High Sierra Topix

Any suggestions or recommendations for a lt. wt tripod for backpacking? I'm looking for something that extends to at least 5 ft tall for my Rebel, doesn't have to be rock solid, doesn't need all the bells and whistles. Somehow, boulders to place my camera on just aren't always in the right place. I'm trying to go as light as possible but will consider all suggestions. Thanks in advance.

I've used a Gitzo Mountaineer since 1997. The Gitzo Traveler series are also light and compact. The one drawback is Gitzos are outrageously expensive so you might want to get a secondhand one. But they last forever - I've dropped mine off cliffs, set it in the middle of creeks, had waves and sand swamp the legs at the beach, etc, and it still works great. You might want to get a BH, Arca, Kirk, Markins or Linhof ballhead instead of a Gitzo head - opinions on this vary as you'll find if you read the internet boards.

For a short while I used a very lightweight (and cheap) tripod made by Slik (don't recall the specific name, but if you find something cheap made by Slik, that was probably it). It worked to keep my camera steady, but wasn't the strongest or sturdiest of the bunch. In fact, it was quite a pathetic looking (did I say it was cheap?), but it did stand up to what I put it through (quite miraculous actually), was light, and worked to keep my camera relatively steady (even more so if I used mirror lock up). Of course, sturdiness is relative, and depending upon what you plan on doing with the images, you might not even notice the loss in sharpness from a flimsy tripod. Now, I wouldn't trade my carbon fiber tripod for anything, but I also paid a pretty penny for it. Its a Velbon - cheaper (pricewise) than a Gitzo, but hella strong and it was worth the price I paid for it. There is also the ultrapod - it won't extend up high, but can be velcro'd onto things like small trees.

Gosh. Thanks for the info. I really appreciate it. I'll be looking into these ideas soon. First, I'm off to visit my wild daughter in Portland and then my REI trips start. This is gonna be one wild summer.

The gorillapod can be wrapped around a tree branch too. It comes in two sizes, and different colors. REI carries it. I broke mine, though.

http://www.joby.com/products/gorillapod/original/

Thanks for the suggestion Cori! I've got a Cannon Rebel Xti and I thought it was too heavy for the Gorillapod-type holders. Your link shows one that will support up to 6 pounds of camera and lens.

I've been looking for a tripod also, but didn't want the extra 2 pounds (for the light-weight tripod) in my pack.

My only concern with the gorillapod is that you said yours broke. Do you feel it was after a reasonable amount of use, and will you be replacing it with the same?

Mine broke cuz of use. I wrapped mine on the outside of the pack on one of the straps, so after awhile one of the links broke. I'm pretty hard on equipment. I took it to REI and they gave me a refund. I was going to buy another, but decided its just another thing to carry, and I've always used rocks and twigs to level the camera for group shots. That's all I use it for. I still have two small tripods but don't carry them. The Gorillapod was "cool" so I tried it.

Hi Sierra

I have been pretty happy with my Velbon. Its ultra light, durable and handles the
weight well(used my 30D on it, but I just updated we'll see how it does).

While I use a fairly beefy tripod for my non-backpacking photography, I've been very happy with my Velbon 540 "el carmagne" (CARbon fiber and MAGNesion) tripod legs for backpacking. Fully extended it brings my Canon 5D to just about eye level on flat surfaces when used with my Acratech Ballhead. Collapsed it rides nicely on the outside of my Mountainsmith Auspex or a smaller Gregory pack. The legs use a fliplock system, which seems to allow for faster setup. It is obviously not as solid as my non-backpacking tripod, but it represents a fine tradeoff between size/weight and performance.

Dan