Peak Design Tripod and Everyday Backpack

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Paul
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Have any of you had any experience with Peak Design?

I'm looking at the travel tripod, in aluminum, as I love how it folds down so small, to the size of a water bottle apparently!!
I'm also tempted to replace my old bag with the Everyday Messenger.

I'd be interested to hear any feedback from anyone that owns either or both. :)
 
I saw that Tony Northrup review :) I was hoping someone on here may already own it and give their views.
It's either this or a Gitzo one which is slightly bulkier and heavier.

There are reasons why good tripods tend to look pretty similar. Gitzo has been the leader in quality tripods for decades and it's hard to believe that their team of expert designers and experienced engineers is not fully aware of all the options and have tried everything. Peak Design have some good products but their main point of differentiation is their 'cool' brand image and marketing. The underlying physics have not changed, though.

A few fundamentals:
- The most stable position for a camera is at the apex of the legs, and if they are squeezed together in the interests of compactness it pushes the apex point down below the camera. If you then put the camera on a spindly centre-column any movement is multiplied further. Have a look at Gitzo's top-of-the-range Systematic tripods, or any professional video tripod with widely spaced legs, and no centre-column.
- Most of the flex in tripod legs comes from the joints - the more there are, the less stable the support.
- Last but not least, unfortunately weight is good.

All this inevitably leads to a lot of compromises, especially with compact and lightweight travel tripods, but there is only so much that innovative design, new materials and quality engineering can do. On the other hand, there is the old adage that the best tripod is the one you have with you. It's a classic dilemma, all overlaid by price of course, but don't expect miracles ;)
 
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Here’s a good review of the Travel Tripod with actual measurements:

https://thecentercolumn.com/peak-design-travel-tripod-review/

As for the bags, I have a few from them (V1 30L, 20L, 5L sling) and I like them. They look good and there are lots of clever features that I miss on other bags. The issue I had with the backpacks (a harness that isn’t as comfy as it could be) seem to have been addressed with V2. The dividers in the backpack a little hard to configure at first if you’re used to normal dividers but you get used to it.
 
I have both the Messager bag and the travel Tripod. Like everything else, there are limitations.

For the bag, it depends on what you want to carry but I'm happy with it for certain trips. I have bigger and also smaller bags for different events and outings.

As for the tripod, bear in mind it is designed as a travel tripod although the legs are thin and small but for me it stable enough for my need. Again I'm happy using it I like the compact small size and lightweight. Quick to set-up and the ball head is integral with the centre column and no need to buy an additional head like most other tripods in the market.
 
Here’s a good review of the Travel Tripod with actual measurements:

https://thecentercolumn.com/peak-design-travel-tripod-review/

As for the bags, I have a few from them (V1 30L, 20L, 5L sling) and I like them. They look good and there are lots of clever features that I miss on other bags. The issue I had with the backpacks (a harness that isn’t as comfy as it could be) seem to have been addressed with V2. The dividers in the backpack a little hard to configure at first if you’re used to normal dividers but you get used to it.

That guy knows his stuff, though it's worth bearing in mind he was also employed as a consultant in PD's tripod design team. This is a fair summary I think - "The stiffness of the PD tripod is roughly average for travel tripods and that is to say, it is very reasonable for what it is expected to do."

Tony Northrup's criticisms are fair comment, but are mainly of operational details. As is so often the case, I'm sure the Version 2 will be much better in that respect.
 
That guy knows his stuff, though it's worth bearing in mind he was also employed as a consultant in PD's tripod design team. This is a fair summary I think - "The stiffness of the PD tripod is roughly average for travel tripods and that is to say, it is very reasonable for what it is expected to do."

Tony Northrup's criticisms are fair comment, but are mainly of operational details. As is so often the case, I'm sure the Version 2 will be much better in that respect.


Good to see you back here, Richard!
 
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