quality on this one is excellent. It has a slightly shorter maximum height than its aluminium counterpart. It is the cheapest carbon fibre tripod that made it onto the list on the list.
- Minimum height........... 400mm
- Maximum height.......... 1500mm
- Weight........................... 1.49kg
- Material .........................Aluminium
- Pay load ........................8kg
Here we have the newest befree tripod from manfrotto. It extends higher than the previous model and has a pay load of 8kg but is a little heavier, this particular model has the twist lock mechanism but it can also come with the lever lock mechanism. Although these twist locks work extremely well I still prefer to leave lock myself.
- Minimum height........... 355mm
- Maximum height.......... 1485mm
- Weight........................... 1.42kg
- Material .........................Carbon fiber
- Pay load ........................10kg
Gitzo are well known for their premium products and their travel tripods are no different. This one is made from carbon fibre, has a payload of 10 KG and it is extremely stable. This is the go to tripod of many professionals, and should last for years to come. If you’re starting out in photography I would definitely not recommend this one as I feel there are just better things to spend your money on in the beginning.
- Minimum height........... 100mm
- Maximum height.......... 200mm
- Weight........................... 260g
- Material .........................Aluminium
- Pay load ........................2.5kg
If your looking for small and light, the Manfrotto PIXI EVO tripod is extremely small and light. It has a payload of 2.5kg. This is enough to carry small dslr. It would be perfect for point and shoot cameras, Smart phones and action cameras. There are obvious limitations with these types of tripods, such as hight adjustment and dslr capabilities. But overall I think this is an excellent option for anyone who wants to stabilise there camera yet travel with an extremely small and light tripod
When will you need to use a tripod
There are number of different occasions when a tripod comes extremely handy.
If your travelling solo and want to take travel photographs with you in them, you can just set up the timer or a wireless remote and take the photo.
If you need a longer shutter speed to get a sharp image a stable tripod is essential. This is especially common in low light situations, such as sunrise & sunset.
When your shooting astro photography and may be often be shooting 30 second exposures a tripod is essential.
When you want to bracket a shot. Bracketing an image lets you take mutable shots at different exposures, you can then blend the images together together in photoshop or Lightroom to create a final image.
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