Trekking Pole Tripod

Description

***I am currently out of stock of the ball head. I am working to get more in, but it will likely take a while. In the meantime, send me a message and I can point you in the direction to find one. The model is “HIGHLIGHT S1 Mini Ball Head”, but they can be a little tough to find.***

This is an ultralight adapter to convert your trekking poles into a tripod for your camera or phone.

It consists of a fixed 3D-printed tripod adapter and the lightest ball head (rated for 1.5kg) I was able to find. To my knowledge, it is by far the lightest solution on the market at sub-50 g for the tripod adapter and ball head. I mostly foresee this kind of solution being used for phones and smaller cameras, so I’ve also tried about 15 different phone holders to find the lightest one.

For the solo hikers, or anyone that only has 2 poles at their disposal, I’ve incorporated a hook that enables the tripod to be used with two trekking poles and an included 1.3mm UHMWPE guy line with a micro line loc that can be staked out to replace the third pole. When in full tripod mode with three poles, that same hook can be used as a weight hook to enhance the stability of the setup.

The thread is a lightweight titanium bolt with a standard 1/4-20 thread. It protrudes 6mm from the adapter so it should be compatible with all cameras and  1/4″ ball heads.

Weights:

Tripod adapter: 20.0g

Guy line with line loc: 3.2g

Ball Head: 23.9g

Phone Holder: 14.5g

Full Package: 61.5g

As these are 3d printed and then assembled by hand, there will be some inherent variation in weight, call it +-2g.

Limitations:

• It will never be as stable as a proper tripod, but, to be honest, it’s pretty good. Using a remote trigger or self timer (as you probably should with any tripod) helps a lot, especially with heavier cameras.
• It does not work on smooth floors. The trekking pole handles slide outwards and it’s just not stable. In my testing this has not been an issue anywhere outside or on carpeted floors.
• Some larger cameras are unable to be tilted fully into portrait. There just isn’t enough clearance to avoid hitting the tripod adapter. If you’re using a larger camera (think DSLR or full frame mirrorless), you may want to use a larger ball head anyways, which would provide a more clearance. Phones and point-and-shoots should all be able to be setup in portrait mode, though.
• The phone holder is not the nicest option on the market, it feels a little cheap (and it is). But it’s the lightest option I found and holds a phone securely. The “PGYTECH Universal Phone Tripod Mount Holder” is considerably nicer, and packs smaller, but is more expensive and a bit heavier (reportedly 18g, but I haven’t weighed it myself).
• The trekking pole attachment is universal. Which means it doesn’t fit any one brand perfectly. It’s fit every pole I’ve tried so far (Komperdell, Cascade Mountain Tech, Black Diamond, Fizan). But that’s no guarantee. I’m working on validating more poles, and if you have a specific pole you want to use it with, send me an email and I’ll see what I can do. The ski poles I’ve tested do not work with this version due to their thinner tips.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at ben@friesengear.com