Hunting Tripod - Fanaue?

[lazyMlazyK]

I'm shopping around for a budget-ish option for a hunting/glassing tripod. My requirements are:

No center post
Carbon fiber legs
Under 3lbs, excluding ballhead
Twist-to-lock
Cost less than $250
Bonus - legs fold past 80° for prone shooting

I'm currently using my PRS tripod, an Innorel RT90C for now, but it's over 6lbs, and I don't need the extra height or 53mm ballhead. It's just a bit bulky and heavier than I'd like for hunting.

Anyone here have experience with Fanaue tripods? They look semi-decent, but would like more reviews than Amazon has.

 

[Neko]

What did you end up doing?

 

[zpearo]

What did you end up doing?

I got one of those fanaue tripods and it was surprisingly high quality. Ended up selling it to go the ultralight route with an Aziak Backcountry, but if you want a bigger tripod, the fanaue is a solid option

 

[bowhntr4lif]

I also have a fanaue tripod for night hunting and have been pretty impressed for the price. Not sure if you can still find them on amazon though

 

[Scofield_DA]

I ordered one of these Fanaue tripods from Walmart last week. Just arrived, and it seems really sweet for range spotting, shooting off of, and as a truck tripod.
"Clearance" price right now at $199:

Robot or human?

The product description page had some conflicting info, so I wasn't actually sure if I was getting the st45 or st65, but it ended up being the 65, listed on Amazon for $260. Best price I've seen on them and seems absolutely worth it at initial unboxing. Hopefully hit the range tomorrow to put it through some tests.

The one thing I'm seeing that's different from the $260 version is the feet don't screw in to reveal a metal spike. Just rubber feet included, but you can remove those by unscrewing if needed.

So far, certainly recommend. It is super tall, like too tall to kneel behind with legs not extended, but you can splay them, so not really an issue. I'm excited with the purchase.

 

[Neko]

Thank you for replies! Looks like may be a good option for a first tripod

 

[Scofield_DA]

Quick follow-up:
I didn't make it to the range, but I did play around with the tripod for a while, attached all my different items to it.

While doing that, I noticed different brands of arca rails and mounting plates seem to have slightly different thickness and width bases and maybe different angles at the base, meaning the quick release arca on the Fanaue tripod engages the bases differently and requires a tension adjustment to lock properly.

I'm not sure if higher end tripods factor in tolerances for different brands of base/rail so they would engage all brands effectively. Maybe they all have this same issue.

Basically, the quick release lever isn't as quick as i hoped because each base is slightly different. Could be an issue if your goal is to glass and then quickly switch to an arca rail on your gun to shoot. The adjustment required would certainly cost you some time in an NRL setting.

I think my solution will just be to make sure all of my arca mounting plates and rails are the same brand/same size so swapping from binos to spotter to gun is all the same spec.

 

[Neko]

Ok so I ordered one! We shall see. Got it re the same brand arcas. Makes sense. Thx!

 

[Hunt_Jefferson]

I ordered a Fanaue ST-45 off WalMart’s site on clearance for $159. To my surprise, the heavier ST-65 showed up. This thing feels stout and like @Scofield_DA said - super tall. Maybe absurdly tall.

It weighs 5lb 10oz on my scale and I can’t help but think I might lose a pound or so by lopping a foot off each leg. This is my first tripod however is there a scenario where I would need a leg extended that far? And collapsed it’s 45” so not exactly compact, legs are 40mm diameter.

They also have a smaller 3 section inverted tripod but it’s double the price. I wanted to check out the cheapest one and see how the integrated ball head works. Had no problems clamping down on my heaviest rifle, a 9.5lb AR10 in 6.5CM. There is also a seller on eBay making an insert with a standard stud to use your own ball head.

Heights from ground to the Arca clamp at the pre-set positions, legs collapsed: 42”, 27”, and 7”.
At the first pre-set position, legs fully extended: 74”

Specs from their site: https://fanaue.com/products/fanaue-...rrs-dovetail-picatinny?variant=45708983468255

Photos but don’t laugh at my rifle’s grip, it hurts it’s feelings…

 

[Hunt_Jefferson]

Some extra info if anyone is interested. The clamp is replaceable, undo two screws and underneath is a standard pitch threaded bung. I put on a clamp that has a safety lever before the gun can be removed. I also degreased the hinges and added some white lithium grease, much smoother now.

The legs are ~23oz each with the upper section at 10.5oz and the lower extending section at 12.3oz. I’ll have to do some math to see how much to take the legs down and not make it too short, but it seems like ~8 oz could be easily removed by just bringing it down to a normal standing height.

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