Best Travel Tripods

photo of a person taking photograph of sun using peak design camera stand

Looking for the top 5 travel tripods for your next trip?

Traveling from your current location to somewhere new is an adventure and an opportunity to experience life from a new perspective. If you wish to move with a camera during this trip, I recommend taking one of these best travel tripods as well.

When travelling you might not want to compromise on taking your favourite DSLR camera or mirrorless camera.

However, you can save on some weight and space with a travel specific tripod!

This essential tool presents multiple benefits, such as helping you take a better selfie, create engaging time-lapse videos, shoot long exposure photography, create panoramic landscapes, and many more.

Best travel tripods at a glance:

  1. 3 Legged Thing Punks Travis – Best stylish tripod for travel
  2. Peak Design Travel Tripod – Best overall travel tripod
  3. Manfrotto MKBFRTA4BK-BH Befree – Best for serious travel photographers
  4. Benro Rhino FRHN05CVX20 – Best small Benro tripod for travel
  5. Benro GoPlus Travel FGP18A – Best for tripod and monopod requirements

Essentially, travel tripods boost your photography skills by helping you take sharper and clearer photos than when hand-held.

So, without further ado, here are the top recommendations to pack on your journey.


best travel tripods by 3 legged thing

1. 3 Legged Thing Punks Travis – Best stylish tripod for travel

First on the list is the 3 Legged Thing Punks Travis; the perfect travel tripod for enthusiastic people. The device has the diminutive “Corey”, which folds down to 35cm.

This tripod also has five leg sections alongside a dual-section extending centre column.

The Travis is a worthwhile tripod with a maximum operating height and a single-piece centre column with four sections for each leg.

In terms of durability, the 3 Legged Thing Punks Travis has a maximum beefy load of 18 kilograms, meaning it can handle the weight and pressure of the most recommended travel cameras.

The device weighs precisely 1.6 kilograms, which may be easy or difficult to carry depending on your load and baggage.

Nevertheless, the tripod is excellent, with leg swings that reduce the folding length to 45cm for better storage.

Additionally, you can opt to unscrew one of the legs and use it in conjunction with the detachable centre column, thereby creating a monopod with a height of 171 cm.

Pros:

  • Weight 18 kilograms for relatively easy mobility
  • Can convert to a monopod
  • Possesses a sturdy build

Cons:

  • Slightly bulky folded length

travel tripod from peak design

2. Peak Design Travel Tripod – Best overall travel tripod

Up next is the Peak Design Travel Tripod, a device that makes photography during your journeys a thrilling and hassle-free task.

This cleverly designed tripod comes in two variants, carbon fiber, and aluminium variants, both weighing 1.27kg and 1.56kg respectively.

These values mean the device is easy to carry in a dedicated bag with little impact on the overall load.

Both carbon-fiber and aluminium variants can handle a maximum load of 9.1kg, which is sufficient to handle the majority of travel cameras.

Additionally, the Peak Design Travel Tripod comes with a five-section leg design, and cam levellers lock or release the section when necessary.

There’s also a neat built-in ball head that features an adjustment ring to control a wide range of articulation that contains three portrait modes.

Thanks to the Peak Design’s Standard Plate quick-release mechanism, you can attach your camera quickly, whether it’s a smartphone or a standard travel camera.

Irrespective of which camera type you use, you’re guaranteed a maximum working height of 152cm, allowing for shots close to the ground and further up.

Pros:

  • Impressive design and a portable tripod
  • Sturdy build
  • Comes in two varieties
  • Decent maximum working height
  • Decent maximum load

Cons:

  • No spiked feet

manfrotto befree travel accessories

3. Manfrotto MKBFRTA4BK-BH Befree Advanced Travel Tripod – Best for serious travel photographers

If you enjoy stargazing or taking excellent shots in landscape mode, this tripod is designed to suit your needs.

The Manfrotto Befree MKBFRTA4BK-BH is an Italian travel tripod created to take all kinds of landscape photographs.

The structure of this device is made from sturdy aluminium for durability and possesses three four-section legs with M-lock levers alongside a tough central column.

These stable legs unfurl with little effort required and stay in place, and each leg can pan through 180°.

You can also bend the legs backward on themselves to reduce the space needed to fit them in a suitcase or travel bag.

Regarding portability, the Manfrotto Befree tripod weighs 1.5kg and has a quick-release ball-head; however, this aspect isn’t Beginner-friendly and requires some practice to harness.

The only noteworthy downside of this Manfrotto Befree tripod is the small maximum load capacity of 8 kilograms, meaning only the lightest cameras and equipment are compatible with this tripod.

Nevertheless, it’s a worthwhile option for casual travellers.

Pros:

  • Supports DSLR
  • Sturdy aluminium build
  • Easy to carry

Cons:

  • Small maximum load of 8k

lightest and portable travel camera stand by benro rhino

4. Benro Rhino FRHN05CVX20 – Best small Benro tripod for travel

Sometimes, traveling light is the recommended option for fully experiencing an adventure with little stressors.

Well, if having the lightest and most portable tripod is on your must-have list, the Benro Rhino FRHN05CVX20 is a worthwhile option.

The Benro Rhino FRHN05CVX20 travel tripod is made of strong and sturdy carbon fiber material for durability.

Despite this dense material, the device has retained a light weight for easy portability.

It’s worth noting that this compact travel tripod has a unique feature where one of its legs can be detached, converting the device into a portable monopod.

In addition, due to being built with high-quality carbon fiber instead of aluminium, you can expect a premium feel and look from this tripod.

Remember that because it is a high-end product, you need first to practice using the Benro Rhino FRHN05CVX20 before taking it for a trip since it isn’t beginner-friendly.

Nevertheless, it’s one of the lightest tripod options for serious photographers and travellers.

Pros:

  • Sturdy carbon fiber build
  • One of the lightest and most portable tripods
  • Can transform into a monopod
  • The maximum load capacity of 10 kilograms

Cons:

  • It is not beginner-friendly

best portable camera stand by benro
5. Benro GoPlus Travel FGP18A – Best for tripod and monopod requirements

Last on this list is the Benro GoPlus Travel FGP18A, a beautiful tripod that’s crafted from aluminium and magnesium, and possesses a good set of legs.

Note that there’s also a carbon-fiber variant; however, this option doesn’t improve the device’s performance and only adds to the price.

Nevertheless, this functional tripod is relatively easy to carry, weighing approximately 2kg, including the B0 ball head that’s sold separately.

As a travel tripod, the legs swing upward around the head, shrinking the height to 46cm for portability.

This tripod can handle a maximum load of 10kg and offer a maximum working height of 165cm, which is sufficient specifications for handling a travel camera.

The Benro GoPlus Travel FGP18A also includes a pivoting centre column that locks at angles through a 180° arc, alongside three lockable leg angles.

Both legs and the head feature bubble levels, with the head having independent locking panning and friction knobs.

Pros:

  • Can become a monopod with detachable legs
  • Easy to carry
  • Decent maximum working height

Cons:

  • The carbon version presents no functional benefit

Conclusion

Like any piece of technology, a tripod will depend on various features such as the maximum load capacity, size, portability, price, structure, etc.

Although many brands may claim to have the lightest or most portable tripod, it always pays to read the reviews first!

Therefore, I recommend being specific with your needs before picking from this list; nevertheless, each option present is durable and built to assist you in taking phenomenal images.

Happy travelling!

DISCLOSURE: I may earn a small commission from some of the links above. For the benefit of the doubt, please assume all links might be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

person wearing red jacket standing on cliff beside black manfrotto befree camera tripod

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