Tripod for Your Binoculars – Must-Have!

Three different tripods, three applications for glass. Small to large.

Binoculars on a Stick?

I’ve gone from being that hunter who doesn’t own binoculars to one who obsesses about optics. This transformation has taken about 34 years to transpire, and I’m not going to trace the whole path here. All I want to convey here is you must own a tripod if you own a pair of binoculars. Short, sweet, and right to the point. Not  for me, maybe, as 34 years isn’t short, but for you!

You can buy a pair of binoculars that costs less than $100. There are options well in excess of $3,000 as well. I cannot count the number of times I’ve heard folks offer the advice: “Buy the best glass you can afford!” Yikes! Only in rare cases should you do this. I get their point. Good glass is a Godsend in so many instances; however, the simplest thing you can do to improve your hunting glassing ability RIGHT NOW, is to purchase a relatively inexpensive tripod and mount.

Say What?

So you go to Cabelas or Sportsman’s Warehouse or wherever you shop for binoculars. You talk the nice salesperson into letting you walk outside with a coupla pairs. Maybe you look at the little stuffed duck on the other side of the showroom. You fret and you test and you compare. Finally, you realize the $200 pair of binoculars is just not quite as good as the $600 pair and you walk out with your prize purchase in hand.

I’ve played out this scenario. Lots of us have. Let me tell you though, the difference between those two binoculars is nothing when compared against the upgrade you get by using a tripod. Mount that $200 pair on a $150 tripod and you will see more than you ever could by hand-holding that $600 pair!

Believe Me?

I’ve seen the guys on TV with their noses pressed up against binoculars on tripods. I may have snickered a time or two or even offered a snarky remark about these sissy hunters with binoculars on tripods. Maybe. Then it happened…after lugging my big spotting scope and tripod up the mountain in 10 inches of new snow. We got to our designated “spotting location” and my daughter’s pal whips out binos identical to mine and slaps them on a tripod. Eye-roll please….

Central Idaho elk spotting, with scope and binoculars. Was the scope worth the weight? Not in these conditions.

He even had the nerve to roll his eyes at my big badass spotting scope! Color me unbelieving of this smart-aleck TV-hunter-wannabe! We started glassing. I think my wife or daughter spotted the elk first, but Matt and I both were locked on quickly. Through all of this, we took turns at each other’s glass. Yeah, I could make out every little tine and half of the texture to the antlers at 700 yards, but damn, I could count the 6 points on each side through his binos! I left that mountain impressed.

My Own Experiment

So I had just purchased an ultralight spotting scope for mountain hunting that summer. Also, I mounted it on a super lightweight carbon-fiber tripod made by Davis & Sanford. At only $140 and about 3 pounds with a ball head, I loved that little set of legs. Since all I would need was a $20 mount made by Vortex to hook my binos to the new tripod, I made the purchase. Holy crap!

I was so impressed with the “new” performance I got out of my binoculars. That tripod made a complete world of difference. By steadying my still-glassing and making the panning very stable and fluid, I could now scan details I’d never reliably seen before. There is no way I ever hunt out west again without my bino tripod in tow. Now it looks like I should pony up some booze for Mr. Matt and his TV-hunter smarts that turned me in this direction.

Recommended

As I said, the Davis & Sanford tripod is a great set of legs. They make three different heights, so choose carefully. They all come with a relatively cheapo ball head, but with some patience it works. The ball head goes from limp-noodle to immovable in a quarter turn. This makes it rather sensitive and touchy when you want to set it up each time, but by taking about 5 or 10 extra seconds it works fine. My Vortex screw-on tripod mount works well enough, so it is a good inexpensive option.

My wife mounts her 15 x 56 Swarovski SLCs using a shelf-mount with a Velcro strap sitting atop a Manfrotto tripod and tilt/pan head. This is far more stable and with those binos become an outrageous advantage for her. With that setup, it is almost like she has super-powers. Either setup works, but for 8x or 10x binos, I’d continue to buy the carbon fiber Davis & Sanford. We are having a hard look at a Benro Mach 3 carbon fiber tripod with quick-twist legs for her. The quick-twists are faster and quieter and easier on your fingers and joints to set up and take down. Her Manfrotto is frustrating her with noisy and especially stiff lever-locks.

Tripod Heads

As I said, the little cheap ball heads work just fine for light binoculars. I just recently upgraded from a pistol-grip ball head to a more classic ball head this year and love it. I got a beautiful Manfrotto MHXPRO-BHQ2 ball head for my big scope and it is only a matter of very little time before I upgrade my wife to one as well. These things move like butter and are very easy to lock and adjust. This is a substantial upgrade to any set of tripod legs for about $140.

Ball heads are perfect. You set the tension just enough that it takes a hard nudge with your forehead, cheekbone, or nose to move the binos down. A little pressure from a forward finger or your hand tilts them up. Keep the pan adjustment so you can easily move your head side to side to pan. That’s all there is. Simple. Smooth. Painless. Stable. Pan/Tilt heads are ok, but not anywhere near as nice as a solid ball head. Skip the pistol grips altogether. I have two and I’m pretty handy with them, but nobody else in my tribe likes them at all.

One quick note. There are two basic popular quick-release systems. Manfrotto makes one, but the most popular is Arca-Swiss. Unfortunately they are not compatible. Since my original pistol grips were Manfrotto-based, I went with a Manfrotto ball head so I didn’t have to start over. The Davis & Sanford uses the more popular (with photographers anyway) Arca-Swiss system. Either works fine, just be sure which you are getting.

Tripod Synopsis

I hope you take my word for it. Every set of binoculars greater than 7x needs a good tripod for support! You significantly extend the range and usefulness of any pair of binoculars with a tripod. You will see more mule deer, pronghorn, elk, sheep, and all sorts of wildlife by taking the simple step of mounting your binos on a tripod. Even the cheapest pair can benefit, and why the hell would you bother to buy a $3,000 pair and then only contemplate hand-holding them? What good is that European glass doing you if you are jittering around with them?!

You will be so pleased with the results when you first mount your glasses to a tripod. My dad has a tremor and it makes binoculars a frustration to him. When we went on my wife’s sheep hunt, I loaned him my little tripod, binoculars, and small spotting scope. I stuck to my big spotting scope. His productivity and confidence went through the roof with that little setup, enough so that we bought him a tripod and mount for Christmas! Please, give it a try. If you hate it (you won’t), you can always use the tripod for a scope or your camera. Have fun!