Tripod questions

[unfazed]

Beginner hunter here, I’ll be hunting my home state of Utah for now. I’m looking to get a tripod to glass from with my binoculars. I haven’t purchased a spotting scope. Do most use a tripod for both glassing and a shooting brace? Trying to decide if I should use the tripod for both with different attachments or get some trekking poles with a shooting attachment. Recommendations are appreciated!

I hear good things about tricer, slik and the outdoorsman attachment.

 

[180ls1]

A tripod for shooting and glassing is great.

I also have the quick stix attachment so my trekking poles work as a bipod. Its like $35 and very fast to use, much quicker than a tripod.

I would recommend both and have used both in the past year. I am glad I had them.

 

[Camera Land]

Happy to help you with a tripod. carry Slik, Benro, Sirui plus a few other lines. Those 3 brands are by far the most popular. The Benro setups are great for shooting as the heads can handle the weight and the recoil

Mention Rokslide

Joel
516-217-1000

 

[hereinaz]

How far will you shoot in the areas you hunt?
How far can you shoot reliably now?
What cartridge/calibers?
How much will you practice?
Do you shoot off of sticks or anything now?
Do you glass standing or sitting?
How tall are you?

 

[SloppyJ]

No reason you can't do both. I bought my first nice tripod this year and had a ton of the same questions. There is some give and take though.

For glassing, I imagine that a tripod with a center post would be great for small vertical adjustments to get you in the perfect position. However you can accomplish this but just bringing the tripod feet closer together but it's not as functional all the time.

For shooting, you really need a decently stout tripod. A center post takes away from stability while shooting so its not recommended. I went with a leofoto 324cex. It has a built in leveling head which allows some tilt and pan. I got a leofoto MA-30 which is an anvil 30 knock off. This setup works well for shooting.

For glassing, I bought a fluid head and can mount it directly to the ma30 with an acra plate attached to the bottom. This allows me to shoot and glass.

So far I really like this setup. I think it's the best budget tripod setup out there. Check ebay for the leofoto stuff. I got stuff brand new on there on a substantial discount.

 

[BigDuckHunter]

It’s worth considering your use case for these. I shot my first PRS match last spring and decided that I needed a good tripod. I bought a really nice carbon fiber one with a solid ball head. I can shoot off it as far as I’d feel comfortable shooting at game and it’ll hold binos and a spotter rock solid. Then I took it on a backpack hunt figuring that it would work great for shooting/glassing. It did work great for both of those but was way too heavy (>6lbs) to be carrying that far. I’ve decided that I probably don’t need one I can shoot off of and I’ll just use one for glassing moving forward to save a few pounds. If I was only going to be doing day hunts the one I have would probably still work well for me.

 

[hereinaz]

It’s worth considering your use case for these. I shot my first PRS match last spring and decided that I needed a good tripod. I bought a really nice carbon fiber one with a solid ball head. I can shoot off it as far as I’d feel comfortable shooting at game and it’ll hold binos and a spotter rock solid. Then I took it on a backpack hunt figuring that it would work great for shooting/glassing. It did work great for both of those but was way too heavy (>6lbs) to be carrying that far. I’ve decided that I probably don’t need one I can shoot off of and I’ll just use one for glassing moving forward to save a few pounds. If I was only going to be doing day hunts the one I have would probably still work well for me.

Weight is one of the main cost/benefit decisions. My tripod and head is well under 6lbs, and I can shoot off it nicely. It is my shooting tripod. So I carry it because I don’t carry anything else like sticks or bipod.

But, it’s a bit of threading the needle with the choice of shooting is an option.

Nevertheless, any tripod can be useful for shooting, it just depends on how far you want to shoot and the caliber you are shooting.

 

[180ls1]

Weight is one of the main cost/benefit decisions. My tripod and head is well under 6lbs, and I can shoot off it nicely. It is my shooting tripod. So I carry it because I don’t carry anything else like sticks or bipod.

But, it’s a bit of threading the needle with the choice of shooting is an option.

Nevertheless, any tripod can be useful for shooting, it just depends on how far you want to shoot and the caliber you are shooting.

Yeah, you gotta know yourself. I’d leave one like that at the truck the same way I would always leave my heavy spotter.

Mine is really light and used for glassing and front support only. When I need to shoot I use my pack or trekkers for rear support.

I always seem to error being too light with stuff but that ensures it comes with me.

 

[Darren D]

Beginner hunter here, I’ll be hunting my home state of Utah for now. I’m looking to get a tripod to glass from with my binoculars. I haven’t purchased a spotting scope. Do most use a tripod for both glassing and a shooting brace? Trying to decide if I should use the tripod for both with different attachments or get some trekking poles with a shooting attachment. Recommendations are appreciated!

I hear good things about tricer, slik and the outdoorsman attachment.

I highly recommend the Slik 600 Pro Carbon Fiber series of tripods. Mount a Small Rig micro fluid head and you’re looking at around 3.5lbs for both.

If you want to stand while glassing, the 633, 634, and 635 are my recommendations in that order. I ended up buying the 633 Pro CF as I found it more stable and quicker to work with. Most go with the 634 as it isn’t as tall when collapsed and in your pack. I have used this setup for the last two years of scouting and hunting. I am very happy with it.

If you will only sit, the Slik 632 is the way to go as it is a full 10oz lighter than the full height models.

Free Modifications:
You can remove the very top of the mounting head on these Slik’s and save yourself another 1.2oz. My 633 Pro CF weighs 30.8oz after this simple mod.
For the Small Rig micro fluid head you can remove the handle and it is still easy to use without it. It weighs 6.2oz after handle removal.

Both together weighs 36.9oz. It works GREAT for glassing and so lightweight your legs will thank you on long and heavy hikes. And is good for shooting off of but nothing I would take to a NRL competition. But BM for hunting it works just fine.

For the tripod, S&S Archery is a good shop to buy from. Or any other outdoors shop. I like to support those who support our outdoorsman tradition. But Amazon works too. Links below to what I use.

Good luck!

Slik 633 Carbon Fiber Tripod | Hunting | S&S Archery

This will be your new favorite backpack tripod, tall enough to stand behind and very stable! S&S Archery | Free Shipping. Expert Advice. VIP Customer Service.

sandsarchery.com

Amazon.com