Tripod padding

[RKnecht]

I'm not sure if I am going to buy the camo leg coats for my 1325 or just make them myself. 46 bux seems like a decent deal for a set of 3. Or, I can go the DIY route and use that foam you wrap pipes with and get the wife to sew me up some camo covers. Does anyone use the pre-made ones? And if so, what are your thoughts? My shoulder can really use a break.

 

[Micky]

I had my wife sew black covers...

Spent a total of $9 for mine, and I had a bunch of 7/8 insulation left over.

My wife sewed some black covers, (I forget he actual finished size, but a 6-inch wide piece of cloth comes to mind...) and I secured them with black UV resistant cable ties.

They have worked for a couple years now, on a big Manfrotto tripod. Only problem is that lint seems to stick to the fabric...

 

[scooptdoo]

right now i have astroboy seatbelt shoulder area pad for leg warmers on my monfrotto 3211V tripod.ive used mottoX handlebar center pad (ANSWER)in the past.both work great and are cheap in comparison to 40 bucks!

 

[oddstray]

I'm not sure if I am going to buy the camo leg coats for my 1325 or just make them myself. 46 bux seems like a decent deal for a set of 3. Or, I can go the DIY route and use that foam you wrap pipes with and get the wife to sew me up some camo covers. Does anyone use the pre-made ones? And if so, what are your thoughts? My shoulder can really use a break.

The cheaper "tripod leg covers" are pretty much lengths of pipe insulation with nice-looking duct tape to attach them to the tripod legs. The expensive "tripod leg covers" are pretty much pipe insulation with nicer-looking zippers instead of nice-looking duct tape.

My spousal unit went to Home Depot and bought pipe insulation, and cut lengths of it to fit on my tripod. Less than 10 bux. And if you're brave enough to dismantle your tripod, you can just slide it on so you don't even need to slit it lengthwise and patch it with duct tape. And if you're not brave enough today to dismantle your tripod, you will after a few years when it works all its screws loose and falls apart during use. Ask me how I know ...

 

[shanelu87]

I took foam pipe insulation and duct tape. $7 dollars.

 

[RKnecht]

Well, thanks for the comments. I think I am going the pipe foam route now. My wife found some nice camo fabric and she already bought it. Now I need to go to the Depot and get the foam. My shoulder will surely thank me for this!

 

[SLRShooter]

Most of the pro built ones are only about $20-25. Not camo though. Normally, just black. For some reason, I think they are more plush - giving more padding to the shoulder than simple pipe insulation. I bought mine through Nikonians.org but are available many other places.

 

[Big Daddy]

Another padding idea to consider is using bicycle handlebar tape. It works very well -- the resulting padding is not overly spongey and it grips extremely well when moving your tripod. After all, good handlebar tape is designed for cyclists to comfortably grip and hold over long rides.

Bob Johnson's article describes his handlebar tape solution:

http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototips/tripod-leg-wraps.html

 

[Gary Mayo]

I like the bike tape idea. Better than Duct tape!

 

[gadgetguy11]

Bought the same black pro built ones mentioned by SLRShooter. I agree that they are very plush, and look great. Double sided tape used to secure foam to legs is very difficult to remove in a couple years if you sell the pod without the leg wraps. I removed 100% adhesive using 3M adhesive remover. Be prepared for a gummy mess until it is all gone. izzy:

During normal use, as the adhesive loses contact with the foam (but remains firmly adhered to the leg), you may find the foam rotates a little. That is a weird sensation; it feels as though you are about to drop the pod. I secured each wrapped cover tightly to the leg, above and below each split foam, with black plastic wire ties. No more wrap rotation! :Smart:

Another consideration: if you have small hands, note that the legs are very large diameter with the pro built wraps and covers installed. I find the pod with wraps feels great slung over your shoulder, but is bulky to carry by hand because of the increased leg thickness.