In my last article about tripods I have talked about (among other things) the importance of a tripod to be sturdy and ways to improve that.

This article is going to be all about portability: what makes a tripod portable and how to carry a tripod.

Good feature: tripod needs to be portable

This is a very important feature for anyone who is going hiking or generally carrying a tripod around with them for longer times. The only time this is not an important feature is when you do studio work.

What makes the tripod portable:

• It should be light.
• It should be compact.

Tripod should be light.

Consider two characteristics:

• Weight of a tripod.
• Construction material.

Specification: weight of tripod

It simply means how heavy the tripod is.

The heavier the tripod, the more stable it is. The taller the tripod, the heavier it is.

When you are on a field for longer times, carrying it around on your back, just then you will realise how important this feature is. When you will first see a tripod in a store and lift it up (probably all excited by the look of a new gadget) I can almost guarantee you every tripod will feel light to you: it won’t feel as much effort to lift it up at all. Yeah, exactly: lift it up. That is not the same as carrying it around! You will feel the real weight when you will be using it. And that is when you will FEEL the difference.

It is very simple: more you will be moving around, more you want your tripod to be light. Oops! But have I not just said a moment before that the heavier the tripod, the more stable it is? And you do want a stable tripod, right? So how can you have both?

• First, buy a tripod made from better materials. They are lighter and stronger (and also much more expensive). Such example is carbon fiber.
• Secondly, you can add additional stability with weight bags (I have written about this in my last article about tripods when I was talking about tripod stability).

Another point to consider: Let’s say you buy a tripod that is a bit heavier (and a bit cheaper as well). And then you go on a trip and realise that you have not enjoyed it so much because you came back with a soar back. Are you going to take that tripod again with you?

It is always better to have a lighter and a bit less sturdy tripod with you, than a very good and heavy tripod lying around at home. Period.

Another solution would be (and this often happens to those who are more serious about photography) is to have two tripods: one that is light to carry around and another heavier one that you use at home or when you don’t shoot too far away from your car.

How heavy the tripod is determined by the height of a tripod, quality of its design and quality of materials used.  This is what I’m going to look at now.

Specification: construction material of tripod

When thinking about the construction material of a tripod, one usually thinks of the material the tripod legs are made of (because it is the heaviest part of a tripod and contributes the most to the steadiness of a tripod), therefore when talking about materials, I will talk about the material of tripod legs.

Tripods can be made from various materials. At first they were made from metal and wood, nowadays from aluminium, with introducing of some new excellent high-tech materials like carbon and basalt.

One thing to keep in mind though is that for sturdiness of a tripod, it is not only important from what material the tripod is made of, but as well how the materials themselves were made and the construction / design of a tripod. For instance, not all tripods from carbon fibre are designed and constructed in the same way, therefore the quality and performance between them (read manufacturers) can vary significantly! The same goes for aluminium that has been significantly improved with the use of new technology.

As for other parts of a tripod are concerned, they are made of light and strong components like magnesium, which is about 30% lighter than aluminium (but still heavier than carbon), rigid, sturdier than aluminium and cheaper than carbon.

The most important features materials influence:

• weight,
• load capacity,
• rigidity (it should hold the camera and its weight steady),
• price.

So how to choose?

• When the light weight is critical (and you can afford it) consider buying a tripod from carbon fibre.
• When weight is not critical though, aluminium tripods provide a very good compromise between price, weight and rigidity.
• Avoid tripods made from plastic or steel.
• Nevertheless, get yourself the best tripod legs you can afford.

From best to worse:

To not confuse you too much, I will give pros and cons of each of the materials separately as well:

Wood

At first, most tripods were made from wood. Now more or less only wood enthusiasts still buy them. If you are one of them, check out these companies: Ries, Berlebach, Stabil, Brom (I have not been able to find their website).

Advantages	Disadvantages
excellent in their ability to reduce vibration (better than aluminium!)	weight
high isolation value	costy
big load-bearing capacities	don’t like humidity

Aluminium

This is the most common and the most popular material tripods are made from. They provide a very good cost-value ratio. With the technology advancement they have been significantly improved and are lighter than ever.

Advantages	Disadvantages
quite light, but ->	compared to carbon, about twice the weight
good support: strong and durable, can take hard knocks without falling	not as rigid as carbon – transmits vibrations
low price (half the price of carbon)	low insulation value: in cold weather your hands will feel very cold at touch (make sure to buy them with leg warmers – or make them yourself)

Carbon Fibre

This is the most expensive and the lightest material. If you are going to be carrying tripod for longer times (and if you can afford it), it is the best material for the job.

Advantages	Disadvantages
very light (overall weight reduced by 30% without sacrificing strength)	more expensive than aluminium (twice the price)
excellent stability and strength	more easily damaged: be careful when sharp objects are around
very good vibration absorption (better than any other material)
more comfortable to hold in cold weather (compared to aluminium)

New high-tech materials

Alongside aluminium that has been improved significantly with the development of new technologies, there were also other materials developed. For example, Gitzo offers materials such as basalt and Soulid 238:

• Soulid 238 (introduced by Gitzo in 2006) is a technical compound, 30% lighter than magnesium, but just as strong, with outstanding vibration absorption properties. It is resistant to corrosion and oxidisation as well. It is mostly used for other parts of a tripod (not tripod legs).
• Basalt is made from a molten basalt rock. It is about 20% lighter than aluminium and has similar properties as carbon: high thermal and dimensional stability and light weight. It is between aluminium and carbon fiber in performance and price.

Note that I have not listed the construction material of a tripod as something that makes tripod easier to carry around. It is true that the lighter the tripod is, the easier it is to carry (and this depends hugely on the materials used), however, even more important factor is its bulk – it is much easier to carry around if smaller bulk, but heavier:

Tripod needs to be easy to carry around

There are two specifications to consider when it is important the tripod is easy to carry around:

• Maximum closed height of a tripod.
• Number of leg sections.
• Leg tube size.

Specification: Maximum closed / collapsed height / carrying length of a tripod

This is simply how long the tripod is when folded. Or how big bulk it is!

The smallest tripod can be as short as 20 cm when folded, while the longest tripod can be 80 cm or even more. Big difference!

If you are travelling or hiking, it is welcomed a tripod’s folded length fits into a suitcase or on a backpack.

Specification: Number of leg sections

This specification tells you of how many sections an individual leg of a tripod has. Most commonly, there are 3 or 4 sections of the leg, but you can also find tripods with one, two, five and even six sections. Usually the ones with three sections are the most preferable, but if you are travelling or hiking, you might want to have four-section-leg-tripod (check your backpack/luggage dimensions!).

Leg sections have two purposes:

• They allow the legs to be folded and therefore make tripod more compact and easier to carry and store.
• With sections of the leg the height of the tripod is adjusted.

Most often these apply:

• More sections the tripod has, the more compact it is when folded.
• More sections the tripod has, the higher the tripod. This is usually true, but not always! Always refer to maximum height of the tripod (with center column down) for this specification.
• More sections the tripod has, the more locks it has, and the longer it takes to assemble. Leg locks are also considered the weakest part of a tripod.
• Less sections the tripod has, the more stable the tripod is.
• Less sections the tripod has, the less chance dirt gets into the leg.

Specification: Leg Tube Size

The diameter of leg tubes can also answer you why less sections the better:

The lowest section of the leg is the thinnest because it needs to collapse into the other sections, and is therefore the least stable. For that reason, whenever you are extending the tripod, first extend the widest top sections and in the end the the lowest section of the leg!

Accessories for portability and/or how to carry a tripod

Again, this is not important if you are going to do studio work. But whenever you are travelling and/or hiking, you want to transport the tripod in the easiest and the most comfortable way possible.

Carrying tripod with your hands: use tripod leg warmers or leg wraps

Whenever you want to have a tripod ready at any moment, for quick reaction to take a shot, you will have to carry a tripod with your hands.

For that to be comfortable, tripod should have (a must really if you own an aluminium tripod) tripod leg warmers. They have generally two functions:

• The most obvious one is to prevent your hands from holding tripod leg directly with your hands. That can be especially unpleasant in cold weather.
• Additionally, they protect your skin against bruises when carrying a tripod in your hands or over your shoulder.

Don’t forget you can always make them yourself!

So how do you carry a tripod with your hands? There are numerous ways, try them and see which one feels the most comfortable to you:

• The simplest way is to just hold a tripod by its leg so the tripod is in vertical position. This is usually comfortable for shorter distances (your hands will get tired, but then it also depends on your strength and the weight of the tripod itself).
• Put it over your shoulder, again in somewhat vertical position. Remember the tripod warmers I have mentioned above? You will appreciate having them!
• It is also possible to spread the legs of a tripod and hold it over your shoulder or on your shoulders (like you would carry a child: two legs in front).

Using a tripod strap

A strap is just that: a strap. To use it, place a tripod inside the loops on both ends and hang it over your shoulder or over your chest.

Advantages	Disadvantages
One of the easiest ways of carrying a tripod.	When walking (especially for longer distances) tripod is hitting your back, resulting in broises. Use it for shorter trips!
Tripod is ready to use when needed.	There is no room to carry a backpack as well. Where will you put the gear and personal belongings?

Using a backpack

To tie a tripod on a backpack, make sure the backpack has either a strap for a tripod or a tripod pocket.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Great for hiking and travelling: put whatever you need in a backpack (including camera gear) and tie the tripod on the backpack.	It is a bit time consuming to tie tripod up and down the backpack, therefore it is not the best solution if you need tripod at hand all the time.
	If the folded length of a tripod is much longer than the size of a backpack, it will not be so convenient to carry.

If you already own a backpack and it doesn’t have a tripod strap or a tripod pocket, but it has a strap for around your waist, try carrying it by sticking one leg into the strap.

Using a tripod bag / case

Tripod bags and tripod cases are very resistant, durable and perfect for storing a tripod especially when travelling with an air plane. They are not very comfortable to carry though, so they are not good for i.e. hiking.

A quick note about taking tripod on an air plane:

• In most cases you should not be having any problems travelling with a tripod as a carry-on luggage (inside USA and most other countries) as long as the tripod length does not exceed the maximum allowed carry-on dimensions. However, some countries do prohibit it (such as Italy).
• If your tripod has spiked feet and you want to have tripod as carry-on, remove them, the security won’t like them.
• It is always best to remove tripod head when travelling.
• If you check-in the tripod, make sure it is safe from any strokes.

To be continued

That is all about portability!

I hope you have enjoyed the article. In my next article I talk about everything that influences the height of a tripod, including all about the center column!

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