Anyone have a recommended small, light tripod for spotting scope for hunting (to carry in a backpack)? Max height probably does not need to be >40" or so. Low weight and packability are preferred over durability/heft.
- Thread starter bnamhill
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As a long standing supporting vendor here on the forum it would be our pleasure to discuss this with you and help figure out which would suit your intended use the best. If you've got a few minutes give us a call, 516-217-1000, and speak with Joel. He's the resident Tripod guru
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Will you never be shooting from the tripod?
The reason I ask is that if you use or carry shooting sticks, spotting tripod, and maybe have a bipod; one good tripod can simplify your life, promote more accurate shooting and be lighter than the current gear as a whole. We use tripods to shoot from on our Wyoming and Colorado Elk hunts as well as our pig hunts. It's a game-changer for sure.
I will not be shooting from it. I have a couple of tripods I shoot from. For this tripod, I want something light and packable for glassing with spotter.
But, since you brought it up, what tripod do you use?
If you were going to shoot from it, i would say sentinel from javalinbipod.com
i have a woodland, but they make different heights. Woodland is kinda long collapsed but its tall extended.
i have their old kapulto(sp?) tripod and it weighs just over a pound. I have used it for glassing and shooting for years. Tons of mount options and everything is lightweight but durable. They are in the uk but i have no complaints on shipping times, communication or quality of the 20+ products i own from them. All super high quality.
i have a woodland, but they make different heights. Woodland is kinda long collapsed but its tall extended.
i have their old kapulto(sp?) tripod and it weighs just over a pound. I have used it for glassing and shooting for years. Tons of mount options and everything is lightweight but durable. They are in the uk but i have no complaints on shipping times, communication or quality of the 20+ products i own from them. All super high quality.
For hunting I carry a Gitzo traveler which is lightweight and compact and fits easily into my backpack. Well built and provides a good platform for mounting binos and spotter.
I have a Feisol 3342 I got from Bison Tactical. I use a RRS universal leveling base. I have an arca rail on my rifle, arca plates on my spotting scope and bino adapter. This was the best option I found at the time with a good compromise for a light weight tripod that was sturdy enough to shoot from. Compared to my hunting buddies dainty little “glassing” tripods that shake in the slightest breeze and are useless to shoot iff of, I am very happy with the setup. Highly recommend the long spiked feet.
www.bisontactical.com
Feisol Carbon Fiber Shooting Tripod (CT-3342)
Set up a more stable shot with Feisol’s Carbon Fiber Shooting Tripod (CT-3342), available today from Bison Tactical. Offering an incredibly lightweight and reliable shooting platform, this carbon fiber shooting tripod works perfectly whether you’re shooting at targets or lining up your hunting...
www.bisontactical.com 
^^^ I’ve got the 3372 and RRS leveling base. It’s amazing. I live in indiana and almost everything is flat so the leveling base is perfect. If I lived in southern indiana with more hills I’d probably opt for a ball head. The 3372 is probably taller than your requirements but the 3342 might suite you well. It’s not cheap, but they are less than a true RRS setup.
I bought a promaster 525 carbon in a package deal from from the guys at cameraland. Comes with both a ball and a fluid head. I have been super super happy with it. Does a great job holding my ATM 80. I run the fluid head when I’m packing the spotter/bino combo and the ball head when I’m just running binos. I also highly recommend the KDC bino tower.
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Thanks folks. I have a couple "nicer" carbon tripods, but they are bigger and heavier than I was looking for backpack-hunting. I bought this one: https://www.rei.com/product/170490/nikon-compact-outdoor-tripod
It is not as tacti-cool as some of the others, but it is pretty compact (17x3.3x3.3) and lighter than even most of the carbons (at 2lbs 3 oz). And the really nice thing is it is <$100. I just received it, and it looks/feels pretty solid. I will send an update once I get it in the field for a few days. I can tell it will be great for glassing, but I will have the test the ability to use it as a shooting platform.
It is not as tacti-cool as some of the others, but it is pretty compact (17x3.3x3.3) and lighter than even most of the carbons (at 2lbs 3 oz). And the really nice thing is it is <$100. I just received it, and it looks/feels pretty solid. I will send an update once I get it in the field for a few days. I can tell it will be great for glassing, but I will have the test the ability to use it as a shooting platform.
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