Recommendation for a Backpacking Tripod

Discussions
1

Hi all,

I just got back from a 20 mile backpacking trip with my son in the Sierras. It was a nice trip but I’m getting to old to carry the weight I used to carry when I was younger. One way I think I could lighten my load is with a smaller tripod. My first tripod was an Aluminum Gitzo the G1350 Mk2 with a Kirk BH-1 ball head. It was a monster setup weighing in at about 9 pounds but it served its purpose for the large format 4x5. Then about 18 years ago I made a solo photo trip to west Africa and I wanted a lighter set up but one that could still handle the 4x5 and I bought a comparable sized Gitzo, the GT3540XLS which reduced my weight to 6 pounds total for the tripod and head.

Now that the 4x5 days are nearly gone, I mean once I can’t get film anymore, and I am mostly using the D850, I am looking for a lighter tripod and head. All the smaller Gitzo tripods come with a center column and neither of my other two have center columns and I have never missed it nor ever thought I needed one. I don’t need a Gitzo, as today many tripods are built using carbon fiber and are more than sturdy.

So I am looking for any recommendations for a smaller, less than 3 pounds for the tripod, preferrable with twist locks for the legs and no center column. I can find them on my own, but I have no idea which of them is good or not and was hoping the fellow photographers here on NPN will have had enough experience with other tripods that I can rely on.

Thanks in Advance.

2

Youssef, I recently replaced a Gitzo Traveler with an FLM CP30-L4 II tripod. The Traveler came with a center column, but I took it off and only rarely put it back on. The folded FLM is only 2 inches taller than the Gitzo and weighs 3.1 lbs, but it extends to 68 inches, so I can shoot without bending over. FLM makes a wide variety of tripods with different lengths, and weights so you should be able to find one that will work for you. In 3 months of use, I think it’s a nice improvement over the Gitzo. I’ve also owned and worn out a Feisol and a Sirui. Neither of those were as well built as the Gitso or the FLM.

3

I have been looking for a new tripod, too. Mark’s comment encouraged me to check out the FLM. I located a good review of the FLM C30-L4ii at Andrealivieriphoto.com. I have never heard of Andrea Livieri, but his review seems to echo Mark’s. I am now seriously considering it as a replacement.