School me on Spotting Scope Tripods

[Marbles]

I have a Vanguard full sized and a small Sirui. The Vanguard tripod is serviceable, but the head on it was garbage and has been replaced. The much smaller head that came with the Sirui was nicer in every way. At some point the Vanguard tripod will be replaced with an FLM. FLM makes nice middle of the price range stuff. Cheaper than Really Right Stuff, but better than Sirui and Silk. That said, I recommend Sirui without hesitation.

Basically, I would not recommend a Vanguard unless budget constrained, and even then I would look for something better that was used first.

 

[Elk2008]

You can get into a manfrotto tripod for pretty reasonable ($100 ish). They are pretty good for the money. Have to add a head too.

 

[Indian Summer]

As far as a multi-tool, they're great till they break. Then you are SOL across the board. I can use my trekking poles as a shooting V, to glass off of (15s), etc. I can also use my tripod to glass, shoot from (shooting V), use as a trekking pole, etc.

My thoughts on a multi purpose pod: I used to carry a tripod just for my spotter. I went through every type of gun rest including the bulky Deadshot Fieldpod from Caldwell.

Your gun rest needs to be rock solid and quickly adjustable. It needs to be rock solid. Unless you want to replace it in a few years a good one should be heavy duty. Weight means stability and so it’s not going to be some ultra light pieces of gear. You gotta suck it up and pack the tool that you know is going to get the job done period. That shot is for sure going to make or break your hunt right!

For that I’m sticking with Bog Pod. It’s heavy duty. It’ll withstand way more abuse than any tripod made specifically to mount spotters or cameras.

Plus the versatility is unmatched with the Switcheroo system. The leg angles lock at multiple settings so you can keep it tall or widen them out and go super low and stable.

So carrying that is just a given. Since I can pop the gun test adapter out and slip in the spotting scope adapter why would I carry a whole other tool? Yes a high end spotting tripod will pan smoother. But I can find and zoom in on elk just fine and packing something else all day just isn’t worth a smoother head.

I mount these Quick Stix to my trekking poles because why not? In a second I can lock together my poles and have a set of shooting sticks. They weigh nothing and take up no space. Between these and my Bog Pod HD I can do anything and don’t worry nothing is going to fail.

 

[Rock-o]

Recently picked up a Sirui T-004S and a Sirui VA-5 head. I think the total was easily under $200. It's somewhere in between a $20 PoS from Walmart and a $2k RRS setup. Closer to Walmart. But I'm coming from Walmart so it's a huge upgrade. Got if from Doug @ Camera Land who is a Rokslide sponsor.

 

[Wapiti1]

I find it hard to believe that there isn’t a sub $100 tripod on Amazon that isn’t damn near the same as these expensive models. I’d imagine even most of the expensive ones come from China.....there’s gotta be a decent knockoff! Like Costco merino wool socks compared to darn tough socks!


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Well, you could go with something like this. It's lightweight, cheap and usable. I suspect the leg locks will freeze up with dust and dirt in them, and the ball head will be OK for a while, then not hold tension. Get this and then invest in a good fluid head. You only buy the head once and can swap it to the next set of legs.

We've, or I've, been through a lot of cheap/er options for photography gear as I learned and upgraded. There is a price point where the quality gets good, but maybe you don't have a lot of features. $150-$200 is about there for tripods, IMO. Not that cheaper won't work. It will, but you may get annoyed with little issues that pop up constantly. Or it just breaks and you are out $100 plus the next $100 to replace it.

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-centimeters-Monopod-Camcorder-kilograms/dp/B00NSEKEMO/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=carbon+fiber+tripod&qid=1605874599&sr=8-3

Jeremy

 

[Gila]

I don't know about you guys, but I have done better with a medium power scope with a large field of view. I don't typically go above 30 power.

 

[Jakerex]

I got one of those athlon area 15-45’s. First spotter. Gets good reviews. I’m sure it will work for me. I hope...


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[Gila]

Another thing...you will come to appreciate the spikes on the legs of a hunting tri-pod that can be deployed on a rocky slope. On the Bog they screw down when you need them. I have about 175 invested with all of the attachments. The Bog swivel mount includes a window mount. I have an aluminum but sometimes wish i would have plopped down the cash for a carbon one. Camera tripod or hunting tripod, you get what you pay for. But it is something you only buy once.

 

[Jakerex]

How much weight are these pod tripods rated to hold?


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