Peak Design unveils 'world's most portable and easy to set up tripod'

Peak Design is best known for its camera bags, straps and innovative clips that simplify carrying your kit, but the company has now decided to take on a less specialized accessory category: tripods.

The Peak Design Travel Tripod has been four years in development, and is described by its maker as the product of a complete reexamination of traditional tripod design. The idea was to eliminate the dead space within the typical tripod, and the result is billed as the "world's most portable, packable, and easy to set up tripod".

While it's marketed as a travel tripod, and has a maximum extension of 152.4cm with the center column raised, the legs don't invert in the same way as on most travel tripods, but follow the more conventional design for speedy set up.

The tripod can support 9.1kg in total, which satisfies the vast majority of DSLR/mirrorless camera and lens combinations, and collapses down to just 39.4cm. Peak Design also says that by reworking the center column and nest, the diameter of the tripod has been reduced to 8.3cm – about the same as a water bottle.

The ball head that's included in the setup is also said to work more fluidly than traditional ball heads, with a single adjustment ring allowing for a full 360-degree rotation, while compatibility with all Peak Design plates and most Arca-type plates is also assured.

Other features include a bubble level, a hook to enable the user to weigh the tripod down for stability, and even a universal phone mount. The tripod is also set to arrive with its own soft carry case as standard.

A Kickstarter campaign for the Travel Tripod has been launched, and prospective purchasers are able to select either carbon fiber or aluminum alloy leg constructions. The carbon fiber option carries an RRP of $599, while the aluminum alloy option is a more affordable $349; pricing for other territories hasn't been made available yet. Those willing to pledge money towards the campaign can currently grab themselves a discount on either model, at approximately $289 / £227 for the aluminum model and around $479 / £376 for the carbon fibre version.

This is Peak Design's ninth Kickstarter campaign, with the company claiming that previous campaigns have netted a combined total of $20.2m. As with any crowdfunding campaign, it's advisable to familiarize yourself with the process before pledging any money.