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No matter where your wanderlust takes you, you’ll capture the moment better with this essential piece of gear.

Tripods are a key piece of any photographer or filmmaker's toolkit. They’re designed to hold your camera or phone, allowing you to capture precise, steady shots or even selfies. However, traditional tripods can be quite bulky. If you’re traveling, a travel tripod is the way to go.

While they look and function similarly to standard models, travel tripods are typically lightweight and compact. They fold down for easy storage and transport — some are small enough to fit in your pocket — and many come with carrying cases to protect them from whatever else is stuffed in your luggage or rolling duffel bag. For the best of what the market has to offer, read on for our recommendations, plus essentials to take into account before you buy.

As you shop for a travel tripod, there are a few key factors you’ll want to think about. The first and most important consideration is the tripod’s weight and folded dimensions. After all, you’ll likely be toting it around with you and want to ensure it’s a comfortable size to carry.

You’ll also want to look at the tripod’s minimum and maximum height, as well as the types of devices it’s designed to hold. Some tripods are solely for smartphones or traditional cameras, while others are able to support both. Checking the weight capacity is another wise move, especially if you have a large camera.

To find the best travel tripods, we looked at top-rated products from a wide range of brands that have average customers ratings of 4 stars or more. We selected tripods that can be used with smartphones, cameras, GoPros, and a combination of devices, and took into account weight and versatility. To ensure the products perform up to expectations, we read through dozens of user reviews to get a sense of each tripod’s strengths and weaknesses, and we aimed to feature a variety of tripods at a wide range of price points to suit all budgets.

For those who mostly take pictures on their smartphone, this selfie stick has a convenient 2-in-1 design that’s ideal for traveling. It weighs less than a pound and folds down into a compact 12 inches, yet as a tripod, it reaches 51 inches tall. It can also be held as a selfie stick for those times you want a group photo.

This tripod is compatible with most popular smartphones, including iPhones, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, and more. It comes with a rechargeable Bluetooth remote—a big bonus—that you can use for self-portraits while traveling solo.

For those who shoot with a traditional DSLR camera, this tripod will keep your device steady and safe. It can support cameras up to 8.8 pounds, and it’s compatible with most models from top brands like Sony, Nikon, and Canon.

The travel tripod weighs under 3 pounds thanks to its aluminum legs, and it has a sturdy ball head with ergonomic knobs for easy adjustments. It offers independent leg positioning that’s ideal for uneven terrain, and there’s a retractable hook between the legs where you can hang a weight for even more stability.

If you’re a professional photographer or filmmaker, you’ll want a sturdy and versatile tripod like this one from Peak Design. This particular model is aluminum, and for something even more lightweight, the brand has a high-end carbon fiber tripod with the same design.

Despite weighing just over 3 pounds, this tripod has a 20-pound load capacity designed specifically for full-frame DSLR cameras and telephoto lenses, and its built-in load-hanging hook offers even more stability.

It offers multiple configurations for different shots, and it even comes with a mobile phone mount and weatherproof travel case. All of its components are weather- and impact-resistant, and they can also be repaired or replaced as needed—always a good thing on an expensive purchase.

The aluminum ball head on this travel tripod allows you to easily adjust your camera’s angle to capture any shot, with an independent 360-degree pan. It weighs less than 1 pound and extends up to more than 56 inches, thanks to its five-section telescopic legs, which can also be positioned independently to accommodate any terrain.

The travel tripod has a maximum weight capacity of 8.8 pounds, making it best suited for small DSLR cameras, and a spring-loaded hook at the bottom of the center column to add weight for extra stability. It also comes with a carrying case for easy transport.

This tripod doesn’t offer the height of a standard model, but its unique flexible (and waterproof!) legs can be wrapped around any surface—including trees, fences, poles, and more—allowing you to capture unique angles. The tripod comes with attachments for a standard camera, smartphone, and GoPro, and it has a ball head that easily rotates 360 degrees.

The travel tripod is compact tripod weighs just a few ounces, plus there's a Bluetooth remote control included for selfies. With a reasonable price point, the package is great value for all you get.

If you want to capture selfies while traveling solo, this travel tripod is an excellent choice. It comes with a Bluetooth remote and doubles as a selfie stick that extends to an impressive 5 feet.

Other highlights include 180-degree neck rotation and 360-degree head rotation for more versatile shooting, plus there's an attachment for digital or DSLR cameras in addition to its universal smartphone holder.

This selfie stick is as lightweight and compact as they come, allowing you to easily take photographs of yourself and your travel companions. It’s designed to hold smartphones, including popular iPhone, Android, and Samsung models, and it extends to 40 inches for good wide-angle shots. It also comes with a small tripod base and Bluetooth remote.

Keep in mind that this selfie stick is designed for smartphones only, not a heavy DSLR camera.

Capture stunning video footage while traveling with this tripod, which extends to nearly 5 feet and offers 360-degree panning for incredibly smooth images, thanks to its fluid video head. It also supports cameras up to 8.8 pounds.

Other top features include lever-style leg locks for faster setup, as well as a leveling ball joint to ensure perfect horizontal alignment on uneven ground. It has a removable pan bar and two camera adapters, and there's a carrying case included.

This travel tripod is your best bet for backroad adventures. Constructed of lightweight carbon fiber, it weights less than 3 pounds and easily converts to a monopod for nature photography. Plus, it comes with a durable carrying case.

Other highlights include five-section legs with twist locks, a 360-degree ball head, and three leg-angle stops for better stability on uneven terrain. Its 90-degree column mechanism allows you to shoot from ground level or directly overhead, and there's a spring-loaded hook on the tripod's bottom to hang it.

Most tripods have a maximum height around 60 inches (5 feet), but this one extends to 69 inches, allowing you to capture those high-angle shots. The tripod weighs just over 3 pounds, and it has a high, 22-pound maximum weight capacity.

The aluminum-alloy tripod features a 360-degree ball head for panoramic shooting, and one of its legs can be removed to convert it to a monopod. Its inverted central axis allows for low-angle shooting, as well.