Topic: The Best Hunting Tripods of 2023, Tested and Reviewed (Read 52 times)
previous topic - next topic
It's your post, so post it!
Topic: The Best Hunting Tripods of 2023, Tested and Reviewed (Read 52 times)
previous topic - next topic
With a dizzying number of accessories and amenities, this workaday carbon tripod can morph from supporting a spotting scope to acco*modating a smartphone to accepting almost any aftermarket shooting saddle. While it doesn’t do any single task particularly well, it has more versatility than any tripod on the market. And priced at about $300, it’s a good value considering its peers cost about $100 more.
A full-sized and full-service carbon fiber tripod for under $400, the Meopta unit is more than just a 3-section, twist-lock enabled tripod. It’s a whole kit, shipping with a ball and fluid panning head, two different plates, a smartphone bracket, and screw-in spike feet for those times you need to anchor the legs into gravel or sod. Weighing just four pounds, it can handle full-sized spotters and most rifles, it extends to 70 inches, and its 3-position legs can splay out to stabilize loads in high winds.
A super-co*pact travel tripod, the Vanguard VEO3 packs a ton of versatility into its small stature. Its 5-section legs and 2-section carbon center post adjust with twist-lock controls, extending from 13 to 53 inches. One of the legs converts to a monopod or selfie stick. The ball-head is nimble and fairly tight, and smartphone users will like the Bluetooth-enabled remote that allows for hands-free camera use.
While this can’t be considered a full-sized tripod, largely because its load capacity is limited to under 10 pounds, this super-convertible unit does just about everything short of supporting a big optic. It extends from a very co*pact 13 inches up to 53. Its T-50 ball head is fully co*patible with Arca-Swiss co*ponents and one leg can be removed and converted to a monopod or selfie stick. It’s a strong choice for sticking in a backpack or even a duffle bag for travel, and at just over $200, it’s priced attractively for a fully carbon tripod.
Call this a Goldilocks tripod, sized between the super co*pact and the beefy shooting platforms. The CF-426 is capable of stabilizing a full-sized spotting scope or just about any shooting saddle, and its 67-inch maximum height makes it a good choice for any stand-up activities.
A mid-size and weight, fully carbon tripod, the CF-436 fits in the middle of Leupold’s line of excellent carbon hunting tripods. The Alpine is one of the best hunting tripods sized for backcountry hunters, while the Mark V is sized and configured for shooters. The Pro Guide is light and packable enough for just about any walk-about hunting while still strong enough to support the best spotting scopes or rifle. I took this tripod, fitted with the Spartan Javelin Davros head, to the Yukon for a horseback moose hunt, where I shot a bull because I was able to stabilize my rifle high above the brush. Weighing four pounds, with a 40-pound load capacity, this has one of the best weight-to-capacity ratios in the field.
This is a serious (and seriously expensive) piece of shooting kit, but it’s packed with value: two different heads to acco*modate either rifles or optics, the beefiest carbon legs in our field, and high-quality co*ponents.
The Midas, which is the largest and strongest of Athlon’s line of carbon tripods (or any other in this roundup), ships as a co*plete kit, with both a ball and leveling head, shoulder strap, hammock for adding rocks and other weight to the legs, and a cup mount with tension control for shooters. Its 10-layer carbon legs are among the smoothest and strongest in the field, and the twist-lock controls and aluminum hardware are smooth and strong. If you’re a co*petition shooter looking to get off the ground and get right into the long-range game, this is a great choice because you don’t have to ala mode the co*ponents; they’re all included.
A highly versatile size and weight, the Ridgeview occupies the middle ground of Vortex’s line of carbon tripods but leans more toward backcountry hunting than front-country shooting support. The Ridgeview is strong enough to support a full-size spotter, unusual in this class.
The most versatile tripod in this field, the mid-sized Ridgeview Carbon is stout enough to support most optics, and it’s extremely packable. It would make a very good travel or birdwatching unit, quick to deploy, useful for cameras or a wide variety of optics. The mid-weight carbon legs do a nice job of dampening most vibrations, but users will want to invest in a hammock or center-post weight to add even more dampening to the unit in windy conditions. And the Arca-Swiss-co*patible plate mates up with most mounting systems.
Little brother to Athlon’s Midas CF40, the 29mm is sized for walk-about shooters and hunters. It’s still a good-sized package—5.5 pounds and 26-inch pack length—but with a 33-pound load capacity, it’s light enough for all-day packing but stout enough to stabilize even big chassis rifles and precision scopes.
The rise in long-range target shooting and co*petitions has spurred the development of accessories, and none is more important than a stout, adjustable tripod to put your bullets downrange. This is a great choice, with both a bowl head that acco*modates a tension-grip rifle saddle and a ball head with Swiss-Arca plate that can support just about any optic, including super-sized spotters and the best binoculars for hunting. The Midas 29 ships with a leg hammock that can be filled with weight in order to add more stability, and the 29mm carbon legs deploy with smooth, strong authority. It’s a great option for mobile shooters or hunters.
Optimized for hunters who shoot from tree stand platforms or ground blinds, this tripod and associated shooting saddle is infinitely adjustable and can acco*modate just about any gun or crossbow. Because it will hold a gun at the ready, the DeathGrip is a smart choice to use with beginning hunters, whose arms frequently tire from holding a gun, and whose nerves sometime pull their gun off target. With this simple support, a gun or crossbow can be held in position with minimum fuss or noise. Also available in an aluminum-leg model, the DeathGrip Carbon is light enough to pack and the carbon legs minimize flex and vibration, providing a very stable platform.
A favorite of Texas hog hunters, this is a hard-wearing, extremely versatile platform for rifles of all types deployed in all kinds of field conditions. co*bined with the Reaper head, the tripod is stable enough to enable the variable shooting conditions encountered in high-volume hog hunts.
A workhorse of a tripod that you’ll find in a lot of hog-hunter’s pickups, the Kopfjager is also available in an aluminum model (K700). I like the carbon for its light weight but also for its vibration-dampening talents, an important consideration when you’re making long shots through thermal optics at nighttime hogs. The Reaper grip, which you can buy separately if you want, acco*modates a wide range of the best rifles, from chassis guns to ARs. And when you don’t want to support a rifle, the tripod is co*patible with most ball-mount heads with 3/8-16-inch threads.
The pinnacle of Leupold’s carbon fiber tripod line, this is a rock-solid shooting platform and almost infinitely versatile with Leupold’s aftermarket accessories, which include shooting saddle, binocular field clamp, and binocular tripod adapter. The 10-layer carbon fiber legs are elegant and strong. This investment-grade tripod h