Best way to carry tripod through parks

[BorisMD]

Hi all,

My usual set up for going through the parks is to have my 7D + lens of the day on a BlackRapid strap. I don't like to carry other stuff around with me as it weighs me down.

For my trip over Christmas, I know the daylight will be limited and I would like to do some night time shots. In the past, I've carried the camera attached to the tripod and collapsed the legs. I then just carry the whole set over my shoulder. I've done this with the flash attached as well.

What I'm wondering is if anyone has come across a nice way to carry the tripod without any gear attached. My goal is to keep it light (no backpack) and relatively easily accessible.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Boris

 

[saturndb]

Not sure what type of tripod you have, but I would look at a locker for when you are not going to use it for awhile or my favorite way is to have my wife carry it for me. As I tell her... love, honor and carry my gear

 

[boBQuincy]

I have a strap attached to my tripod(s) to wear it over my shoulder with the tripod in back. It works ok for the 2-3 pound tripods I carry.
I have read enough warnings about carrying the tripod with the camera attached that I rarely do it. The Really Right Stuff clamps seem safe but I wouldn't trust the typical screw-in platform.

 

[zackiedawg]

When I'm not actively shooting, I carry my tripod usually my the head or the adjustment handle of the head, letting the legs hang down so I don't poke anyone...I keep the camera off the tripod.

When I'm actively shooting using the tripod, I typically will leave the camera mounted, wrapping the neck strap of the camera around my hand at all times for security, leave the legs fully extended but the center post collapsed down, and put the camera over my shoulder, so the tripod legs are down against the front of my body, with my right arm wrapped around them and camera strap around my right wrist. This lets me feel safe that the camera won't go anywhere if it came released, the tripod legs are vertical against my body so not interfering with anyone, the camera sits above my shoulder so it's out of the crowd and can't be bumped, and all I have to do when I'm ready to shoot is spread the 3 legs and put the rig down.

Just got back a few weeks ago from Disney World, and did exactly that - was crowded for Christmas and I took a ton of night shots with the tripod at DHS and Epcot...no problems weaving through the crowds this way.

 

[LarryFmScotland]

I ask someone else to carry mine. Ha Ha.

 

[silenttuba]

What size tripod do you folks bring into the parks? I have a Manfrotto 290, and was under the impression I wouldn't be able to bring it, because it's too big. I will be taking my monopod for sure, though.

 

[saturndb]

for the parks, i just bring my cullman magic 2 tripod. it is very compact,it cannot hold a lot of weight but I have gotten good results with it. I was able to find it on Amazon warehouse deal for just over 100.00

 

[silenttuba]

Since my Manfrotto tripod is too big and too heavy to bring into the park (possibly not even allowed in), I picked this one up on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KP473Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Will I have any trouble bringing this into the parks? It will be strapped to the side of a backpack.

 

[saturndb]

This is what I found on the Disney website.

Tripod stands or monopod stands that cannot fit inside a standard backpack Are not allowed

 

[Groucho]

Since my Manfrotto tripod is too big and too heavy to bring into the park (possibly not even allowed in), I picked this one up on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KP473Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Will I have any trouble bringing this into the parks? It will be strapped to the side of a backpack.

This is what I found on the Disney website.

Tripod stands or monopod stands that cannot fit inside a standard backpack Are not allowed

To which I say: HA!

There is no practical limit on what you can bring in - heck, I wouldn't be surprised if you could make it in with an old wood tripod and a large format camera on top!

I have brought my big Slik Pro 713 CF-II into WDW a ton of times (and DL a few times) with no problems, and it's almost 23" without the ballhead on top, and opens up to about 5.5' - again, without the ball head. Never had even the slightest complain from Disney CMs or security.

For carrying, I took a strap off an old camera bag (which I had replaced with an Op/Tech SOS strap) and attached one end to the center column just under where the legs meet and the other onto one of the legs, about 2/3rds from the top, and just sling it over my shoulder. I do have to constantly mind it because it tends to want to go horizontal, which would be a problem! So there certainly can be a better solution but I haven't put the time into figuring it out yet. When I am actually shooting, I'll usually just pop the camera off via the quick-release on the ballhead and snap it into the quick-release on my sling strap then carry the legs close to my body or over my shoulder, depending on the crowds. Considering that it only takes a couple seconds to manage the quick-releases, I see no reason to leave the camera on the tripod while moving it.

If I were going to do a ton of tripod shooting, I might consider a way to secure one end of a quick-release strap onto the tripod near the top and attach that to the camera when it's mounted, so if something does happen and it falls off, it'll stay attached.

 

[silenttuba]

To which I say: HA!

There is no practical limit on what you can bring in - heck, I wouldn't be surprised if you could make it in with an old wood tripod and a large format camera on top!

I have brought my big Slik Pro 713 CF-II into WDW a ton of times (and DL a few times) with no problems, and it's almost 23" without the ballhead on top, and opens up to about 5.5' - again, without the ball head. Never had even the slightest complain from Disney CMs or security.

For carrying, I took a strap off an old camera bag (which I had replaced with an Op/Tech SOS strap) and attached one end to the center column just under where the legs meet and the other onto one of the legs, about 2/3rds from the top, and just sling it over my shoulder. I do have to constantly mind it because it tends to want to go horizontal, which would be a problem! So there certainly can be a better solution but I haven't put the time into figuring it out yet. When I am actually shooting, I'll usually just pop the camera off via the quick-release on the ballhead and snap it into the quick-release on my sling strap then carry the legs close to my body or over my shoulder, depending on the crowds. Considering that it only takes a couple seconds to manage the quick-releases, I see no reason to leave the camera on the tripod while moving it.

If I were going to do a ton of tripod shooting, I might consider a way to secure one end of a quick-release strap onto the tripod near the top and attach that to the camera when it's mounted, so if something does happen and it falls off, it'll stay attached.

That's what I was hoping/had figured, thanks! I got the Amazon tripod in today (along with a new backpack for the camera), and it should do the trick. Not as sturdy as the Manfrotto, for sure...but much lighter, smaller, and easier to carry.

 

[Groucho]

I might as well update this to say that I was inspired to see what was available and ended up ordering an Op/Tech Tripod Strap. I generally love Op/Tech stuff and, like much of their stuff, it was pretty cheap - I got it for $12 w/free shipping from a marketplace seller on Amazon. I haven't used it "in anger" yet but just walking around the house, it seems to work well and does a good job of keeping the tripod vertical and close to my body, which is the ability that I was looking for that is very helpful at Disney. It's worth checking out!