Peak Design Travel Tripod, Carbon Fiber, Compact Design, Quick Setup and Takedown, Pro-Level Stability, Ergonomic Ball Head, Compact and Portable Travel Tripod for Camera and Phone, 20 lb Capacity

This is my second Peak Design Travel Tripod. The first one was apparently so nice that an unnamed TSA agent decided it would be better off in his possession than mine. That said, it was such a well designed tripod that I was willing to purchase a replacement immediately, which says a lot considering the price of this thing. It's not cheap, but its worth the cost to me. First, it's important to understand what this thing really is. It's not the most stable tripod in the work. There are much heavier sturdier tripods that are great for studio work, or if you don't mind lugging something four times heavier around with you. However, I have yet to find anything even close to as sturdy as this item is that is as easy to carry with you, or that is so well designed. This extends all the way down to the travel case for the tripod, which is a little padded fabric sleeve that keeps the tripod protected without adding an ounce more weight than necessary, and has handy attachment points for clipping to whatever other gear you have. Collapsed, the tripod is small and maybe more importantly well balanced. Its not overly top heavy or awkward to carry. It fits in water bottle pockets on backpacks (top will extend out, of course, good to have a strap too). Personally I usually clip it to the bottom of whatever pack I'm using using the reinforced loops on the travel pouch. In use the tripod is great. Its sturdy and very adjustable. Stability is greatly enhanced by hanging your backpack or other item from the hook on the center post, but even without that I had no issues and I use some pretty big lenses. Again, there are sturdier tripods, but this is meant for travel and easy carry, and considering how light it is I'm very impressed with the stability. The swivel mount is also well designed, but be aware it's different from a typical ball-mount tripod head. It has a lot of adjustability, and I really like using it once I got comfortable with it. But I'm not sure it's quite as adjustable as my Sirui. It's possible to mount a third party head on this tripod, but that requires the Universal Head Adapter from Peak Design, an additional purchase. Finally, there are a few additional nice touches with this tripod. It has a built-in mobile phone adapter. Yes, I'm guessing most people buying this tripod have "real" cameras to use with it, but it's a nice touch, and there are some uses for being able to easily mount your phone at times. It also has built in storage for the only tool you need for adjustments, a little allen wrench. The head is reversable, so you can actually mount your camera between the legs to get a really low shot. All in all, it's the best portable tripod I've found, and I've looked around a lot.

I've been using the carbon fiber model of this tripod for about 2 years now. I got it shortly after crushing the leg of my old tripod in a car door. So I recognize that while this tripod sometimes makes me feel like an idiot, I also just may be an idiot. This tripod is light. I didn't think I'd use the shoulder bag, but I almost always pack it in the bag. It deploys super fast. Flip 3 clips and the legs fly out. Camera gets locked in immediately. It's really great. I've used this tripod in variety of spots and it's proven rugged. Everything from forests and mountains in Colorado, to beaches in Portugal. It's weathered a lot of terrain... and weather. The way the camera clips in feels secure. And it's easy to do, even in the dark. It's felt secure and mostly stable. Everything from a small (but still large) 50mm 1.2 to a fully extended 100-500mm. In high winds I get shake at 500mm when filming video... But that's expected. For photos it's been plenty stable. Ok so here is what I hate. I hate closing the clips to secure the legs. 2 out of 10 times I pinch the skin on my hand. The webbing between my thumb and fore finger. I feel like an idiot closing this thing. Because I know it's going to pinch. But I still rush it and feel like an idiot. The amount of mobility of the ballhead sucks when you go vertical. I know you can spin things around a certain way which gives you a full range of motion, but it sucks figuring it out in the dark when you're trying to grab a photo. The fix for this is to buy an L-Bracket for your camera (or use a long lens with a collar and rotate there). My issue is that Peak Design doesn't sell an L-Bracket. So I bought one from a very good company, but still have to alter it slightly and add another Peak Design clip to it so that it still works (with the shoulder strap latch thing). It sucks that the solution isn't all within the Peak family. It also sucks that the ballhead has that funny little hitch. And lastly, the little wrench/hex key holder. It's that little 2 hex key thing that costs $15. Buy extras. I have lost two already because my thumb sometimes hits the bottom of the holder which ejects the hex key from the holder. I'd knocked it out dozens of times, but lost it once on the floor of my studio, and again on the beach in Portugal. I'm holding out hope that the one in my studio is still findable. But the one in Portugal is a piece of treasure you can find if you go barefoot on Nazaré's North Beach. I have hopes that Peak can refine the design so it's not so easy to eject. It's another element that makes me feel like an idiot. And I want my tripod to comfort me and tell me I'm smart. Capable. Not a loser (of hex wrenches). Lastly the phone holder attachment is 100% unnecessary. But I'm still happy it's there. I've used it a grand total of 3 times. And when I did it was a handy solution.

So much neato stuff built into this travel tripod! I travel by motorcycle on camping/photography trips. Have another brand of travel tripod that I've used for several years. But when I saw this tripod and saw how small it is, I just had to pull the trigger and buy it for my next motorcycle camping photography trip. I just returned from the trip. I gotta tell you, this is the epitome of travel tripods. It really is only about 3-1/2" diameter and maybe 15" long. It packs in my saddlebag instead of having to be strapped to the motorcycle. And it's so easy to deploy! I can have it up with camera or spotting scope attached in just a minute. The lever-type binders for the legs make it so easy and quick. I deployed it several times where I might have hesitated or not deployed at all with my other tripod. The tripod is stable enough that I was able to train my 40X spotting scope on Saturn one evening, clearly seeing the rings and the space between the planet and rings. Of course, Saturn moved across the field of view with Earth rotation and without a little cross-hair spotting scope for the big one, it wasn't easy to keep Saturn centered. But that isn't because of the tripod. For wildlife viewing and photography, it was wonderful Who'd have thought about putting an iPhone mount in the center stem? It's there! Didn't need to buy one! The little tool kit kept falling out until I learned that it has a detent if I turn it the right direction before stowing. Then, it's firmly attached. I may buy some of the accessories that Peak Design offers. Gotta sell my other carbon fiber travel tripod first.

So out of the box it's impressive. It's really a sight to behold, and when you have it in your hands you will feel the weight of it and wonder how it feels so well built while having the weight of cheap plastic. It's bold, it's strong, its stable. The cherry on top is how easy it is to use. Setting and resetting your position is so easy. It takes minimal movement. I can go from fully loose, to tightened down without ruining my shot. There's zero sag. When you set it, it stays. I also love how compact it is. Aside from it being as light as a croissant, it's so tiny that it makes storage a breeze. I've tried inside my bag and out. I settled on outside, and thanks to a durable case strap, I can feel confident in the way I mounted it. I couldn't be happier. This is well worth the money.

I have owned many tripods in my 50+ years of photography. There have been many very expensive, top of the line brand name units as well as highly rated light weight units. This one blew my away right out of the box. It was well packaged and it was easy to open the box. Set up was very intuitive (I will read the instructions soon). One can easily extend only as many legs as needed or all of them in one simple motion for each leg. The ball head and camera mount are all made of anodized aluminum and feel very sturdy. mounting my camera was easy, especially because they include a wrench set that tucks away on the inside on any of the upper leg section. I mounted a large medium format camera on it with some trepidation, but alas, it was very secure and feels very stable. The locking feature for the camera mount to the ball head is really a great feature and i feel comfortable mounting the camera and carrying the whole thing on my shoulder. The tripod extension post is skinny, but sturdy - I might not do a long exposure on a windy day with it fully extended, but it makes for very convenient, quick height adjustment for less extreme days. All in all, a great unit and will be my primary tripod from here on.

Very sturdy travel tripod. Portable and cleverly designed.

I really like the design and how compact it is for traveling. I do care a lot about the weight and how much space it is going to take. I was concerned about the stability after watching/reading reviews online. I took it to the lake on a SUPER windy day. It was so windy that I didn't even bother to test this tripod at all. I didn't expect anything to stand steady in that condition since I myself could barely stand still. But I decided to give it a try, with four leg sections extended. It held for the entire time and I was very impressed. So for me, this is stable enough. I have an a7iii. The little tool that's attached to one of the legs is VERY easy to lose. Just be careful with it. However, it is a defective item: the phone mount cannot click onto the head (too wide for the head). One section of the leg is much tighter than the rest. I know I can adjust this myself so it wasn't a big issue. Also there are some scratches here and there. So all things considered, I'm not sure whether it's a brand new item. I did contact PD and they sent me a free replacement of the phone mount. The replacement didn't work either, which means the head is defective. PD recommended to return it. So I did and ordered another one from B&H, which works very smoothly and had absolutely zero issues. Maybe it's mental, but I feel the order from B&H is of higher quality in general.

This tripod is expensive, but you get what you pay. Excellent travel tripod... Compact, lightweight, and versatile. I'm eager to take it for a ride on my trip in two weeks. I will update this post after that.

Very impressive tripod, lightweight and well thought out. Highly recommend this if you are doing any travelling.

Vraiment super trépieds

This Peak Design travel tripod exceeded my expectations. I chose the carbon fibre version on a Black Friday sale. It has all the feel of my larger, more cumbersome tripod that will now be relegated to the shelf. It is also solid enough in portrait position that I no longer need an L bracket which is a big plus to me. Reviews of the unique ball head may vary but I find it excellent and easy to position. Lots of flexibility for different heights and the legs are so easy to open and close. Other than a premium price, there is nothing to complain about and lots to love for practical usage. Try to find it on sale for best value but otherwise, it is highly recommended!

Mein altes Stativ ist ein wenig in die Jahre gekommen und ich habe mich auf die Suche nach einem neuen gemacht. Da ich viel reise sollte es natürlich leicht und kompakt sein, schnell auf- und auch wieder abgebauten und das ganze vielleicht auch mehrfach an einem Abend. Ich habe mir so ziemlich alle Stative angeschaut, die es für diesen Zweck gibt, irgendwas hat mir überall nicht gefallen und auch beim Peak Design Travel Tripod finde ich nicht alles perfekt, meinen Ansprüchen wird es aber in den meisten Punkten gerecht. Die Klemmverschlüsse ermöglichen einen schnellen Auf- und Abbau, das Gewicht ist großartig, das Packmaß auch, ebenso wie die mitgelieferte Tasche, mit der man das Stativ in jeden Rucksack stecken kann, es bleibt geschützt, alles andere aber auch. Der Kugelkopf ist neu gedacht, dass man die Mittelsäule nun ein wenig (!) ausfahren muss, schadet der Stabilität nicht, beeinflusst aber das Packmaß äußerst positiv. Zugegeben für Freunde des gepflegten Panoramas wird es schwierig, Lösungen bzw. Kompromisse finden sich aber auch hier. Dass die Beine nicht rund sondern eher eckig sind, ist beim packen ein Vorteil, alles greift schön ineinander. Einen negativen Aspekt bei der Stabilität konnte ich bisher nicht entdecken. Spikes muss man ggf. separat erwerben - zugegebenermaßen hätte man die bei dem Preis auch beilegen können. Trotzdem ist es gerade auf Reisen an der Sicherheitskontrolle ein Vorteil. Das Stativ kann im Fotorucksack ins Handgepäck, die Spikes in den Koffer. Für Fotografen, die viel unterwegs sind, ist das PD Stativ perfekt und ich habe mir die Entscheidung nicht leicht gemacht, der Preis ist abschreckend, mag sein, es gibt noch teurere Stative, aber am Ende ist ein Stativ, ein Stativ, ein Stativ... Dafür bekommt man hier ein sehr durchdachtes Gerät, dass all denen, die es leicht und praktisch mögen viel Freude bereiten wird. Alle Einzelteile sind ersetzbar und eine lebenslange Garantie gibt es auch dazu. Was die dann bringt, wird man wohl erst im Garantiefalle sehen. Nach einigem Abwägen habe ich mich trotz des Preises bewusst für das Gerät entschieden, da es mir von allen möglichen Kandidaten als am besten durchdacht erscheint und meinen Bedürfnissen am nächsten kommt.

This tripod has been reviewed in minute detail in many reviews. The basic feature important to me is that it takes minimum space in my luggage and weighs a minimum amount for a travel tripod. It supports my Nikon Z7 with 70-200 mm f2.8 lens and all smaller ones easily. The quality is outstanding which matters to me. The ball head is not the best in the world, but doesn’t need to be.