GEAR REVIEW: PEAK DESIGNS ALUMINUM TRAVEL TRIPOD
Peak Designs Aluminum Travel Tripod at work on a rare foggy day in Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah.
I’ve never owned a “travel tripod”. Typically characterized by compact dimensions and light weight, they’re easier to lug around while on the go. So, when Peak Design asked me to review their aluminum Travel Tripod, I eagerly accepted. When collapsed it’s less than 15 ½” long, just over 3” in diameter, and the whole thing weighs less than 3.4 pounds. With the center column fully extended, maximum height is a respectable 60”. Peak Design rates it to hold 20 pounds, which is kind of mind boggling if you consider how small and light this tripod is. But, specs don’t tell the whole story. Real world performance does.
In an effort to put the Peak Design Travel Tripod through as many different use scenarios as possible, I traded my bigger, heavier carbon fiber tripods for the Peak Design. Over several months, I carried it on hikes, tossed it in the back of my truck, and packed it in my suitcase when traveling by air. The little tripod that could has been all over Oregon, beaten around in the deserts of Utah and even made it as far as the Arctic Ocean at Barrow, Alaska. Through it all, it delivered impressive performance and durability, with very few compromises.
The integrated ballhead utilizes a unique design that holds the camera firmly in place while allowing you to quickly and easily flip between landscape and portrait orientations. Unlike most ballheads, there’s only one control - a ring directly below the QR clamp. The ring has small ridges that make it easy to grip, and twisting one direction loosens it while twisting the other direction locks it in place. The action is smooth and requires little effort to loosen or tighten, but it’s also rock solid when locked in place. This single control allows you to rotate the camera side to side, or place it in landscape or portrait orientation. A spring loaded latch secures the QR plate on the bottom of your camera to the ballhead, and a secondary rotating lock prevents the latch from accidentally opening, which would send your expensive camera tumbling to the ground. I found the operation of the ballhead and QR mechanism to be intuitive, secure and easy to operate. While we’re on the topic of the QR plate, it’s compatible with all Arca-Swiss style plates - bonus!
Holding the tripod in one hand, you can use the other one to simultaneously flip open all four leg cams, extend the legs, and lock them in place one leg at a time. The deployment process is quick and easy, but I still prefer the twist locks on my other tripods. That’s not a knock on the leg cams. I’ve been using twist locks for so long that they’re just second nature. The first time I used the Peak Design Travel Tripod, a loose cam caused one of the legs to suddenly collapse and the tripod tipped over with my camera on top. Luckily, I caught it before tragedy struck. I discovered that several of the leg cams were loose from the factory. I used the included tool to tighten them, which resolved the issue, and over the next few months the cams never came loose again. The tool included with the tripod mounts to one of the legs and while I appreciate the idea, the execution isn’t great. The tool slips into a small plastic sleeve on one of the legs and it fell out more times than I can count. Luckily, every time it fell out I was able to find it but I doubt that will always be the case.
With the center column fully extended the tripod became unsteady in windy conditions with my Sony A7IV mounted to the ballhead. Drop the center column a few inches and it becomes much more solid, but at the expense of overall height. I don’t use any long, heavy lenses but I suspect at full center column extension, a longer lens would simply be too much for this tripod. There is a small hook at the bottom of the center column from which you could hang a backpack to provide additional stability. The legs are easily adjusted to multiple angles, allowing for high or low vantage points, and this makes it easy to level the tripod on uneven terrain. An included phone mount stows in the center column, which I used a few times when filming short videos and time-lapses.
The Peak Design Travel Tripod includes a lightly padded carrying case with a zipper that provides quick access. The case is much nicer than many others I’ve seen. It’s well constructed and the heathered gray fabric looks and feels high-end. I used the carrying case when traveling by air, but left the tripod naked when hiking or shooting from my truck. The tripod displays a few battle scars from being banged up against the Moab sandstone while navigating narrow canyons but they’re purely cosmetic. Here in the desert, when the wind gets to blowing the air is filled with sand that finds its way into every nook, cranny and crevice of your gear. Even so, the legs still extend and retract smoothly and the ballhead moves around as easily as it did on day one. The salty ocean water on the Oregon Coast didn’t cause any issues, either. I always tried to leave the legs extended when wet and when I remembered, I’d wipe them down when I got back to my truck. It’s proven to be quite a durable piece of equipment.
I’ve enjoyed using the Peak Design Travel Tripod. It’s small size, light weight, innovative design and useful features make it a great option when used as intended; for traveling. Will I continue to use it as a daily driver? No. I’ve gone back to my bigger, heavier carbon fiber tripods for regular use but when traveling and space is limited, I will absolutely reach for the Peak Design Travel Tripod.
Peak Design also makes the Travel Tripod in carbon fiber, which shaves off over half a pound of weight while retaining all the same functionality as the aluminum version.
Peak Design Aluminum Travel Tripod $379.95
Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod $599.95
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