Tripod Overload Comparison

[Andyram_18]

Here is a website I found helpful when comparing tripods. I've not found a better database on the subject:

The Center Column

Independent Tripod Testing

thecentercolumn.com

Thanks for sharing. My goal this year is to dial in my optics. My eyes arent what they were even 5 years ago. Im learning that any inefficiencies = critters lost. So not just weight but efficiency, willingness to pack, and what will make me use them more! So im really spending some time, study, and coin this year to fix that. This website will help!

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

@Turkeygetpwnd38 -- It took me a minute to figure out what was going on here. Tricer pan on the MA30 head. Thats smart... So you can glass off tricer and shoot off of the MA30.... I just got the tricer and have my reservations on shooting 8-9 lb gun off of it.

Yea the tricer is nice but couldn’t imagine shooting off of it. It’s just barely enough for my 88 spotter but for the weight no complaints. You put a small arca place on it and you are still under 5oz.

 

[Andyram_18]

Makes sense. I think it’s ingenious! I feel like if I were to mount binoculars on an adapter on top of the Tricer it would create too much of a fulcrum on the MA30 And too easy to get steady. How does that work out?

 

[Cynoscion]

I do the same thing but with a small rig pan head on top of my rrs anvil on a tfct 33. There is a weight penalty for sure but stability for glassing while still being able to be super solid in just about any shooting position is awesome.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Makes sense. I think it’s ingenious! I feel like if I were to mount binoculars on an adapter on top of the Tricer it would create too much of a fulcrum on the MA30 And too easy to get steady. How does that work out?

I don’t have enough field time with it to comment. I know a lot of other guys do it, the ma30 is rock solid and not on a center column, I don’t see it being an issue. I’ll have a lot of time behind it in the upcoming months. I actually don’t mind glassing with binos off a ball head, just when the spotter comes out, it’s a pain.

 

[Andyram_18]

I do the same thing but with a small rig pan head on top of my rrs anvil on a tfct 33. There is a weight penalty for sure but stability for glassing while still being able to be super solid in just about any shooting position is awesome.

Good to know. I may give it a try this season. Those RRS tripods look nice. Never put hands on one, just can’t seem to get over the weight penalty. I have a Siri 2204 and I feel that thing is sturdy enough for the heaviest of spotters. Having a hard time seeing what a 3+ lb tripod gains me. I was using a vortex razor 85 MM and it weighs in at 4.5 lbs it handled it fine. Why RRS over lighter options?

 

[Cynoscion]

I guess the best way to describe RRS equipment, not just their tripods but even their heads and other equipment, would be to compare it to alpha glass. If you can remember the first time you looked through swaro binos after only glassing through Nikons or bushies, it’s about the same. Their tripods are just leaps and bounds above all of the others in every way. Build quality, materials used, quality control and customer service are all phenomenal.

 

[Andyram_18]

@Turkeygetpwnd38 @Cynoscion thanks a bunch fellas.
@Turkeygetpwnd38 — let’s see your glass setup. Seeing how you are very detail oriented I’d love to see what you have setup in a similar fashion as this forum

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

@Turkeygetpwnd38 @Cynoscion thanks a bunch fellas.
@Turkeygetpwnd38 — let’s see your glass setup. Seeing how you are very detail oriented I’d love to see what you have setup in a similar fashion as this forum

Want to be clear I agree with @Cynoscion , RRS is better than Leofoto, quality/stability/US made. It just appears for my niche use and weight requirements, the leofoto might work better, but time will tell.

I’ve gone through just about every glassing set up, what I’ve settled on and liking is some combination (depending on the hunt) of 12x NL, Kowa 553, and Kowa 883. Before the 12x NLs I was using 10x EL and 15x SLC, I really liked that set up as well just wanted to try a one do it all binocular and after 2 years the 12x is working for me. If you hunt coues though the 15x is hard to replace.
You don’t have to go all alpha, a 10x or 12x binocular, compact spotter and 80 class spotter is a very versatile system that will work for 99% of hunts.

 

[Cynoscion]

Attached are pics of just about every conceivable option I could ever use depending on the hunt and circumstances. They may not be in the right order but here they are (everything is on the RRS TFCT 33 w/anvil 30 head and small rig pan head added except for shooting):

-camera set up
-rangefinder set up if packing Swaro 15x56 slc
-Swaro 15x56 slc w/outdoorsman stud and adapter
-Kowa 773
-Swaro 10x42 el range w/RRS polymer Cinch adapter
-shooting setup on the anvil 30 w/ a Thunderbird plate/bag combo (awesome piece of equipment btw) if the rifle doesn’t have an ARCA plate installed
-shooting setup on just the anvil 30 w/a rifle that has an ARCA plate installed

Hope all this helps

 

[Andyram_18]

Attached are pics of just about every conceivable option I could ever use depending on the hunt and circumstances. They may not be in the right order but here they are (everything is on the RRS TFCT 33 w/anvil 30 head and small rig pan head added except for shooting):

-camera set up
-rangefinder set up if packing Swaro 15x56 slc
-Swaro 15x56 slc w/outdoorsman stud and adapter
-Kowa 773
-Swaro 10x42 el range w/RRS polymer Cinch adapter
-shooting setup on the anvil 30 w/ a Thunderbird plate/bag combo (awesome piece of equipment btw) if the rifle doesn’t have an ARCA plate installed
-shooting setup on just the anvil 30 w/a rifle that has an ARCA plate installed

Hope all this helps

Thank you so much. I will be coming back to look at details as I put things together. I am jumping into my first alpha glass. My setup will likely be a 10x42 - ELs or 10x40 Zeiss SFL (not really considered alpha glass, but seems to be very high quality.) then Swarovski’ ATS 65 or 80.

right now my priority is the spotter. I’m just sold my vortex razor 85 which has low quality glass and extremely heavy.
I’m torn, between the 65 and 80. most things I read say that the 65 is more than plenty for 90% of hunting situations. But the ATS 80 still weighs less than my razor, so the way I look at it I’m winning by losing 12 oz from the vortex even over the ats 80. I don’t think an RRS wil be in my budget for a few years. At this point my money will be going to glass as that will show dividends quicker than a tripod.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Update
I have 100+ hrs behind the glass on this tripod now, here’s a few more thoughts….

Shooting-
The MA30 head has been great for shooting off of. I had no issue hitting 12” steel at 500 yards sitting with the rear being unsupported. I also shot a bear off the set up. I wouldn’t want the tripod set up for shooting with every hunt, but for bears, antelope, hunts with wife/kids, it’s a nice option to have. If there is an option to get prone though, that would still be my preference.



Glassing-
My set up for glassing was the tricer lp head mounted on a tricer mini arca plate. I use the outdoorsman’s tripod adapter. The set up worked well for glassing with binos. I never really noticed wanting more or the stability being an issue. I had the slik 733 with the VA5 head side by side and the leofotto substantially more stable. When it was time to put the spotter on (Kowa 883), it was a little much for this set up. It’s a limitation on the tricer head, not the tripod or ma30. When the spotter was on, you could lock the tricer head up and down but not side to side. The plate kept coming loose as well, that might be solved by loctite but that’s not really something I wanted to do. I way preferred to put the spotter directly on the ma30 head and use it like that. I didn’t mind it that much, because I was just using the spotter for confirmations, not glassing, and when it was locked in, it was SOLID. A 50mm or 60mm probably would have worked just fine.


Note…. Always make sure your adapter plates are tightened snug. I had a real close call when my binos fell off the tricer head from standing height. I was moving around a lot, I check the knob for tightness constantly, but somehow it kept coming loose a lot. Only damage was to eyepiece, I got super lucky as you can see!


Concerns-
These aren’t really problems, likely just personal things I wasn’t crazy about.
The one thing I did miss was a center column. I’m sure that’s because I’ve always had one. It’s really nice when glassing cross drainage from bottom to top, being able to adjust that center column up and down a few inches is a lot easier than constantly adjusting the legs.
The height was also a bit of an issue. I’m 6ft, maybe an inch more with hunting boots, and the tripod was slightly too short for standing and glassing. This won’t be a problem for anyone shorter, but especially if you are taller, it’s an issue. You get the much needed extra height from the tricer head being mounted, but still had to do the leg spread thing instead of being hunched over all the time, especially if glassing up.
I’m a bit concerned about longevity. Over the two weeks of use, seemed like everything loosened up quite a bit. I want to be clear, I had zero issues and maybe this is normal, just seemed to happen fast and something I’ll keep an eye on.

Overall I’m happy with the package. I think it’s hard to beat for the price point. I’ll likely continue to use it on some fall hunts, but ultimately I might continue looking for something 4-6” taller with a center column. There is no one perfect do it all tripod, but this is probably real close for anyone under 6ft or doesn’t glass standing. I might give another RRS tripod a try.

 

[Andyram_18]

Love the review and the follow up.
I found the same nuance with the Tricer. My swaro has fallen off several times due to that set screw not being tight (I’m talking the side screw that clamps down on the bottom of the spotter)I think it comes lose too easily. Other tripods I’ve used have a small push button on the top where the arca plate goes that keeps the optic slipping off of the tensions screw is not set.

Other than that, I think the Tricer rocks! Just bought the NLS, and am excited to get out and use them summer scouting VERY soon!

 

[4th_point]

Great thread, OP. Thanks for the pics, observations, and follow up.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

After season update:
I've used this tripod around 60+ days this year. There have been 5 animals shot off it. I am still really liking it. I mentioned a concern about the legs and locks loosening up after heavy use, this hasn't been an issue. I've also gotten used to no center column and it doesn't bother me anymore not having one. I think the stability you gain is worth not having it, but I do still wish the tripod itself was 3-4 inches taller for me personally. Again, probably not an issue if you are under 6' or don't want to glass standing. Stayed with the tricer head for binos and spotter directly to ball head, liked this setup.

Will I leave it alone and not try anything else? Probably not, I like to tinker. I'll probably try another RRS model at some point and maybe an inverted option. My biggest take away is having a tripod to shoot off of is invaluable when taking first time hunters. Two of the animals killed were by first timer's, both there was no option to get prone or really even kneel. Neither shot would have been feasible without the tripod. Especially if taking kids, set them up for success and have something for them to shoot off of.

British buddy's first kill. Standing shot, upward angle, 180 yards, 6.5 prc


Wife's first kill. Standing shot, steep downward angle, 120 yards, 6 creed