That’s a good question, with a good answer: because it was really, really hard to make.

Traditional tripods are made from circular tubes. Apart from being really strong, circular tubes are the easiest shape to design and manufacture. Cost-wise, they are also the most economical.

When you surround a circular center column with 3 circular tubes, you create volumetric dead space. To remove that dead space, we reshaped our tubes into a triangular center column and pie-wedge-shaped legs. This allowed us to pack the legs and center column in a tight cluster beneath the ball head instead of a loose cluster around the ball head. Once we did that, all hell broke loose.

We had to rethink all the leg connection and locking hardware. Maintaining even forces and tolerances between concentric circles is much easier than doing the same for concentric pie wedges. We also had to rethink the ball head design, fitting the same functionality into a wider, but shorter physical space. We gave ourselves some very inconvenient guardrails. It had to deploy to eye level, yet pack down to water bottle size. It had to be as stable as other, much larger, tripods in its category. It also had to be remotely affordable.

We spent four intense years designing the Travel Tripod, pushing back its launch multiple times to further iterate and refine. The effort was immense. If we had investors, they would have never let us do it. But we don’t. Instead, we have our Kickstarter community, who gave us the support and motivation we needed to see this project though.

Last updated: May 21, 2019 12:50

Got um! See Full Specs of the Tripod on the Main Campaign Page here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peak-design/travel-tripod-by-peak-design#h:tripod-specs-materia

Last updated: May 21, 2019 13:01

The Peak Design Travel Tripod (both carbon and aluminum models) has a weight capacity of 9.1 kg (20 lbs).

So, what does that mean?

If you’ve ever shopped around for tripods, you’ll find that every manufacturer gives their tripod some sort of weight rating or load capacity. You’ll also notice that these numbers can vary greatly between manufacturers. Does that mean that tripod strength and stability varies stupendously from one brand to the next? No. It means that there is no tripod weight capacity standard. In fact, most brands don’t even explain what their weight capacity numbers mean.

Well, here’s what it means to us: you can put a 20 lb. object on top of the Travel Tripod and it will still safely function. Can it hold more without collapsing? Yeah, a lot more. It takes about 85 lbs. of downward force before the center column starts to slip. Do we recommend using the Travel Tripod as your go-to solution for holding 20 lb. objects? Not really. Just because it can hold 20 lbs. doesn’t mean it’s optimized for it.

The Peak Design Travel Tripod was designed to let you confidently shoot with professional rigs, up to full-frame DSLRs with telephoto lenses. That means that the Travel Tripod has the stiffness, stability, and vibration-resistance you need to get the shot you want with most pro gear setups in most environments.

The performance of the Travel Tripod (or any tripod) depends on a ton of factors—the weight and form factor of your camera/lens, your surface and environment, and the type of shot you’re trying to get. As your rig gets heavier, or your weight gets more off-center, or your surface gets softer, stability and performance will inevitably diminish. An 8 lb. rig with a short lens may be more stable than a 5 lb. rig with a long lens. Shooting on sand may be less stable than shooting on pavement. All this is to say, if you ask us “will the Travel Tripod hold camera X with lens Y?” our answer is yes, it will safely hold it, provided it weighs less than 20 lbs. If you’re shooting with particularly heavy (>8lb) or particularly large (>600mm focal length) setups, you’ll notice diminishing performance in certain environments.

Lastly, we’d just like to take a sec and applaud Really Right Stuff for creating the most comprehensive and informative tripod performance guide we’ve read: https://www.reallyrightstuff.com/tripod-guide

Last updated: May 21, 2019 12:50

Yes, the Travel Tripod is compatible with most Arca-compatible plates and L-brackets. The ball head features removable pins that allow longer plates and L-brackets to lock in place.

Arca is the closest thing there is to a standard tripod plate geometry—about 85% of professional tripods use it. Still, we say “most” and not “all” because we’ve learned over the years that there can be slight geometric variance across brands. We really should say “a vast majority,” because we have yet to find an Arca-compatible plate that does not work with the Travel Tripod.

Last updated: May 24, 2019 20:47

In short, no, the Compact Ball Head on the Peak Design Travel Tripod does not have an independent panning function. For our first foray into ball heads, we prioritized space savings and a streamlined interface based around the most common workflows we saw in R&D and user research. Using the Peak Design ball head ring creates a unique and delightful workflow that is different than typical ball heads and we encourage you to give it a try without comparing features 1:1 with other heads.

Peak Design is aware that the Compact Ball Head may not be ideal for the video-making community. Because of this, we hope to have a pan/tilt video in our future product roadmap. Similarly, we are closely following feedback about panning functionality and it may similarly influence our development roadmap. As always, we will update our community as our thoughts crystallize around our new line of Peak Design products.

For now, we have an add-on adapter that allows our tripod to be used with any 3rd party ball head using a traditional 3/8” screw. If you use panning frequently, this adaptor allows for integration of that specific functionality.

Last updated: May 22, 2019 13:09

Easily. First, become a backer (click Back This Project) and pick a reward. Then, increase your pledge dollar amount by $289 (Aluminum) or $479 (Carbon). That’s all you have to do for now. When the campaign is complete (Mid July) we’ll send you a survey asking you to specify which items you want to add on.

Use this simple add-on rule to add as many additional tripods to your reward as you’d like.

Last updated: May 21, 2019 13:01

The Universal Head Adapter is an accessory for the Travel Tripod that lets you use the Travel Tripod’s ultra-compact legs with most 3rd party tripod heads. It is ideal for users who already own a tripod head with special functionality (like fluid pan and tilt for video). The Universal Head Adapter attaches to the Travel Tripod’s center column via a hex-drive screw. Simply unscrew the Compact Ball Head (which comes standard with the Travel Tripod), attach the Universal Head Adapter, and then attach your 3rd party tripod head.

Specs: Accommodates any tripod head with ⅜” female thread. Compatible with Peak Design Carbon and Aluminum Travel Tripod models. Hex wrench included with Travel Tripod. MSRP: $30 ($25 Kickstarter price)

How to get it: First, become a backer (click Back This Project) and pick a reward. Then, increase your pledge dollar amount by $25. That’s all you have to do for now. When the campaign is complete (end of August) we’ll send you a survey asking you to specify which items you want to add on.

Use this simple add-on rule to add as many additional items to your reward as you’d like.

Last updated: May 22, 2019 11:11

The Spike Feet Set is a set of 3 machined aluminum spike feet for the Travel Tripod. They provide superior stability and grip when shooting on slippery or loose terrain (like ice, smooth rocks, loose dirt, or gravel). Simply remove the standard rubber feet and attach the spike feet with a hex-drive screw. The spikes are also handy when using the Travel Tripod with heavier photo or video rigs.

Specs: Compatible with Peak Design Carbon and Aluminum Travel Tripod models. Hex wrench included with Travel Tripod. MSRP: $30 ($25 Kickstarter price)

How to get it: First, become a backer (click Back This Project) and pick a reward. Then, increase your pledge dollar amount by $25. That’s all you have to do for now. When the campaign is complete (end of August) we’ll send you a survey asking you to specify which items you want to add on.

Use this simple add-on rule to add as many additional items to your reward as you’d like.

Last updated: May 21, 2019 13:01

Sure you can. First, become a backer and pick your reward. Then, you don’t need to do anything else until the campaign ends. When the campaign ends (end of August) we’ll send you a survey to collect your shipping information. In that survey you’ll be able to add on any additional Peak Design items you want (anything found at peakdesign.com [excluding some of the replacement parts]) and pay us the extra amount right then and there.

When we ship your reward, we’ll include those extra items in the same shipment.

Note that we’ll give a special Kickstarter discount for all add-on items. That discount is TBD, but will likely be about $5 to $10 off each product.

Last updated: May 21, 2019 13:01

The Travel Tripod is manufactured and assembled by our partner factory in Dongguan, China. Our manufacturing partners have grown with us, and we are proud to be using the same skilled folks and facilities for assembly that we use for all of our other hard good products.

For more information on our manufacturing practices and other elements of corporate responsibility strategy, please visit https://www.peakdesign.com/pages/sustainability/.

Last updated: May 22, 2019 12:58

We don’t just have one, we have the best one out there. All Peak Design products, including the Travel Tripod, carry a lifetime warranty. That means if any part becomes defective or dysfunctional over time we will repair or replace it free of charge.

We designed the Travel Tripod with serviceability in mind. Nearly every single part of the Travel Tripod can be individually removed, cleaned, and if necessary, replaced. This not only makes it easier to keep your Travel Tripod in perfect functional condition, it also drastically reduces the amount of waste created over the long run.

Last updated: May 21, 2019 13:01

This is a question that we get asked frequently, as we’ve exceeded our funding goal in all of our 8 Kickstarter campaigns to date. The short answer is that most goes to inventory and the rest goes into future product development, marketing, and other business related stuff.

Peak Design is a 100% crowdfunded company. That means that we’ve never taken outside investment from equity investors. Instead, we’ve been fortunate enough to raise the money we need to run and grow our business through Kickstarter campaigns, as well as the direct and wholesale sales we do.

While on paper we are an employee-owned business, we consider our Kickstarter backers to be our unofficial investors and board of directors. When we run a Kickstarter campaign, our hope is to raise the cash we need to mass-produce new products, not just for backers, but for subsequent direct and wholesale orders. We also hope to generate a lot of buzz and awareness (a.k.a. marketing stuffs). In exchange, our backers are the first to receive our new products and they are able to pre-order them at an exclusive discount (often 20-30%). Furthermore, we also take every opportunity to plug backers directly into our product development process via surveys, live hangouts, and general feedback. The result is that our future product development is (in part) funded by backers, and our product roadmap is (in part) written by backers. Case in point: in our past 2 big customer/backer surveys, a “travel backpack” was the most-requested new product. And, here we are.

In conclusion, we believe crowdfunding gives us the best customers in the world and lets us focus on doing what we love the most: designing really really good stuff. Thank you for being a part of this!

Last updated: May 21, 2019 13:01

While all of our products are guaranteed for life, we do not offer refunds, returns, or exchanges on items received as Kickstarter rewards.

The support we get from our Kickstarter backers is what enables us to run and grow our business, gather customer feedback, design new products and improve existing ones. In the Kickstarter community, the items that you receive after making a pledge are referred to as “rewards” because they are not purchases in the traditional sense. Think of rewards as gifts—in our case, Travel Tripods—that are sent to our supporters as a token of appreciation for their support of our business. In the same way that public television funds their service through the pledges of their supporters, who in turn receive gifts and continued programming, we have chosen to run and grow our business on a crowdfunded business model.

We appreciate your understanding of our policy and the support you have given us. If your reward truly offers no value to you, here are a few things that you could do in the spirit of crowdfunding…

1. Give your reward to a friend. Our products might not work for you, but there are many folks out there who might find them very valuable. We’d love for you to share our gear with a friend of yours.
2. Sell your reward to somebody. Many Kickstarter rewards were purchased below the retail value – if you want to recuperate that value and possibly even more, throw your reward up on eBay.
3. Give your reward another chance. Some of our products can take some getting used to. All of our gear is designed for use in a variety of scenarios. Maybe it doesn’t work for you right now, but perhaps you’ll find the right time and place in the future.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Last updated: May 21, 2019 13:01

Sorry, we cannot do direct pickups of rewards. Our shipping system is highly automated and designed to get large quantities of stuff to people quickly and accurately, but it is unfortunately not designed to allow for manual pick-up.

Last updated: May 21, 2019 13:01

DOMESTIC: If you’re in the US, we’ll be shipping your package out of our Los Angeles fulfillment center using a ground service (USPS priority or FedEx depending on destination and shipment size). These packages will have tracking information that will work within the US.

INTERNATIONAL: Non-US orders will ship from one of our 5 international warehouses located in the UK, Netherlands, HK, Toronto, and Australia. In order to save our backers costly duties and taxes, Peak Design is going to be importing all of our products into these countries prior to shipping them to you. This means that your shipments:

1. Won’t require taxes or duties in Canada, UK, EU, HK, and Australia (other countries may have applicable duties/taxes, please check with your customs office for specific details. Customer is responsible for all applicable taxes or duties)
2. Will arrive quickly and not get held up in customs.
3. May have tracking, but may not guaranteed (depending on the particular post service, of which there are too many used to name). For EU and Asian backers, Royal Mail International or Hong Kong Post will be used most commonly.

Note that we cannot alter the value of your rewards on customs declarations - the value will be declared as the total value of the items contained in the shipment

Last updated: May 21, 2019 13:01

If all goes to plan, we’ll be shipping the Travel Tripod out to all backers by the end of December of this year.

Note that this is our target shipping timeframe, based on our production schedule, and it includes ample wiggle room for unforeseen delays. But at the end of the day, it is an estimate and not a guarantee. Travel Tripod is a brand new product, and a very complex one at that. Our reputation is built on making the best things—literally the best products in their categories—and we will not ship out products that we feel are anything less than perfection. In the unlikely event that we hit a manufacturing snag that delays our delivery timeframe, we’ll keep you closely informed and communicate with total transparency.

In any case, we will work as hard as humanly (and machinely) possible to get you your rewards on time. We have plenty of experience setting and meeting Kickstarter shipping estimates…we’ve successfully done it 8 times in the past.

Last updated: May 21, 2019 13:01