A monopod that can also be used as a hiking/trekking pole?

Steve Goldstein · Aug 21, 2014

I'll be traveling to a very luggage-limited (volume and weight) region with my Mamiya 7 kit so need to carry as many dual-purpose items as possible. I probably won't be able to take my Feisol 3441S tripod, but since I'll need trekking poles I'm wondering if there's a lightweight monopod that's (a) strong enough to serve as a trekking pole (b) small enough to fit in a carryon roller (~15" or ~40cm), and (c) weighs under 1lb/450g. I have a longer and heavier Gitzo aluminum hiking pole with a built-in mini ball head, but its minimum length prevents me from taking it on this particular trip. I've looked at Manfrotto and Gitzo - the Gitzo 2561 might fit the bill, though it's remarkably expensive for basically a single tripod leg, and Manfrotto has a similar product that seems lighter and flimsier - but it's hard to assess their suitability as trekking poles.

Does any one have experience with using a compact monopod as a trekking pole? Are there any other solutions to my problem?

Jeff Kubach · Aug 21, 2014

I have a Giottos MML 32008 which does good, of course you do need a head.

Jeff

mgb74 · Aug 21, 2014

FWIW, I looked at trekking poles with 1/4-20 posts (for camera) a while back. They seemed OK but a bit "whippy". I decided that there's a basic mismatch in that a good trekking pole will have some flex and a good monopod won't.

That said, I think the trekking pole with mount could work for a Mamiya 7. I'd look for the stiffest one, which might mean aluminum and without an internal shock absorber. Finding one with a 15" collapsed length might be a challenge.

Finally, does the monopod actually have to fit inside the carry-on? Could you take it lashed to your carry-on or in a mailing tube? I've seen many people on flights with documents rolled inside a tube.

ajmiller · Aug 21, 2014

I have a Leki Sierra

http://www.amazon.com/Leki-Sierra-Soft-Anti-Shock-Trekking/dp/B001GCUDTE

probably too long at 27" folded, but they may have other products

Steve Goldstein · Aug 21, 2014

mgb74 said:
Finally, does the monopod actually have to fit inside the carry-on? Could you take it lashed to your carry-on or in a mailing tube? I've seen many people on flights with documents rolled inside a tube.

Good question. Fitting inside the luggage is optimal. If it's external that could increase the risk that some security droid would view it as a weapon, which is hard to assess ahead of time because "security" people generally won't answer questions about what they consider to be risks. And every country seems to have different rules, and my travel involves six countries

David Allen · Aug 21, 2014

Depending upon what kind of photography you are planning to do, have you considered a shoulder brace? I dont mean those massive things that they sell for DSLRs with video capacity but rather the old fashioned ones that they used to sell for Super 8 movie cameras.

To gain enough depth of field, I often need to make exposures at 1/30 or 1/15 of a second. Using a shoulder brace in combination with my Mamiya 7, I can comfortably shoot at 1/15 and get shake free images. On rare occasions, I have also had the need to shoot at 1/8 and (whilst taking two exposures for safety) have had a high level of success.

I came across the use of a shoulder brace about 10 years ago when a friend lent me his one which he used for shooting wildlife with moderately long lenses. I have just had a quick look on the US e-bay site and an identical one to my friend's one is currently for sale:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROWI-1970s-...926?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4625e68876

The one that I have been using for the past 10 years (which is more convenient when carrying in the rucksack because it is collapsible) is an ancient one that was marketed under the Bilora and Braun brand names. There is currently one on the German e-bay site:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/like/3509520...1777&item=350952011793&lgeo=1&vectorid=229487

Since starting to use the shoulder brace, my Manfrotto tripod has been relegated to night photography only. I have the shoulder brace always on the Mamiya 7 when out and about photographing and use it for every shot irrespective of the shutter speed.

Bests,

David
www.dsallen.de

Dan Daniel · Aug 21, 2014

No idea if this is worth anything, but I have read of some people having good luck with a string tied to the tripod socket-
http://www.steadepod.com/Steadepod/products/steadepod.html

I can't imagine a monopod or hiking stick that collapses to 15 inches be worth much.

Steve Goldstein · Aug 21, 2014

Dan, I'd heard of the string trick, but forgotten it. The Steadepod product looks interesting - small, presumably lightweight, and cheap. While it won't double as a trekking pole, I think it will meet my needs.

Thank you.

ToddB · Aug 21, 2014

I used an older Bogan Monopod for my Gopro and Strobist lighting on big trip to Iowa this past summer. Worked out great! Go on Craigs list in your local area and see if one on the radar. Set me back $40.00

Sirius Glass · Aug 21, 2014

You could also use it as a tent pole in an emergency.

RalphLambrecht · Aug 21, 2014

Jeff Kubach said:
I have a Giottos MML 32008 which does good, of course you do need a head.

Jeff

don't we all?

alienmeatsack · Aug 21, 2014

I have a similar question so this thread interests me.

I am not travelling at the moment but I do hike and like to take cameras with me. I'd love to have the functionality of the hiking poles for hills and such and also be able to pop a camera on the head of one to snap photos as needed too.

All of the walking/hiking poles I looked at had flex as mentioned above, or some kind of shock absorber. And none of those had a head that could be unscrewed to reveal a camera mount/tripod fitting or anything similar.

For your query I guess it really comes down to the question of, which is more important, the monopod or the hiking pole part of it? And how much restriction will a hiking pole give you in terms of angles and heights of your shots?

Are you going to be carrying 2 hiking poles for better hill navigation or just the one? Just curious.

mgb74 · Aug 21, 2014

David Allen said:
Depending upon what kind of photography you are planning to do, have you considered a shoulder brace? I dont mean those massive things that they sell for DSLRs with video capacity but rather the old fashioned ones that they used to sell for Super 8 movie cameras. <big snip>

Well, there's always this. Happy to lend this to you Steve, but you may want to allocate more time to get through security.

benveniste · Aug 21, 2014

I use a Trekpod Go!, with my lighter Nikon gear (FA, Pronea, V1 digital), but I found it was marginal for a Nikon F100 and I believe a Mamiya 7 weighs more than that camera. I wouldn't dare try it with the Pentax 645n.

jeffreyg · Aug 22, 2014

Manfrotto has several monopods but if you wanted to attach to a hiking pole check out their super clamp and double ball joint head and other goodies.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/
Dead Link Removed

benjiboy · Aug 22, 2014

Steve Goldstein said:
Dan, I'd heard of the string trick, but forgotten it. The Steadepod product looks interesting - small, presumably lightweight, and cheap. While it won't double as a trekking pole, I think it will meet my needs.

Thank you.

String stretches Steve, thin key chain is better, but a monopod makes a much better weapon if someone tries to mug you.

A monopod that can also be used as a hiking/trekking pole?

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