Ultralight Tripod Options

[PathFinder]

Over the last couple of years, I decided to overhaul my tripod setup and ended up several pounds heavier without noticing it. My current setup is a Manfrotto 290 Xtra CF and a Sirui VA-5 head. The goal was better stability and functionality, which worked out. But it came at the cost of carrying a 5.2lb tripod setup. It works great, but for alpine and longer distance hunts I think it's worth having an ultralight setup.
In the past, I went too far on the UL side and hated it (Zipshot tripod). With that in mind, I don't want to sacrifice too much functionality. The heavy setup has greatly increased the effectiveness of glassing, and that isn't worth sacrificing completely.
My goal for this post is a collection point for UL tripod components that maintain functionality for up to a 65mm spotter.

Needed Functional Characteristics:
1. Sub 2lbs for head and tripod
a. Sub 2.5lbs as an absolute maximum
2. Pan head that operates smoothly while scanning
3. Sitting height, even on a steep slope
4. Reasonable stability in some wind
5. As a max load, a 65mm spotter or light rifle
6. Carbon fiber legs
7. Multiple leg angle positions
8. Bonus of affordability
9. ARCA compatible head, nothing proprietary or exclusive

Other characteristics to consider:
1. Presence or lack of an adjustable center column
2. Number of leg sections (less is better)
3. Flip vs twist lock
4. Removing leg sections (uphill sections) to reduce weight

Tripod Options:
Aoka 28 in (.98 lb)
Sirui AM-025K (1.58 lb)
Sirui AM-225 (1.6 lb)
Sirui 5C or CX (1.87 lb)
Benro Slim (1.8lb)

Head Options:
Wiser Precision (7oz)
Outdoorsmans Compact (8 oz)
Smallrig (10 oz)
Field Optics Research FPH-ULP (11 oz)
RRS BPC-16 (4.4 oz)

Combos:
Kramer Designs
Black Ovis Treeline

Go ahead and add your setups, weights, and experience. I'll do my best to edit this and add to these lists.

 

[Llama32]

Over the last couple of years, I decided to overhaul my tripod setup and ended up several pounds heavier without noticing it. My current setup is a Manfrotto 290 Xtra CF and a Sirui VA-5 head. The goal was better stability and functionality, which worked out. But it came at the cost of carrying a 5.2lb tripod setup. It works great, but for alpine and longer distance hunts I think it's worth having an ultralight setup.
In the past, I went too far on the UL side and hated it (Zipshot tripod). With that in mind, I don't want to sacrifice too much functionality. The heavy setup has greatly increased the effectiveness of glassing, and that isn't worth sacrificing completely.
My goal for this post is a collection point for UL tripod components that maintain functionality for up to a 65mm spotter.

Needed Functional Characteristics:
1. Sub 2lbs for head and tripod
a. Sub 2.5lbs as an absolute maximum
2. Pan head that operates smoothly while scanning
3. Sitting height, even on a steep slope
4. Reasonable stability in some wind
5. As a max load, a 65mm spotter or light rifle
6. Carbon fiber legs
7. Multiple leg angle positions
8. Bonus of affordability
9. ARCA compatible head, nothing proprietary or exclusive

Other characteristics to consider:
1. Presence or lack of an adjustable center column
2. Number of leg sections (less is better)
3. Flip vs twist lock

Tripod Options:
Aoka 28 in
Sirui AM-025K
Sirui 5C or CX

Head Options:
Wiser Precision (7oz)
Outdoorsmans Compact (8 oz)
Smallrig (12 oz)
Field Optics Research FPH-ULP (11 oz)

Combos:
Kramer Designs
Black Ovis Treeline

Go ahead and add your setups, weights, and experience. I'll do my best to edit this and add to these lists.

I like to see what other people's thoughts are on this as well

 

[Moserkr]

I did the aoka and small rig amazon special over a year ago. Couldnt be happier. Mounts my binos, my maven cs1 65mm spotter, and i put together a yoke on an arca plate for shooting. With an angled spotter its usable standing. Can remove the center post easily for sitting only and shave an ounce or so. Havent fully weighed it but could and should to enter it into my weight list. Its so light i just havent cared lol. The small rig head is smooth for its price and size, no complaints at all.

V YOKE MB Machine Hunting Gun Rifle Stick/Monopod/Tripod Holder https://a.co/d/cClXjPm

 

[Drenalin]

I’d add the Really Right Stuff BPC-16 ball head. It’s very very good at only 4 ounces.

I didn’t care for the BO Treeline setup. A little on the short side for steep slopes, and over the stated weight.

While a touch heavier than some other options, I really like the Promaster XCM-525C. I took the two lowest leg sections off two of the legs, which brought it down to 28 ounces (tripod only). The third leg at full length helps with slope issues and can be detached to use as a monopod (and in theory, a walking stick or tarp pole, but I haven’t used it for those things). The monopod is more useful than I expected with binos. It’s possible a slightly modified XCM-522C would save some additional ounces and cost a little less, but I haven’t gone there (yet).

 

[PathFinder]

I did the aoka and small rig amazon special over a year ago. Couldnt be happier. Mounts my binos, my maven cs1 65mm spotter, and i put together a yoke on an arca plate for shooting. With an angled spotter its usable standing. Can remove the center post easily for sitting only and shave an ounce or so. Havent fully weighed it but could and should to enter it into my weight list. Its so light i just havent cared lol. The small rig head is smooth for its price and size, no complaints at all.

V YOKE MB Machine Hunting Gun Rifle Stick/Monopod/Tripod Holder https://a.co/d/cClXjPm

I'm glad someone has used the Smallrig head, thanks for the input on it! How do you feel about the removable center post on the Aoka? Is it something you use a lot or just in some scenarios?

 

[Moserkr]

@PathFinder I started out with it off and only used the tripod sitting down in my helinox chair. With the legs spread out i could really lean back and look through my optics easily.

Then I wanted the option of standing too so I started keeping it on. It cant weigh more than an ounce or two so theres no penalty in bringing the center post along. I could remove it in the field in a second if I wanted to and attach the head to where it sat. So at this point it just comes along.

Also in order to use the shooting yoke while standing during rifle, it has to have center post or Im limited to sitting/kneeling.
My friend and I both bought the 15.7” (.97lb) tripod first. It is much smaller and only a little lighter. Wouldnt even work leaned back in my chair so unless i sat up and leaned forward to look through optics it was worthless. Friend kept it though as he sits on a pad on the ground with binos only.

I did notice that wind does affect the stability of the image with the spotter on the aoka but i have not anchored it with rocks yet. It has the ability to do that so I will do it one day and see if it helps. The center post would be needed in order to tie something to the anchor point to add weight to it.

 

[Dos Perros]

This Benro is very good cost/weight/quality value.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071JYLS7K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&th=1

I took the head off and added a VA-5, so total weight is 3.0 lbs. I'm very pleased with it, and I love the VA-5 head enough I probably won't try anything else. But you could add one of those UL options for a sub 2.5lb setup.

 

[nobody]

I picked up a Vortex Summit Carbon 2 last fall and have been happy with it. It's 2.5 LBS in stock form, but I swapped their pan head out with a Slik SVH-501 head. However, I'm still sub 3 lbs all in. I could swap it out with an even lighter head and still get good performance, but I like that little Slik head. It's seated height only, all carbon fiber, packs down to about 22 inches long, and handles my 85mm spotter with ease and excels in handling binos. I really have been happy with the setup.

 

[gtriple]

I've been considering the same exercise, but I'm leaning more towards the versatile Wiser tripod setup or Spartan Precision Ascent.

Wiser setup: 12oz total for tripod-specific pieces:

Nighthawk Pan Head - 4.9oz (w/o handle)​

Third leg - 7.1oz​

​

Also need, but don't factor into above because I'm taking it anyways to hike/shoot off.​

Wiser QuickClip - 3.1oz​

Wiser QuickStix - 2.5oz​

Trekking poles - 17.1oz​

​

So entire tripod + trekking poles + shooting platform = 34.7 oz.... just over 2lbs for everything.​

​

Spartan Precision Ascent - 3.6lbs, includes 8.9oz Davros pro head

Would include 2x Trekking pole handles at 1.7oz each, so 60.9oz total. 3.8lbs for rok-solid shooting platform, trekking poles, and tripod.​

​

If you don't use trekking poles, then obviously neither of the above make sense. But I've gotta use em so might as well make the most of em.

 

[PathFinder]

As an update for myself, I decided to go just about as far to the ultralight end of the spectrum as possible. I picked up an Aoka 28" and the SmallRig pan head. It's looking like it will work out, definitely extremely light. So far my thinking is that it will be barely tall enough (minus the extension) in most scenarios. It will be going on a deer scouting trip this weekend, and a deer hunt next week. Use will be 12x42 NLs (on an Outdoorsmans tall adapter) and a 65mm spotter. I'll update this thread with my thoughts after those trips.

 

[H2O Dogs]

GunWerks has a great one.

 

[JRMiller]

Slik CF-634 (2.0lbs) and a Vanguard VEO2 head (.60lbs).
All with bag just under 3lbs.
Rock solid up to 65mm scopes
Not the best head, some small mods make it better, but compact, light, and inexpensive

 

[PathFinder]

Update on the Aoka/SmallRig Combo:
I just spent 5 days on a mule deer hunt with it. About 22 hours sitting glassing, mostly with 12x binos but some with a 65mm spotter. Really impressed with it overall. The SmallRig head leaves little to be desired, the pan axis has loosened up some to where it should be. The tripod is just a hair on the short side. I found the included extension to be essentially worthless. It's too tall and the head constantly unscrews from it. My plan is to make some 6" extensions for the bottom leg sections. It will make it longer in its shortest state, but that doesn't bother me. Will post an update when I get that done.

 

[colobow]

Anyone using flip lock options with same weght and quality?

 

[churley15]

Curious how the 6inch attachments went


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bcblacktail]

This might fall into the DIY but I will list my set-up anyway.
Feisol TT-15 with legs removed and carbon fiber XC ski pole shaft short adapter sleeved over the metal bases
Sunway Foto XB- 25 ball head
Sunway Foto DDC-26L with Arca attachement
Legs- 2x Gossamer Gear trekking pole- two bottom adjustable sections fitted into XC ski pole adapter sleeves attached to metal Feisol bases
3rd leg straight non adjustable carbon fiber XC ski pole shaft sleeved over Feisol metal leg
Total weight 18.7oz with the trekking pole legs accounting for 6.5oz
Since I use the trekking poles any way this is only a 12.2 "penalty" to have a solid tripod for sitting height. With 2 adjustable height legs from the trekking poles and one fixed leg as well as the multiple leg angle positions of the Feisol I have been able to adapt so far to any hillside or terrain.

 

[bcblacktail]

As addition info, the third straight non-adjustable leg weighs only 1.7 oz
As similar slightly beefier set-up can be made with a Neewer CK 30 by cutting off the aluminum legs and fitting in the bottom 2 trekking pole sections and a fixed legs. Some adapter is needed as the Neewer legs are a larger ID than most trekking pole mid sections.

 

[Holmes]

Based upon this thread I just received my Aoka 28. I'm replacing my old aluminum MeFoto Backpacker Air, which is durable and has great features, but just feels too hefty.
Because I hate my bank account and dislike glassing off a ballhead, I also bought a a Wiser PH-170 pan head. It's so beautiful you may be able to forget the price....someday.
Based upon this great thread by @ChrisAU I also bought the Sunway ET01 extension to replace the noodle thin extension that comes with the Aoka.

I also replaced the clunky Vanguard bino adpater with a slim Tezoro bino adapter.

After all that I went from 34oz to 24oz for my tripod kit, and went from a ballhead to a high quality pan head. Worth it? Probably not for that cost! Especially when I already own a ~2lb tripod and ballhead. But, lightweight backcountry stuff makes me do dumb things.

 

[65Grendel]

I picked up the Aoka 28 after reding this thread. A bit too small for me.

 

[chocolab]

slik 624 from S&S archery , siruiuuiuruiu va-5 head with Aziak handle. I also remove the center post. bomber durable. light. not exactly cheap. have only used with 10x42's and a very light Kowa spotter. seems capable of much more.