Solid Travel Tripod suggestions: I’m unhappy with the last travel tripod I bought and have begun looking for “The Right One”. So far the best selection in weight, load and size specs...

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

I’m unhappy with the last travel tripod I bought and have begun looking for “The Right One”. So far the best selection in weight, load and size specs seems to be the Sirui T-1204SK T-S Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod. B&H is running a $65 discount on them till the end of the month.
But I am open to suggestions for something comparable to the Sirui. My restrictions are it cannot have a folded length of more than 20”, it must be very stable and hopefully lightweight. So it should probably be made of carbon fiber. I have more than enough heads, ball, pan and fluid head for video. So I’m just looking for the tripod itself.
I have a few other travel pods but have found them to not be as stable as I want in adverse wind conditions. So at this point the cost is secondary to the quality. My landscape shots look much better when the camera isn’t vibrating.
Thank you in advance for your input
Pete

Edit. Just in case you wondering, the equipment weigh is 8-10lbs.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Look at the Manfrotto Befree MKBFRTC4-BHUS Carbon fiber travel tripod.

https://www.manfrotto.com/us-en/befree-advanced-carbon-fiber-travel-tripod-twist-ball-head-mkbfrtc4-bhus/

I have never liked Manfrotto ball heads, so I replaced mine with a 3-Legged Thing pano head.

Bob Mevis Loc: Plymouth, Indiana

Check out Adorama. They have an in house brand called 3pod. They have a carbon fiber one that you can buy with a squeeze handle ball head. I bought a carbon monopod with the same kind of head last year and like it. That head is rated at about 12 pounds. Go to YouTube and watch reviews on it. Most reviews are positive. A short time ago, I looked them up on Adorama Nd they were under $ 300. I,m going to buy one next year.

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

Peak Design just announced a new travel tripod. Small and sturdy, you may want to take a look.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

rgrenaderphoto wrote:

Look at the Manfrotto Befree MKBFRTC4-BHUS Carbon fiber travel tripod.

https://www.manfrotto.com/us-en/befree-advanced-carbon-fiber-travel-tripod-twist-ball-head-mkbfrtc4-bhus/

I have never liked Manfrotto ball heads, so I replaced mine with a 3-Legged Thing pano head.

Thanks. That one looks comparable in stability. I will have to go to Samy’s Camera to check it out.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

Bob Mevis wrote:

Check out Adorama. They have an in house brand called 3pod. They have a carbon fiber one that you can buy with a squeeze handle ball head. I bought a carbon monopod with the same kind of head last year and like it. That head is rated at about 12 pounds. Go to YouTube and watch reviews on it. Most reviews are positive. A short time ago, I looked them up on Adorama Nd they were under $ 300. I,m going to buy one next year.

Do you remember what the brand name and model is on that one?

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

tradio wrote:

Peak Design just announced a new travel tripod. Small and sturdy, you may want to take a look.

Thank you for the input. Price is usually not an issue, but that one in carbon fiber is more than double the Sirui and the legs look to be a bit thinner. I would need to see that one hands on.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

pmorin wrote:

I’m unhappy with the last travel tripod I bought a... (show quote)

I use a Feisol CT 3442 as a travel tripod. It is going to be considerably stiffer than most of the suggestions being made here, and it does have a 55 lb load capacity, not that it matters. It weighs 2.31 lbs, and collapses to 19.3 inches. It is stable enough to use a 200 or 300mm lens without fear of vibration screwing up your shots.

http://www.feisol.com/0823tripodsdetails-5.html

You can get it directly from them, or buy one through Adorama or B&H.

I also use their bigger version - the CT3472 - with a 600mm F4 - it weighs 4 lbs, and collapses to 20.1 inches. If you don't think your needs for stability will be met by the CT-3442 this is a good option.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Face it, light and compact tripods are less stable than heavier and bigger. My true travel tripod is a Manfrotto BeFree (others have mentioned) and it performs adequately as long as your camera and lens aren't too heavy. Most of the time, I hike with a Sirui carbon fiber EN-2204 with a Nest carbon gimbal head. Not as light and compact, but it handles my longer, heavier wildlife / birding glass. I strap it to my backpack.

You can get better performance from a lighter tripod by not extending the legs and/or center column any more than you have to. The way I do this is sit down on the ground.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

Gene51 wrote:

I use a Feisol CT 3442 as a travel tripod. It is g... (show quote)

Wow, that unit looks to be really stable. I might have to bite the bullet and squeeze it into the budget. Thanks for the suggestion.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

Strodav wrote:

Face it, light and compact tripods are less stable... (show quote)

Thank you. I have had to do the shortening trick in the past. Also adding a weight suspended from the center hook that’s solid to the ground helps. But I want to get away from that so I will be looking at all the ideas given here.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

pmorin wrote:

Wow, that unit looks to be really stable. I might have to bite the bullet and squeeze it into the budget. Thanks for the suggestion.

It's a purchase you are not likely to regret. I've owned the 3442 for 4 yrs and the 3472 for 12, yrs, and used them in all kinds of conditions, rain, in a creek (not near, but actually in it), at the beach, snow, and in 0° F and 105° F heat - the one piece of gear I never worried about was the tripod. I looked at all the alternatives available at the time of purchase - if money was no object, Gitzo and RRS would have been my choice. But with my work winding down, I found Feisol, and compared their offerings to the better ones, and found I could get, subjectively speaking 90% of the performance at less than half the cost.

bikerguy

pmorin wrote:

I’m unhappy with the last travel tripod I bought a... (show quote)

I have the Siriu T-1205X carbon fiber tripod and G10KX ball head and I find it very good. It folds to about 14" with the head on.It easily supports my E-M1.2 with the 75-300. I have traveled with it on the side of my camera backpack and have had no issues with TSA or its international equivalent. It is not very tall but I am okay with that and it gets down to about 4" or 5".

Bobby123

Like Gene51, I have two Feisols. My travel tripod is a 3441 that I use with an Acratech head (because it's lighter) that I used in Wyoming this summer with a D850 and an 80-400. It worked perfectly. For regular use I have the 3472 with an RRS BH55 that is an overkill setup, if there is such a thing. I showed the big one to a university photography professor and she was quite surprised at the light weight. The larger one is steadier, but that shouldn't be a surprise. The travel one is pretty great. I like them both very much and would probably replace them with the same if that time ever comes.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

I use an older 3 Legged Thing Eddie Evo. I had a Siriu travel pod but sold it on this site as it wasn't as capable as the 3 Legged Thing was....