BackdoorArts
Senior Member
I love taking walks in the woods early in the morning and will always have a camera with me. I used to bring a monopod as a walking stick in case I needed something to help stabilize the camera for a bird in a tree or anything else that required a long lens in low light conditions. There were times I wish I had a tripod, but it was always a hassle to figure out how to haul the 055XPROB along.
Recently I started playing with HDR, so having the tripod with me became more important and I started looking for the easiest possible way to bring one along. I looked at some of the small, lightweight options that would fold up to about 12-14" but didn't want to invest a couple hundred bucks in something else. I'd tried hooking up some type of strap to it so I could sling it over my shoulder and came up with a couple things that worked, but not as well as I would have liked. Then, on a trip into my basement I found a remnant of my younger days that not only solved my problem but also made for a great way to carry a couple extra things along as well...
The Manfrotto slides perfectly into the bat compartment, and in the bag component I have room for anything else I may want to toss in - from a bottle of water to a padded lens case or two, or even a small camera bag with whatever else I might normally throw around my waist or over my shoulder. There are also zippered compartments in mine where I can put a remote, lens cleaning kit, battery, etc. With the strap attached it slings over my shoulder, and if I leave the zipper on the bat compartment open I can actually extract the tripod without taking it off (putting it back is another thing altogether). It also helps keep that stuff organized and protected in the trunk of the car.
Mine was essentially free since it was being repurposed, but they go for $10-15 online, so it's not a bad investment. I know they make fancier ones with additional pockets for not a lot more, and am seriously considering "upgrading" if I find I can somehow compartmentalize the bag.
I'm not sure if this is a solution to a problem anyone here ever considered, but I figured I'd offer it up.
Recently I started playing with HDR, so having the tripod with me became more important and I started looking for the easiest possible way to bring one along. I looked at some of the small, lightweight options that would fold up to about 12-14" but didn't want to invest a couple hundred bucks in something else. I'd tried hooking up some type of strap to it so I could sling it over my shoulder and came up with a couple things that worked, but not as well as I would have liked. Then, on a trip into my basement I found a remnant of my younger days that not only solved my problem but also made for a great way to carry a couple extra things along as well...
The Manfrotto slides perfectly into the bat compartment, and in the bag component I have room for anything else I may want to toss in - from a bottle of water to a padded lens case or two, or even a small camera bag with whatever else I might normally throw around my waist or over my shoulder. There are also zippered compartments in mine where I can put a remote, lens cleaning kit, battery, etc. With the strap attached it slings over my shoulder, and if I leave the zipper on the bat compartment open I can actually extract the tripod without taking it off (putting it back is another thing altogether). It also helps keep that stuff organized and protected in the trunk of the car.
Mine was essentially free since it was being repurposed, but they go for $10-15 online, so it's not a bad investment. I know they make fancier ones with additional pockets for not a lot more, and am seriously considering "upgrading" if I find I can somehow compartmentalize the bag.
I'm not sure if this is a solution to a problem anyone here ever considered, but I figured I'd offer it up.
Necessity certainly is the mother of invention. Nice job.