Best travel tripod [to go in the hold in my case]

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I was very fortunate to be given an Albert V2.0 by 3LT when I contacted them for a repair on my Brian [my quite old travel tripod - I had not received notice of a recall]. It is beautiful to behold and, due to Covid, still unused. It is, I think, heavier than old Brian was and certainly a higher spec than the current Brian model.

If you have a tripod specifically for travel that you use, please tell me what it is and what type of photography you use it for.

Thank you.
 
A couple of years ago I looked at the various options at the NEC. I ended up going with the a gitzo traveller tripod. I managed to pick the centenary version when they were selling them off. It’s basically the Gk1545T-82TQD in slightly different colours/look. The series 2 would have been the one I’d have gone with if it wasn’t for the higher cost.

The traveller tripod is the one I pick up the most. That’s probably due to the closed length (43cm) and weight (1.35kg). I mainly use it for landscapes and wildlife.

I’ve not taken this on an airplane. I have in the past taken a Manfrotto 055 tripod in a hold bag. That seemed to fit nicely around other clothes if you’re willing to give up a bit of space.
 
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It depends on what you mean by travel tripod - when I went to Iceland I had my Manfrotto 055 in my suitcase - with the center column removed it fit diagonally :)
 
Faldrax said:
It depends on what you mean by travel tripod - when I went to Iceland I had my Manfrotto 055 in my suitcase - with the center column removed it fit diagonally :)
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I've done this with a 055 too. To be honest many tripods should be able to fit in a suitcase and become a 'travel tripod' its that's the definition of a travel tripod. Its just a case of how much room you're willing to give up in the case for the tripod.

The one reason I got the gitzo traveller tripod was because I wanted a lighter tripod to carry in those situations where I left the tripod in the boot of the car instead of lugging it up a fell side in the lake district. With the traveler tripod i went down to 1.35kg from over 3kg so it was a big weight saving. Granted its not as stable as by bigger tripod (its stable enough and better than most travel tripods in regards to stability) but it gives the option to take a tripod for those times i'd often tried to hand hold the camera instead of taking my bigger tripod.

The problem with many traveler tripods is that they are too light, made from poor materials or the construction/design is poor. Many have leg sections that are too thin and flex. They are not really longer useable as they are pretty unstable. I had a cheap Benro traveller tripod first and it was just useless as it was far too unstable but it fitted the small size category.
 
rob-nikon said:
I've done this with a 055 too. To be honest many tripods should be able to fit in a suitcase and become a 'travel tripod' its that's the definition of a travel tripod. Its just a case of how much room you're willing to give up in the case for the tripod.

The one reason I got the gitzo traveller tripod was because I wanted a lighter tripod to carry in those situations where I left the tripod in the boot of the car instead of lugging it up a fell side in the lake district. With the traveler tripod i went down to 1.35kg from over 3kg so it was a big weight saving. Granted its not as stable as by bigger tripod (its stable enough and better than most travel tripods in regards to stability) but it gives the option to take a tripod for those times i'd often tried to hand hold the camera instead of taking my bigger tripod.

The problem with many traveler tripods is that they are too light, made from poor materials or the construction/design is poor. Many have leg sections that are too thin and flex. They are not really longer useable as they are pretty unstable. I had a cheap Benro traveller tripod first and it was just useless as it was far too unstable but it fitted the small size category.
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I wanted lighter for long hikes the same as you. I tried the Travis from 3LT. I dropped from 2.7kg to about 1.6kg I think and certainly less 'bulk' too.

Not let me down so far in about 2 years or so and I've shot many 90 second exposures of the night sky with a tracker, extra ballhead and the camera on top too on hill's on the windy coast.... Been a good buy for the money in all honesty.
 
Gitzo GK2545T-82QD Series 2 Traveler is my tripod of choice.
Sturdy, light and a decent height even with the centre column down.

Serves as my do it all tripod and can't see me buying anything else now.
 
rob-nikon said:
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The problem with many traveler tripods is that they are too light, made from poor materials or the construction/design is poor. Many have leg sections that are too thin and flex. They are not really longer useable as they are pretty unstable. I had a cheap Benro traveller tripod first and it was just useless as it was far too unstable but it fitted the small size category.
Click to expand...
I also have a Chinese generic CF tripod as my 'travel tripod' for when I'm taking just my A6000 kit - it's a bit bulkier than some travel tripods, but still a lot less than my Manfrotto (especially as it has just a standard ball head, rather than my 410 Geared head :)) - and I'm not looking to use it with heavy gear, long lenses or in strong winds.
You can get 'cheap' (£100?) tripods that are fine - but have to work with their limitations.
 
I have got 2 tripods that fit in my suitcase - I bought a 3LT Travis for a trip, but the weather was rubbish and I didn’t use it. Then a few months later when I got back I won a Peak Design tripod.
Travis is the better tripod, I think it is slightly more stable than the Peak Design, however the Peak Design is a better travel tripod, it is way more compact.
As I already have another “big” tripod I really should put the Travis in the classifieds.
 
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