How do you carry your tripod over hill & dale?

[Heroique]

I have a weakness for fun polls that can elicit unexpected, useful replies.

Maybe this one will work, too.

It’s about tripod transport – an issue I’ve never considered too deeply. Yet, the necessity of hiking with it is what limits me the most (in landscape photography) when deciding where I can go, how far I can go, or where I can set-up for a shot.

Is this your experience, too?

Me, I almost always carry my Ries J600 legs (w/ J250 head) in hand, no matter the distance, unless heavy brush or slippery terrain makes disassembling it into its compact “backpacker” form a better idea. (In this case, I’ll store it inside Ries’ soft case, and strap the case vertically to the outside of my pack.) It works very well in the local mountains, but if I lived in Kansas – or worked mostly in the studio – I would own a different tripod, and my habits would be different. (If I’m walking only a short distance w/ camera on top, my shoulders feel the load.)

If the hiking terrain is easy & I carry it assembled, its extended legs are locked-down so that its three feet are touching. In this configuration, I can use it as a heavy walking stick, helpful on rock-strewn trails. This works surprisingly well when crossing streams. Once, however, in the Smoky Mountains – when crossing Eagle Creek in swollen, waist-high current – I made several back-and-forth trips, carrying the tripod in pieces inside my pack. That time, I used a regular walking stick to negotiate the slippery rocks. Recently, I’ve been using bicycle gloves (w/ rubberized palms) for longer hiking distances. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner.

So tell us about carrying your tripod – any useful secrets to share?

[rdenney]

I have carried my Bogen 3036-based tripods sideways strapped to the bottom of a backpack (not recommended) and in my hands. That's usually how I do it now for the fairly limited distances I carry it.

But over hill and dale? At present, I use a Ford Flex for that.

(When I hike, I carry smaller equipment, and am pretty good at bracing cameras against rocks, trees, and any other available firm spot, but that requires a camera that allows a shorter shutter speed than I use with LF. If I wanted to do that again, I would absolutely get and convert a baby jogger.)

Rick "no longer motivated to pack a complete monorail setup in a 'modified' Kelty external-frame pack" Denney

[Preston]

I usually carry my tripod over my shoulder with the camera in my pack. If I'm hiking for a ways, I'll attach it to the outside of my pack.

--P

[Vaughn]

I marked both in hand and over the shoulder.

Ries A100 w/ A250 head, 8x10 in pack

My tripod is also a climbing tool -- for letting myself down 3 foot or larger drops. A good amount of my weight gets put on the pod as I lower the rest of me down. Came in very handy exploring side canyons in Death Valley earlier this month!

[NicolasArg]

I carry my tripod attached to the left side of my backpack, it is balanced on the other side with the sleeping bag/tent that ride together in an externally strapped bag. If I carry a ballhead, it goes mounted on the tripod, if I carry the Gitzo 1570M, it goes in the lower compartment of my back.

[John Powers]

Ries A100 w/ A250 head/ RH Phillips 7x17 all connected in a baby jogger with bag of lenses and film holders in another bag on the rails between front and rear axles. Alternate is Ries J600 legs w/ J250 head with RH Phillips 8x10 all connected, as above. On canal towpath or hiking trails at age 71, I'm good for two miles out from the car and back. No need for further distance as there is usually another parking place at that distance or less from the next location.

John Powers

[Heroique]

...On a canal towpath or hiking trails at age 71, I'm good for two miles out from the car and back...

Quite a young man’s vigor.

Hmm, that canal towpath sure sounds tempting for heavy tripods.

“Pulling” might be easier than carrying!

[Jim Jones]

A wide camera strap is always attached to my Tiltall. One end is fastened to the pan locking screw, the other to an eye bolt in the bottom of the column.

[austin granger]

Not to brag or anything, but over the years I've learned to balance my tripod on my shoulder without using my hands. I'm sort of like those women who carry giant water jugs on their heads. Hmmm... that gives me an idea...

www.austingranger.com

[Heroique]

Great reply, Austin – I’m imagining the tripod standing upright, one leg on each shoulder.

The third leg on top of the head...

BTW, the “shoulder” option is looking so popular, I’m curious if anyone has tips about shoulder padding. That would make a long hike more endurable. Maybe a towel? A folded-up darkcloth? Or the tripod might rest on a backpack’s padded shoulder strap. Not that I’d change my habits; I’m still a “tripod-in-hand” person when on the trail. Often for balance, like a tight-rope walker w/ a pole.