Tripod Feet

If you're someone who takes your photography more seriously than, say, your choice in underwear, then you probably have a tripod. Does it still have the original rubber or plastic foot on each leg? If so, you've probably found that those feet work just fine on reasonably level, smooth surfaces, such as indoor floors, or level ground or structures outside.

But once your terrain turns uneven, or less than rock solid, those rubber feet can turn into a serious drawback. So, what do you do? Some tripod makers, and a horde of knockoff makers will be happy to sell you snowshoe feet—which are huge! Don't ask how I know—or inverse baskets, or any one of a number of foot replacements to solve the problem of unexpected terrain. But here's the problem with many of them: you actually have yto know you're going to encounter snow or mud in order to know to pack those items. They sure aren't practical to keep on your tripod all the time. Which means you'll have to pack whatever foot type or types you might need on your venture. I'm sorry, that's just dumb. Unless you've got a private Sherpa, you simply cannot carry everything you might need (though car-based photography lets you come close). 

So what's your best all-purpose compromise? in a newsletter published by one of my favorite photogs, he recently argued that the best alternative to rubber feet is spikes. Spikes aren't bad, but they can keep sinking in the wrong ground, like wet beach sand or soft snow or mud, and they don't actually grip anything. No, I've tried spikes more than once, and because they are compact, I usually have an interchangeable set in the bag. But they have too many shortcomings to be the foot that is default-mounted on my tripod.

So what's my suggestion? Easy. Rock claws. For all-purpose use, nothing else really comes close. Which ones? Doesn't really matter. Lots of people make them, from Really Right Stuff (which are as expensive as you would expect) to Desmond and Leofoto, which, except for their titanium ones, are not expensive at all. You don't need titanium (unless you're in the ocean a lot and aren't good at cleaning your tripod). What you want is a foot that requires no special tools to tighten down, is easy to service in the field, is the right thread size for your tripod column, and doesn't hurt your palm in case you accidentally hit the bottom too hard when collapsing the legs. On that note, rock claws with smoother edges are preferred, but I have claws from all three of these makers, and they all do the job. Once you've acquired your chosen claws, treat them with Vibra-TITE Threadmate (not LocTite) to make sure they don't vibrate their way loose. Trust me, they otherwise will.

See that pic below? Those are rock claws in the Merced River holding my tripod secure against the current and on slippery, mossy rocks and river bottom sand. You can't see them, but they're doing what they are supposed to do: providing peace of mind and stability for some heavy equipment.