I would like some recommendations please. Trying to find a tripod for our new spotting scope. What features do I need to look for other than a heavy duty one? I have looked locally and they have nothing around home that is sturdy enough. I am not sure what to look for online so any help is appreciated. Thanks...

Bogen

E-bay usually has some reallygood deals on used equipment.

3034 or something???

Bogen/Manfrotto Model 3221 or better.

I recommend a pan/tilt head in the $45 - $55 range, there are many available. And I suggest you do not go with a ball head. Anything less than a 3221 and you'll get wobble in a slight breeze.

Sounds like Bogen is the way to go. Wouldn't have anything less holding up my Kowa 822, especially with some of the wind we have to deal with out here. The only features needed are pan horizontal, verticle, and to extend upward to accomidate different user height. I removed one handle and replaced it with an allen screw, dont use that tilt feature. The tripod folds down to easily fit into one of those camping chair bags, or Bogen sells a pricey one. I got mine reasonable from a chain camera store. Hit the full size key on the top left of pictures http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z94/ ... C03524.jpg

Most of the guys I shoot with use something like this:

http://www.creedmoorsports.com/store/pr ... 267&page=1

Two reasons.

The wingspan of a traditional tripod can use up more than your fair share of the shooting lines real estate. Somebody will trip over it.

Excuse the blasphemy, but if you're interested in shooting NRA Highpower and using the same scope/stand, you'll need to be able to adjust for standing, kneeling, and prone - not possible with the traditional tripod.

Chardonnay, I use a Kowa TSN-822 scope with the straight eyepiece (easier on the neck). The tripod is a Bogen/Manfrotto 3221W with a 3130 head. The "W" in the tripod designation stands for wilderness which has cushions on the upper portion of each leg so you can throw it on your shoulder when you run up the mountain to watch the twitty birds. Their a little cooler on the hands when you leave the thing out in the sun. When the scope is mounted, the lowest height is 30" and max is 77". That covers me and everyone I know. It's not worth a damn from prone, but most match directors won't let us shoot off the ground. It seems to stand up to the wind very well. Hope this helps.

Thanks every one for the help ... I was looking but honestly didn't know enough to know what to look for online. Now I am off to find a scope stand/tripod to spend part of the tax refund on.