Sheep scope tripod?

USMCret

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May 12, 2020
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So I’m pretty sure that I have decided to go with a Kowa 66. Any comment on that? What I really need help with is MAKE and MODEL of a reliable tripod and the weight of yours and maybe where to get the best price on it if you know.
 
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USMCret

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One that I am considering is the Siriu Traveler X W/ AT_10 at 2.09lbs
 

Grady.J

Lil-Rokslider
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Coquitlam, BC
Are you really suggesting at $1000 tripod ? At 3lbs?
The best of the best ain't cheap, especially if you plan to shoot off it.


I use the aziak backcountry and their lite ball head. Comes in at 25oz. Works well for my binos and kowa 77. I haven't shot off it yet. Surely not as rock solid as something heavier, but I'll take the trade off for hiking in.
 
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Jan 11, 2021
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I was thinking of just for glassing, but what options are for both?
With a tripod that you will shoot off of you will want to have a sturdier tripod capable of bearing more weight. Look at the specs here (I am not saying you need to spend that much on a tripod, but illustrates the example)… one is for mainly glassing but a little shooting, series two for a good tripod capable of both, and series 3 is for primarily shooting.

If you get too flimsy of a tripod it will be more difficult to steady the rifle.
 

schmalzy

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For just using a spotter, I’d try the aoka off amazon. It’s not robust and you aren’t shooting off of it, but works well enough on a 65ish spotter to take a look at rams.

Weighs significantly less and is super easy to pack.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

ColeyG

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Oct 25, 2017
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For just using a spotter, I’d try the aoka off amazon. It’s not robust and you aren’t shooting off of it, but works well enough on a 65ish spotter to take a look at rams.

Weighs significantly less and is super easy to pack.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I picked up one of these trying to lighten my kit this year. I've gone through a handful of tripods for sheep and have only really found one that I have been happy with, Velbon Ultra Luxi 2, but at 2lbs, I wanted something lighter. Additionally, after a decade of hard use, some of the joints had loosened up to the point where the wiggle was becoming problematic.

For less than $100, made in China, off of Amazon, weighing less than a pound, I was expecting to get this thing and toss it in the trash immediately. I wound up being super impressed. Used it on two sheep hunts this year and couldn't be happier with it. It is surprisingly well made and durable for its ultralight weight. Obviously it hasn't withstood years of abuse, but my initial impressions are that it will last long enough to pay for itself.

For what it is worth, I do practically all of my glassing for sheep sitting down and so I am not using this tripod, or any others, fully extended, but rather in a pretty compact profile.

Both partners I've used this spotter with purchased one as soon as we got home from the trip.
 
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USMCret

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I picked up one of these trying to lighten my kit this year. I've gone through a handful of tripods for sheep and have only really found one that I have been happy with, Velbon Ultra Luxi 2, but at 2lbs, I wanted something lighter. Additionally, after a decade of hard use, some of the joints had loosened up to the point where the wiggle was becoming problematic.

For less than $100, made in China, off of Amazon, weighing less than a pound, I was expecting to get this thing and toss it in the trash immediately. I wound up being super impressed. Used it on two sheep hunts this year and couldn't be happier with it. It is surprisingly well made and durable for its ultralight weight. Obviously it hasn't withstood years of abuse, but my initial impressions are that it will last long enough to pay for itself.

For what it is worth, I do practically all of my glassing for sheep sitting down and so I am not using this tripod, or any others, fully extended, but rather in a pretty compact profile.

Both partners I've used this spotter with purchased one as soon as we got home from the trip.
Is this the one you are talking about?
 

ColeyG

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Oct 25, 2017
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That is the one. Listed weight is just over a pound but that is with an extension for the head, which I don't use.
 

mtwarden

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I've tried several different tripods and have also settled on an Aziak Backcountry tripod; light, but not too light.

Plenty beefy enough for any 65-ish spotter. I use mine w/ a Spartan Davros head- lets me change optics (bino to spotter) quickly and have found that I can shoot off of it decently—not as decently as a 4-5 lb tripod/head, but decently.
 
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USMCret

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Think I’m narrowed down to these 2. Aziak Backcountry tripod or the Aoka. The Aoka is 1.1 lb with the ball head and is $90 on amazon and the Aziak is 24oz with the short section and ball head but is about $350 total but could catch a 20% for Black Friday so about $280 almost seems like a no brainer but is the Aoka to light? Also is there a different ball head that anyone has found to be a better working model for scanning the mountains and locking down or adjusting?
 

Paladin

Elk Masher Wannabe
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South Carolina
I have the Aoka and it is super lightweight and very well made for the money. I'm always trying to squeeze a few more ounces out of my gear. However, for me, even with an extension it was awkward to sit under or behind to glass for any period of time. When I tried to use an extension it really wasn't stable enough to effectively glass. I end up using my T024SK Sirui with the tricer head even though it's a bit heavier.

As I mentioned, I'm a gram nerd when it comes to gear but, of the two you are looking at, I would go with the Aziak Backcountry tripod. If it's been vetted by @mtwarden you can bet it's legit.
 

mtwarden

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Yeah I found the Aoka simply too short, even with an aftermarket short extension; the extension it comes with I found too unstable.

The Aziak with a Spartan head has worked well for me.
 

Ucsdryder

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here’s my 300nmi off an aziak with a tricer head. It really is a pussy cat with the TBAC ultra though. Spotting shots at 600 at 10x was a nonissue with this setup IMG_4347.jpeg
 
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