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In this guide
Peak Design sells the Travel Tripod in aluminium and carbon. Folded, it is 15.5 inches long and 3.25 inches across, which the maker compares to a water bottle; the aluminium one weighs 3.44 lb. Unfolded it reaches 60 inches with the centre column up and holds 9.1 kg. Wex lists the aluminium at £349 in stock on 2026-10-20, the carbon at £529.
Those numbers carry the case. A tripod that fits inside a daypack comes on trips that one strapped outside does not, and that is the whole argument for paying £349 rather than buying a heavier, longer tripod for less. The counter-case is that folding this small takes five leg sections and twelve locks.
Our verdict
Buy the £349 aluminium version if the tripod travels inside a daypack or bike bag and has to stand at 60 inches under a full-frame camera. In a car or studio, the fold is dead weight.
- A good fit for
- A photographer who carries a tripod on foot or by bike, shoots full-frame with a telephoto, and packs it inside the bag rather than strapped outside.
- We would skip it if
- Studio or car-based work, video that needs a fluid head, or a camera light enough that 20 lb of capacity and 60 inches buy nothing.
Reasons to consider it
- 15.5 inches folded, 3.25 inches across, 9.1 kg capacity and 60 inches at full height, at 3.44 lb in aluminium.
- Five leg sections with four cam locks per leg, and a ball head that locks with one ring.
- Wex lists it in stock for immediate despatch at £349, £50 below the carbon version's £529.
- Peak Design's lifetime cover takes in failures that stop the tripod working, not the scratches it collects.
The compromises
- Twelve cam locks mean twelve things to open and close before any shot.
- Carbon saves 0.63 lb for £180 more at Wex; the load rating is the same 20 lb.
- The lifetime warranty excludes cosmetic blemishes, scratches, stains, misuse and accidents.
- One ring locks the ball instead of several knobs: fewer controls, but coarse for a slow pan.
What we have not verified: Nothing published measures how much the aluminium and carbon legs differ in vibration, and twelve cam locks are a long-term wear question. The phone mount's fit with thick cases is undocumented.
The things in this guide
A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.
Travel Tripod · Aluminum
15.5 inches folded, 3.25 inches across, 60 inches at full height, a 20 lb capacity and a one-ring ball head at 3.44 lb, for £349 at Wex.
Before you buy: Twelve cam locks to set up, a lifetime warranty that excludes cosmetic wear, and a carbon version that costs £180 more.
Price checked 20 October 2026. Retailer prices can change.What 15.5 inches changes
A tripod that folds to 15.5 by 3.25 inches goes inside a daypack, a bike frame bag or a carry-on. That is the difference between carrying it and leaving it, and it is the only reason to pay £349 for a three-and-a-half-pound tripod.
The price of the fold is mechanical: five leg sections per leg instead of three or four. Each extra section is another joint to clean, another lock to check, and a little more flex at full height.
Sixty inches and twelve locks
At full height the centre column takes it to 60 inches, and Peak Design rates the head and legs at 9.1 kg. That is enough for a full-frame body with a 70-200 mm lens, which is the load the height is for.
Setting it up means opening twelve cam locks, four per leg, and closing them again. For a landscape shot that is a ritual; for a street or event photographer changing position every few minutes, it is the cost the folded size buys.
Carbon or aluminium
The carbon version saves 0.63 lb, about 18 percent of the aluminium's weight, and at Wex it costs £529 against £349. The load rating is the same 20 lb, and the head is the same.
For a tripod that lives in a bag, 0.63 lb is real but not decisive. The £180 difference buys a lighter tube set, not more capacity; a photographer who mostly drives to locations gets nothing from it.
The lifetime cover, and what it excludes
Peak Design's lifetime warranty covers failures that stop the tripod working. It excludes cosmetic blemishes, scratches, stains, misuse and accidents, and replacements can be refurbished stock.
Wear on twelve cam locks is the thing to watch. The warranty covers a lock that fails, not the scuffs and loosening that come with use, so the long-term cost is maintenance rather than replacement.
When the fold is dead weight
In a studio or a car, the folded size buys nothing. A heavier, taller tripod at half the price does the same job and is easier to set up, because it has fewer sections and fewer locks.
Skip it too for video that needs a fluid head, or for a camera light enough that 20 lb of capacity and 60 inches of height never matter. Buy it when the tripod has to disappear into a bag and still stand tall at the end of a walk.
How we put this together
Built from the product pages and listings below, without test scores or results we have not measured. Specifications and prices change, so check the original page for the exact model, current price, delivery, and returns.
- Wex Photo Video: Peak Design Travel Tripod – Aluminium (1730980) (opens in a new tab)
- Peak Design: Travel Tripod (opens in a new tab)
