In Search of the Ultimate Hiking Tripod Creating a Bogen "HIKER",
by shortening the legs of a Bogen 3205 (3001).
Chop-Chop ! (3/2001)
Hiking Tripod Requirements:
light weight
very compact when folded
cheap (i.e. cheaper than a carbon fiber model)
relatively high
when extended
padded legs
quick action leg locks
I'm shooting an older manual-focus Nikon N2000 body. Lenses are a new AF Nikkor
28-105 zoom, an old MF Nikkor 300 f4.5 and a Kenko Pro 300 1.4x converter. The total weight is only a few pounds.
The tripods I considered for hiking:
Item
#
Alternate
model #
Folded
Height
Min.
Height
Max.
Height
w/o Center
Max.
Height
Weight
Leg
Locks
Max.
Load
Cost
Bogen Tracker
3001s
3205s
Black
17.75"
16.5"
38.51"
3’-2.5”
51.25"
4’-3.25”
3.48
lbs
Screw
11
lbs
72.95
3001 (Man.190)
3205
Black
20.5"
12.25"
46.5"
3’-10.5”
54.25"
4’-6.25”
3.75
lbs
Screw
11
lbs
78.45
Tracker
3205G
Green
22”
13.3”
62.6”
5’-2.6”
4.8
lbs
Lever
11
lbs
119.95
Modified
Tracker
a.k.a.
"Hiker"
18.5”
38.25"
53”
4’-5”
~4
lbs
Lever
11
lbs
119.95
3001LC
3205LC
Black
20.5”
16.25’
54.75”
4’-6.75”
59.75”
4’-11.75”
3.75
lbs
Screw
11
lbs
79.95
3021s
3221s
Black
17.5”
7.5"
32.25"
2’-8.25”
44.5"
3’-8.5”
4.75
lbs
Lever
13.25
lbs
104.95
3444
Carbon
440
20.5
11”
(50.4”
4’-2.4”)
64.6”
5’-4.6”
3.6
lbs
Lever
11
lbs
369.95
804
Carbon
Slik
17.7
14.6”
57.1”
4’-9.1”
2.6
lbs
Twist
11
lbs
299.95
G026
Weekend
Gitzo
15"
14"
37.5"
54.5"
2.25
lbs
Locking
ring
5.5
lbs
235.00
1128
MK2
Gitzo
19"
12"
46"
55"
2.6
lbs
Locking
ring
11
lbs.
511.95
1228
MK2
Gitzo
20.5"
14.6”
53"
62.1”
3.25"
Locking
ring
13
lbs
628.00
G126
Tatlux
Gitzo
15"
14"
53.75"
3
lbs
Locking
ring
11
lbs
318.00
3021: very popular but at 5.8 lbs and 25.75" when
folded I thought it was way to long (when folded) and heavy for hiking.
3021s (short): a little better at 4.75 lbs and at only 17.5" when folded it was VERY
compact. It was still kind of heavy and only opens up to a max of 44 inches... I
kept looking.
3001 (3205 in black): is lightweight, has a max height of
54" however it only folds down to 20.5". Still a little too long, it would be
sticking out to much when strapped to the top of a pack.
3001s (short): has shorter legs
allowing it to fold down to a compact 17.75", plus it only weighs 3.48 lbs.
It's max height of 51.25" is actually much greater than the 3021 and nearly
the same as the 3001! The only drawback of this tripod are the screw-lock
legs, which are slow to use, and also lack padding. THIS ONE IS LOOKING PRETTY
GOOD.
Bogen Tracker 3205G (green): This is the same as the 3001
except is has a matte olive
green finish, a nice 2-piece extended column, padding on the legs, spike feet, a
strap, and best of all... lever-lock legs! Too bad they don't make a Tracker
3205Gs (short). But...a little investigation showed that I could simply trim the
length of the legs down to match the size of the 3001s legs and end up with the best of
both worlds. I was a little nervous about putting my new tripod under the blade
and chopping it up but it turned out perfect! I call it a Bogen
"Hiker".
Modifying a 3001, 3205g to create
a "HIKER":
Take each leg totally apart, only a screwdriver is needed.
The padding will have to be slid
down the upper section by about 3 inches.
Shorten all legs sections by cutting with a hacksaw.
BE SURE TO CUT THE STRAIGHT ENDS AND NOT THE CRIMPED ENDS OF EACH LEG
SECTION !
- cut 3" inches off the upper two sections of each leg.
- cut 2 1/2" - 2 3/4" inches (not including the spike-foot) from the bottom section of each leg.
This removes the
spike foot which cannot be reused. I could not find a way to remove them
intact from the tubing.
File and sand the cut ends to smooth and remove burs.
Re-assemble legs.
Put 3/4" diameter hard rubber feet
of each leg. These are available at any
hardware store.
Optional: Modify the strap with a quick-release Fastex style buckle (see photos
below).
These modifications resulted in a tripod with:
Same dimensions and weight as the 3001s, except this one has...
Lever-lock legs
A second column section for optional extended height
Matte green finish
Padded legs
Fastex quick-release buckle for fast setup.
"Hiker" Specs with a Bogen 3437 head attached:
Total weight with head < 5 lbs.
Total length with head when folded = 21.25"
Height without column extension = 43"
Height using only one column section = 50.5"
Height using both column sections =
57"
A quick-release, quick-setup strap: The strap permanently connects to the D-ring and goes over my
head and across my chest. It should be long enough to place the
tripod at your hip.
The quick release buckle is critical and connects the whole thing to my belt
(via the silver belt clip) keeping it from flopping
around as I hike. This works equally well with and without the
camera attached. To shoot just release the quick-release and slip the strap over your head and you're ready to shoot in a matter of seconds.
