A tripod is an essential tool if you’re serious about high-quality photography and video footage. If you’re a frequent traveler, it’s important to secure the right travel tripod for your needs—you don’t want to be lugging around a tripod that’s too bulky, too flimsy, or too fiddly. The best travel tripods provide the best of both worlds: they’re sturdy enough to help capture that perfect shot while also being lightweight and compact enough to fit into a wide variety of luggage.
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Illustration: Forbes / Images: Retailer
Securing the right travel tripod can provide a significant upgrade to your travel photography set-up. Whether you’re eager to capture the city streets of Tokyo or simply hope to make a vlog about your beach vacation, having the right travel tripod can be the difference between shaky snaps and shots that you’ll be proud enough to share. After thorough research, we’ve selected the best travel tripods on the market below.
Every millimeter of this bestselling tripod was designed with the specific needs of travel photographers in mind. It even comes in two versions, one made of Aluminum (3.4 pounds) and one made of Carbon Fiber (2.8 pounds), with both having a load capacity of 20 pounds. The latter is more pricey, but the difference isn’t only in weight: carbon fiber tends to stand up better in heavy weather conditions.
Unique from other tripods, this tripod uses Peak Design’s ring-tightening system, so it will take a little bit of trial-and-error to learn how to quickly mount and unmount your camera. Don’t worry: it’s a time-saver once you get the hang of how the quick-release plate works. It also has a few fun hidden features like a smartphone adaptor and a hex wrench that can be tucked away inside the tripod for easy access when the occasion calls for it.
The real beauty of this tripod, though, is in the way it folds down into a completely gapless shape, so you know you are maximizing space and reducing the weight of your pack with an extremely thought-out tool.
Some photographers need a tripod that’s up for any travel challenge, whether they’re capturing the northern lights in a snowy tundra or navigating the crowds of the Louvre. In that case, 3LeggedThing’s Leo 2.0 Airhead Pro is one of the most versatile travel tripods on the market. It’s super compact, folding down to under 15 inches, and is made of lightweight carbon fiber that weighs in at approximately four pounds—and it extends to a maximum height of 57.7 inches. Most impressively, it’s got a load capacity of 66 pounds. That’s more than enough to hold a gigantic telephoto lens, a field monitor, and a full-frame camera. It can be converted to a monopod for tight spaces and the rubber feet are removable in case you need to make a terrain adjustment. Overall, this is a very well-designed tripod from a beloved brand in the photography community and a solid investment for your photography arsenal.
A cheaply-made tripod will cost you more money in the long run if it can’t support the weight of your camera. Still, you don’t need to spend a small fortune to get a solid tripod for your trip. That’s where K&F Concept comes in: their full-service tripod is lightweight and can expand to a full height of 61 inches. You get a lot of versatility for its low price since it can be converted into a monopod and its metal ball head can be rotated so that you get a 360-degree panorama. It can also hold a lot of weight, sporting a load capacity of 17.6 pounds, which means this is a tripod you can trust with your expensive photography equipment. While it’s not the smallest tripod on this list, it does fold up into a pretty compact 16.1 inches and the carbon fiber material makes it a barely noticeable addition to the weight of your gear bag.
Most Compact Travel Tripod
A Tall Tripod That’s No Big Deal to Bring With You
There are a lot of compact tripods out there, but if you’re looking for great value on a lightweight and ultra-portable tripod, the MeFOTO Road Trip Air is our top choice—plus, it comes in the widest variety of colors, like orange, red, green, and blue in addition to standard black, if that’s your preference. The design of the tripod is very clever: its legs fold up towards the mounting plate, which also helps create a sturdier shape that can stand up to the bumps and drops of a stressful travel day. Lightweight and portable, this tripod weighs less than three pounds and extends to a height of 61 inches while being able to support up to 13 pounds of weight. This might not be enough if you have a heavy full-frame DSLR, but for mirrorless and smaller cameras, it’s sufficient. The ball head mount is compact but smooth enough that you can still pull off smooth 360-degree pans. It also comes with a smartphone adaptor and a Bluetooth control for triggering your phone’s shutter.
A low-angle tripod is typically used in macro photography, but travel photographers might consider it as an option because the smaller size means that they are generally lighter and if you plan on taking wide landscapes or using your surroundings to gain some height, this could be a good compromise that saves room in your luggage. To get the most versatility out of your low-angle tripod though, consider one designed for vloggers. The GorillaPod’s iconic articulated legs will also let you attach your tripod to higher-angle positions like tree branches or signposts. This one even comes with attachments to add additional accessories and even other cameras, and you can use it for shooting handheld videos as well. It has an 11-pound load capacity, which means it should be enough to handle your heavier equipment, but the whole point anyway is to keep it steady and low to the ground.
Best Travel Tripod For Full Frame
A Strong Tripod That Can Keep Up With Your Gear Collection
Despite weighing less than three pounds, the Manfrotto Befree Advanced can hold nearly 20 pounds of weight, providing incredible support for your full-frame camera and your heaviest lens. This tripod can credit its low weight to the carbon fiber legs that extend up to 59 inches and use sturdy twist locks to secure. The legs are strong, but the 360-degree aluminum ball head mount and the QPL Travel Lever, will also lock your chosen angle in place no matter how heavy your camera is. The mount is easily released at the push of a button, so you can switch out your gear and it’s also compatible with Manfrotto’s Easy Link attachment system. These connectors can be used to pop on accessories like ring lights, reflectors, or even external monitors. The tripod also has a fourth leg in the center, so it can be used as a monopod if you suddenly find yourself in a tight spot like a crowd.
Selfie sticks have evolved, literally growing legs to become selfie tripods and in the highly-saturated selfie-stick marketplace, it can be tough to find one that’s actually worth the buck. That’s why the highly-rated BZE 40-inch Extendable Selfie Stick Tripod is such a find. It has three short legs that extend out, so you can prop it up for a group picture when you need it, but also form a comfortable handgrip when you’re holding it. This one also comes with a remote shutter that works from up to 30 feet away. The gimbal clamp gives you a 360-degree rotation and you could also unscrew the phone clamp and use the ¼ screw mount to lock in a camera, GoPro, or even a ring light. At selfie stick time, the handle extends up to 40 inches, which is plenty of room to get the whole group in the shot. And if there are too many people, you can just pull out its legs and use the remote to capture the big picture.
There’s no reason why the tripod you get for your phone shouldn’t be as high-quality and versatile as the one you have for your camera, and Manfrotto’s mini tripod kit provides all that and more. The PIXI Smart Mini Tripod is an incredibly lightweight tool that will work with any kind of phone. You are limited to one height, but it’s a worthy price to pay if you are traveling light and primarily using your phone for photography. You can also remove the universal clamp-style smartphone adaptor and mount your normal camera, which gives this tiny tripod double the versatility. Another really nice feature is the button that fixes the ball head in place, so you can set up your shot, lock it in, and leave it be.
The tripod kit’s biggest advantage is how comfortable its legs are to grip. This really makes a difference in decreasing shakiness if you plan to get a lot of handheld footage or want to turn the camera around for a monologue moment.
