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The best travel tripods give you stability while shooting on the move, letting you capture longer exposures without adding much weight to your camera bag. Like all camera gear, they come in a range of sizes, designs and prices. That’s why we’ve tested a range of options and recommended the top performers below.
If we had to pick just one tripod to travel with, it would be the 3 Legged Thing Punks Brian 2.0. It combines all the elements we’d want in a travel tripod: it’s lightweight and good-looking, yet stands tall and can support loads of up to 14kg. It also converts into a monopod. That said, there are cheaper and lighter options in our list that might be better for you.
We’ve tested more than our share of tripods over the years, utilizing them while we’re testing cameras and lenses. We’ve channelled when testing the tripods below, to assess the value and stability of each entry. If you’re having trouble choosing, we’ve also shared some expert buying advice down at the bottom.
Top 3 picks
If you’re short on time, use our quick round-up below for an overview of the the best travel tripods. Use the links to jump to our full write-ups for more in-depth coverage.
1. 3 Legged Thing Punks Brian 2.0
The best travel tripod overall
Boasting a full height of 73.2 inches / 1.86m and a stylish design, this tripod has a truly impressive specification for the price.
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2. Manfrotto Element MII Aluminium
The best travel tripod for a budget
Manfrotto’s budget offering ticks all the boxes when it comes to delivering the basics at a good price, making it a great first tripod.
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3. Gitzo tripod Traveler series 1
The best premium travel tripod
Smooth operation and build quality that will last a lifetime make this the right tripod for those who are willing to pay more for the best.
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Best by use-case
4. Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod
The best lightweight travel tripod
A basic offering from Manfrotto that is incredibly lightweight and therefore perfect for taking on your travels.
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5. Vanguard VEO 3T+ 234CB
The best travel tripod for versatility
With an articulating center column, this heavy travel tripod is able to capture unique angles while providing great stability.
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6. Manfrotto Befree Advanced Carbon Fiber
The best lightweight travel tripod
A basic offering from Manfrotto that is incredibly lightweight and therefore perfect for taking on your travels.
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7. Peak Design Travel Tripod
The best travel tripod design
One of the most compact options around, this tripod makes for a great travel companion, albeit at quite a high cost.
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Timothy Coleman
Tim is TechRadar’s Cameras Editor. With more than 15 years’ experience as a photographer and tech journalist, he’s had the opportunity to shoot with a whole range of tripods. As a keen wildlife photographer, he also practical experience of what makes a tripod easy to travel with. Tim notes, “I like to keep my kit bag light, but because I enjoy landscape photography especially long exposures, and shooting video, a tripod is a key accessory. Travel tripods help keep the weight down.”
The best Travel Tripods in 2024
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Below, you’ll find full write-ups for each of the best travel tripods in our list and a link to a full review. We’ve tested each one extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.
The best travel tripod overall
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When it comes to price and quality, the 3-Legged Thing Punks Brian 2.0 is hard to beat. For the price, you get an incredible level of versatility with the Brian 2.0, which can transform into a standard tripod, a tall monopod, or even a tabletop tripod when combined with the separately sold Vanz footwear.
The carbon fiber frame is lightweight at 3.70lbs / 1.68kg and provides a maximum height of 73.2 inches / 1.86m. This might be too tall for some, but it’s always good to have the option – you don’t need to use all the leg sections. Folding away to 16.5-inches / 42cm makes it easy to attach to a bag or throw in a suitcase.
As is custom in the Punks Brian 2.0 range, the tripod is available in either orange, blue, or black, depending on how much you want to stand out.
The best travel tripod for a budget
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The Manfrotto Element MII is a fantastic budget option that does all the basics really well. At only $155 / £109 / AU$259 you’re guaranteed to get everything that Manfrotto is known for, including great build quality and a well engineered head.
The Element MII has replaced the Element Big, a change that sees a reduction in leg sections from five to four. These changes make it easier to set up and pack down. Unfortunately, it’s only available in aluminum, which makes for a heavy package considering it’s such a compact design.
By offering a fairly basic specification, Manfrotto is delivering simple tripod technology at a great price. Through the Element range of tripods, Manfrotto is trying to appeal to beginners and those on a budget.
The best premium travel tripod
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Professional users looking for one of the best travel tripods should look no further than the Gitzo tripod Traveler series 1. All the boxes are ticked with a lightweight and excellent build, with an impressive extended height.
Oftentimes, with travel tripods, the parts don’t function as smoothly as their larger counterparts. This is not the case for the Gitzo Traveler Series 1. Moving from folded to extended is a breeze, and the head is as strong and reliable as you’ll ever need it to be. The ball head features separate pan locking, and its 32mm ball diameter is just about large enough to support a full-frame DSLR.
All of this premium quality comes at a price. The Traveler Series 1 costs $680 / £539 / AU$1,154.95. If you’re in the market for a travel tripod that will last a lifetime and you’re prepared to pay for it, then the Traveler Series 1 is a great choice.
The best modern travel tripod
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We hadn’t heard of Heipi before, but were pleasantly surprised by its 3-in-1 Travel Tripod that ranks as the most modern tripod available today. It functions superbly as a regular travel tripod; it’s lightweight, packs down small and provides a sturdy support for heavy gear. But it’s unique 3-in-1 design is what helps Heipi’s tripod stand out.
The curious center column is in fact a table top tripod, and a sizeable one at that. It slots inside the main tripod and when fully extended it increases the max height of the tripod to 59 / 150cm, but it can also be fully removed to be placed on a raised surface, for instance for home vlogs. That’s not all. Remove the tripod plate from the ball head and you’ll find a mobile phone clamp tucked away that can be pulled out, transforming the tripod into a mobile phone support, large enough for phones like an iPhone 15 Pro Max in horizontal format.
Tripod design has remained largely the same for decades, but Heipi has created an innovative tripod for the modern user who mixes up their camera gear and shoot scenarios. The Heipi 3-in-1 isn’t perfect: the center column’s ingenuity comes at the cost of outright functionality, while the leg locks clamps are fiddly. However, we think the Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod is arguably the most relevant tripod in 2024 and overall it betters the pricier Peak Design, though availability is currently restricted to Heipi’s own website.
The best travel tripod for versatility
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The Vanguard VEO 3T+ 234CB is heavier and bigger than most of its competitors, something that will put a lot of people off, especially if they’re doing a lot of travelling by foot. But with this weight and size comes a high level of stability that is ideal if you’re shooting long exposures or time lapses.
One of the main things we love about this travel tripod is the articulating arm, which makes it possible to shoot at ground level. This is great for capturing unique and creative camera angles that would otherwise be impossible without defaulting to handheld. Thanks to the ability to unscrew one of the legs, this travel tripod is also a very capable monopod, making it a highly versatile offering.
The best lightweight travel tripod
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At 1.25kg, this carbon fiber travel tripod is as lightweight as it gets, perfect for taking with you on your travels. It can also fit into small spaces, with a foldable length of just 41cm. If you’re after a tripod that blends into the background and doesn’t bother you on long journeys, then Manfrotto Befree Advanced will be great. The lack of weight and size usually results in poor stability, something that isn’t the case with this tripod. The legs are rigid and robust, which is not always guaranteed on a travel tripod.
There is no getting around it; this is a basic tripod with limited features. With no monopog leg option and a limited maximum height, it might be worth going for the slightly heavier 3 Legged Thing Brian 2.0 Travel Tripod. But if all simply need a basic support, which is true for most photographers moist the time, then this is a great option.
The best travel tripod design
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The Peak Design oozes a unique design that results in it being one of the most compact and lightweight options on the market. Thanks to the shape, the legs fold neatly into each other, which provides a super slim overall diameter.
The head is integral to the tripod, which takes a little bit of getting used to, and it lacks functionality. However, ultra-low-level and tabletop shooting is possible thanks to the centre column design, so although it isn’t in the ‘best for versatility’ category, it would easily be competing for the top overall spot.
With great design comes a high price, especially if you opt for the lighter carbon fiber frame rather than the aluminium alternative. The 5 sectioned legs are strong, delivering all the stability you could need as you’re out and about.
How to choose the best travel tripod for you
What to look for in a travel tripod
Choosing the best travel tripod isn’t just about selecting the smallest and lightest model. Indeed, picking the lightest legs isn’t always the best plan. Marginally heavier alternatives won’t be a noticeable burden, but they can provide much more rigidity and versatility.
Most of these tripods use a carbon fiber construction to save weight, but this ups the price. Some models also have aluminum counterparts. Each includes a compact ball head, but check carefully: a ball that’s too small for a larger DSLR will become a precarious balancing act.
What makes a travel tripod
A neat trick shared by the vast majority of current tripods is that the legs swing fully upwards for stowage. The idea is that you first extend the centre column, then swing the legs up, so that the tripod’s feet end up encircling the head. This reduces the overall carrying length by up to 10cm or 4 inches. Indeed, many of the best travel tripods shrink down to about 30-40cm, making them small enough to fit inside a camera bag or rucksack, rather than needing to be tethered to the outside causing your bag to be unbalanced.
To give them a useful operating height, despite their small carrying size, most travel tripods feature four or even five telescopic sections per leg. Some go further still, with a two-section extending centre column. This naturally enables a greater maximum operating height, so you can be sure no matter how high your camera needs to be it will be able to get the shot you want.
The drawbacks are that each telescoping joint is an area of potential weakness, reducing rigidity, and the bottom leg sections are likely to be quite thin and spindly. A large number of twist or clip locks for all the sections also demands more time for setting up the tripod and folding it down again.
Do I even need a tripod?
Today’s very best mirrorless cameras and computational photography modes especially in smartphones and the OM System OM-1 that go a long way to eliminating the need for a tripod. We list 5 reasons why photographers no longer need a tripod that includes super-effective in-body image stablization for handheld shooting even with professional high-resolution cameras, in-camera HDR modes so you no longer need to do multi-shot exposure stacking, plus improved image quality at high ISOs.
However, there are times and photography effects that still require a tripod. Tripods can be crucial for studio photography and for video work in general where you can lock off the camera in position for long periods and free up your hands. The same goes for long exposure photography, staging group photos, plus the times you need free hands to attach or remove accessories from your camera, like lens filters and mics.
Significant advances in camera tech have put the once necessary photography accessory under threat, but there will still be a place for tripods for a long time yet.
How we test Travel Tripods
Why you can trust TechRadar
☑️ 10s of tripods reviewed
☑️ 15 years of product testing
☑️ Over 16,000 products reviewed in total
☑️ Nearly 200,000 hours testing tech
Tripods only have a fairly limited number of features. Despite that, we like to make sure we’ve tested every single part and compared them to others to see where each one stands apart from the rest.
We make sure to test our travel tripods over a period of time using a range of different cameras and lens combinations. Some tripods will be fine with specific cameras, but not others. By testing multiple types, we’re able to see how ubiquitous each one is.
The process of folding and unfolding travel tripods is something that travellers have to do all the time. We therefore go through this process numerous times to see how each one feels and functions.
Some tripods have features that are truly unique, such as the articulating center column on the Vanguard VEO 3T+ 234CB. Whatever the feature, we put it through its paces to see if it puts it above its competitors.
We do all of this while travelling around and thinking like photographers on the go. This helps us to make comments that are helpful for making informed buying decisions.
