Regarding the material for the legs, you have 2 options: aluminum or carbon fiber tripods. Aluminum tripods are cost-effective and very durable! However, they’re not as lightweight as carbon fiber tripods. The latter is excellent for suppressing vibration, yet they are a lot more expensive. A downside is that they’re not as durable as aluminum tripods. If portability is extremely important to you, than I recommend spending extra money on a carbon fiber tripod. Before purchasing a tripod for your spotting scope, make sure that it supports the maximum weight of your gear! You also want to make sure that the maximum height of the tripod works with your height. I would also avoid raising the center-column too high so it doesn’t compromise on stability. As for the leg type, you can choose between a flip-lock or a twist-lock leg.
Flip-lock legs are much quicker and easier to set up since you just need to simply flip the lever and close it to lock the leg in place! Your second option is a twist-lock leg, which locks the tripod leg into place by twisting and untwisting with your hand. They require a little more time to set up and pack back up. You also have 2 options in terms of choosing a tripod head! You have the panhead and the ballhead. The panhead is great because you can get precise adjustments and it’s more intuitive than tripods featuring a ballhead system. While the ballhead is easy to use, I find that it requires a little extra time to adjust and set up. Stability, portability, and sturdiness are a few of the most important features to look for in a spotting scope tripod.
