The Peak Design Travel Tripod is a Game-Changer
- 2018 – $5,206,611 (Travel Line)
- 2017 – $1,330,583 (Capture v3 + Slide v2)
- 2016 – $6,565,782 (Everyday Line)
- 2015 – $4,869,472 (Everyday Messenger)
- 2014 -- $861,164 (Slide & Clutch)
- 2013 -- $819,108 (Capture V2)
- 2012 -- $215,721 (Leash & Cuff)
- 2011 -- $364,698 (the original Capture camera clip)
- 5-section tripod with compact ball head
- Aluminum alloy or carbon fiber construction
- 20-pound weight capacity
- 15.25" x 3.25" collapsed (the diameter of a water bottle!)
- 58.5-inch maximum height with center column deployed (49.75-inches without center column deployed)
- 4.5-inch minimum height
- Weighs 3.44 pounds (aluminum alloy); 2.81 pounds (carbon fiber)
- Aluminum cam leg locks
- All components are weather and impact resistant
- Omnidirectional bubble level
- Built-in load hanging hook
- Non-slip, shock absorbing feet
- Lifetime guarantee
UPDATE: The Peak Design Travel Tripod Kickstarter campaign sailed past its $500,000 goal in approximately 50 minutes!
I know you don't often see "tripod" and "game-changer" in the same sentence. After all, how much can a tripod be changed or improved upon?
Well, you might say that the folks at Peak Design took that as a challenge, and boy, have they lived up to it!
For eleven years (yeah...ELEVEN!) they've been developing their game-changing Travel Tripod, and all that hard work paid off this morning as the Kickstarter campaign for their latest creation went live.
And I know what you're thinking...a Kickstarter campaign? No thanks, right? Too many Kickstarters start with a bang and fizzle out.
But Peak Design is different in that regard. Get a load of their track record on Kickstarter:
I've never been good at math, but I think that adds up to $20,233,139.00. That's not a bad track record if you ask me!
If you need any proof that the people at Peak Design know what they're doing, it's in the numbers listed above. I've bought most of the products on that list, and I can attest that they have been kickass product after kickass product. The new Travel Tripod is more of the same.
Peak Design Travel Tripod Specs
Let's take a peek at a few of the Peak Design Travel Tripods specs, shall we?
And that's just the start...
The ball head, and load hook are all made of powder coated A380 aluminum while the quick release, adjustment ring, and center column knob are crafted of 6061-T6 aluminum.
The locking ring is a polycarbonate/ABS blend and the feet are comprised of ShoreA60 TPU.
The legs are either anodized 6061-T6 aluminum or carbon fiber.
So, basically, this thing is built like a tank with attention to detail and quality materials that will give you years and years of reliable service.
Peak Design Travel Tripod Innovations
Like I said earlier, it's hard to imagine how the design and functionality of a tripod could be changed, let alone improved upon, yet Peak Design has done just that.
This thing is the most packable, portable, and easy-to-use tripod I've ever gotten my hands on.
As I noted above, when this thing is packed down, it's the diameter of a water bottle (or about half the size of a traditional travel tripod), yet it extends to a maximum height of 58.5-inches and has a weight capacity of 20 pounds. This is a truly professional-grade tripod that can handle a load of a big DSLR and a telephoto lens, yet you can slide it into the water bottle pocket of your backpack for easy carrying. Nice!
The question is, how was Peak Design able to pack so much stuff into such a small package?
The answer is this: they got rid of needless bulk and wasted space. If you look at the photos of this thing, you'll notice that there are no protruding knobs and there is no space in between the tripod's legs when it's packed down.
What's more, the ball head nests into the architecture of the legs to save even more space.
In other words, what was happening over the last eleven years was a redesign of the tripod from the ground up.
Not only is it smaller and more portable than anything I've ever used, but it's also got the load capacity, stability, and height that I demand. No sacrifices were made in performance when this thing was designed.
While they were at it, the mad scientists at Peak Design made the Travel Tripod faster to set up and take down, too.
In fact, you can deploy this thing in a matter of seconds thanks to the non-inverted legs. That is, most travel tripods require you to flip the legs down and then extend them. But with the Peak Design Travel Tripod, you extend the legs as you would on a traditional tripod, and with quick-locking cams, all you need is three swift movements to have the legs fully extended. See what I mean in my Peak Design Travel Tripod Review above.
Moreover, the unique quick-release mechanism on the ball head allows for instant and secure attachment of your camera.
Of course, you can pack the tripod down just as quickly as you can deploy it, so there's no wasted time and no missed shots when you use the Peak Design Travel Tripod.
Another innovative feature Peak Design has incorporated into this tripod is the intuitive and ergonomic ball head interface.
There is a single adjustment ring - no bulky or confusing knobs - that you use to lock the ball head in place. The ball head is compatible with all PD plates and most Arca-type plates, and there are removable pins so you can mount most Arca-type L-brackets as well. The ball head is also the same diameter - 3.25-inches - as the rest of the tripod, so there's one slim profile from top to bottom.
There's plenty of other innovative features to appreciate as well.
The center column inverts for low-angle shots - as I noted above, the minimum height of this tripod is a mere 4.5-inches.
This rig also has a built-in mobile phone mount (which magnetically stores on the center column), so you don't have to buy any special attachments to use it with your phone.
It's just astounding how thoughtful the design of this tripod really is. Just when you thought all tripods were alike, Peak Design throws a wrench in it all and makes you realize that there was a lot of room for improvement in how tripods are developed. What they have come up with is simply smaller, more functional, and easier to deploy than any other travel tripod out there.
Peak Design Travel Tripod Kickstarter
So, how do you get your hands on one of these bad boys?
Head over to the Peak Design Travel Tripod Kickstarter page and pledge your support. When I began writing this sentence, $125,105 had already been raised by 307 backers. Now that I'm at the end of this sentence, those numbers have increased to $134,527 raised by 330 backers. WOW.
Between Peak Design's track record of success and my hands-on experience with this tripod, I think it's safe to say that this will indeed be a game-changing tripod that will influence future tripods for years to come.