3 LEGGED THING EQUINOX LEO CARBON FIBRE TRIPOD & AIRHED SWITCH BALL HEAD
www.3leggedthing.com £300 / $350
When the word travel is associated with a tripod it can often be a watchword for thin, spindly legs. That’s not the case with the 3 Legged Thing Equinox Leo carbon fibre tripod. Naturally, the lower tubes are quite slender, but the upper tubes have a diameter of 23mm and the overall build quality is very high, so they combine to create a pretty solid support.
With three leg angles (23º, 55º and 80º), a two-section centre column and five sections to the legs, the Equinox Leo is versatile and adaptable, but at 1.4m including the AirHed Switch tripod head, it’s not the tallest tripod in the world. However, it is one of the stronger models around and has a maximum load capacity of 30kg. As the Leo weighs 1.44kg, that means there’s a load-to-weight ratio of almost 1:21.
When folded down, the Leo measures just 35cm in length, so it can fit sideways in a suitcase and is easy to fit on the side of a backpack or carry in the supplied bag.
Like all 3 Legged Thing tripods, one of Leo’s legs can be detached and used as a monopod, or a mic boom, albeit quite a short one at 1.46cm. The leg locks are the twisting type and have a nice chunky build so they’re easy to grip and rotate. Their clever design means that as you twist to unlock them you’ll feel a dull click inside that indicates the point of release has been reached, which means you don’t have to keep twisting and checking. Then when you’ve selected the leg length you require, it just needs a quick turn to lock it solidly.
The tripod can be purchased legs-only, but we tested the kit that comes with the AirHed Switch ball head. This is a wellmatched head that is small enough to hide within the legs when the Leo is folded for transport. It’s Arca-Swiss compatible, and has a levered clamp that makes locking and unlocking the release plate very quick. It can even be flipped to suit left or right-handers.