TrailSeeker Tripod for Spotting Scopes, Binoculars & Cameras

I live near a large lake, and a spotting scope is necessary if one wants to identify waterfowl over miles of open water. This is my third tripod, and each of them has operated differently. My scope is a straight-through type rather than the ones with angled eyepieces. So I need a tall scope. The Celestron Regal fits my needs well with several inches to spare--the center post doesn't need to extend fully. I wasn't sure what a "fluid pan head" was, but I've been very pleased to learn that it makes scoping very easy. Once the adjustment knobs for pan and tilt are loosened a bit, I can scan as much as I want with no further knob adjustments. (The adjustment bar is used only for panning--doesn't tighten or loosen anything, and it doesn't need to.) Once my hands are removed, the scope remains pointed where I last looked. And the balance rail helps in my case. My scope is heavier toward the rear, and my last scope required tightening when I took a break from scoping in order to prevent the scope from tilting toward the sky. So on the Celestron I loosened the balance rail, and moved the scope forward in order to balance it a lot better. For the past two days I've scoped for waterfowl in pretty strong winds. The scope wobbled a bit with hands off but one hand on the adjustment bar and the other resting either on my scope or the tripod steadied the scope enough to identify ducks quite a ways out, an ability I didn't have with previous tripods. The scope is a bit heavier than others I've owned, but I think that helps make it more stable so I don't mind. The quality is top notch especially given its price range. A nice feature I discovered: if the adjustment knobs are in the way of anything, they can be pulled outward and rotated to a more convenient position. That's definitely not required, but is a very nice touch that the folks at Celestron added to this tripod. Highly recommended.

Since Orion and Meade are both out of business Celestron makes a good tripod which supports my 20 x 200 binoculars. No issues with balance or toppling over. Parallelogram mounts are too expensive.

Purchased the tripod for use with Celestron spotting scope as well as with a standard 35 mm DSLR camera. I needed a tripod that's sturdy enough to support the large scope, but also economical. I think this scope fits the need. It has a good height for both applications. When opened fully, its sturdy enough to support the large scope. The tilt and pan head functions smoothly and is capable of locking in place. Head components are mainly plastic. The crank handle that adjusts height seems flimsy and I'll need to be careful not to snap it. There can be some very slight movement in the tripod head when locked, but this can be managed with some careful setup. Since the head unit threads onto the tripod base, it can un-screw itself when panned counterclockwise, leading to some wobbling. I have tried to tighten the connection as much as possible and this has helped. If it loosens again I will try to tape the connection. The quick release plate is very handy. It's larger than quick release plates on many other scopes, and I think this helps with the mounting of the large scope. I wanted 2 plates so that one could be mounted to each device (camera and scope), facilitating quick changes. Because its larger, its very difficult to find and purchase a spare plate that fits this tripod. I have contacted Celestron customer service and they have been very responsive and offered to provide a spare plate for $15. It's apparently necessary to special request this item, as it doesn't appear as a spare part on their website, or anywhere else online. Finally, a caution regarding online purchase of this tripod. Amazon ships it in the original manufacturers box with no overwrap. Mine arrived damaged. Inside the box, the tripod is packaged in its carry case in a thin plastic bag, there's no styrofoam packing. My box arrived with a hole in it and the carry case had 3-4 small holes in it where the tripod wore through it from movement during shipping. The tripod itself wasn't damaged, only the case. Since Amazon return process is so easy, I attempted to return/replace the tripod, however the replacement was damaged during shipping so severely that it was returned to sender by the Fedex and never delivered to me. I ended up keeping the original with the holes in the case because I needed it for a trip and couldn't wait for another attempt at replacement. Overall his is a nice tripod for the money, but I wish Celestron packaged it better so that it could survive shipping without damage.

Just came today (on time) and I unpacked and assembled it (had to attach the Pan-Tilt handle). Excellent tripod, very stable with my Celestron Regal 100 ED spotter in top, fits like a glove and I'm not sure if I need the 100 ED balance rail at all.... Fit and finish is excellent, adjustments are excellent and the fluid pan and til is extremely smooth and very adjustable. The only downside is, it'a a tad heavy, but then so is the Regal 100 ED. The tripod and spotter together weigh just under 11 pounds or about as much as a full on long range rifle. A comparable Carbon Fiber tripod kit with the weight capacity to handle a big spotter like the Regal 100 ED would cost you upwards of 350 bucks. The regal Tripod kit is actually a very good deal. Comes with a nicely made case and shoulder strap plus adjustment hex keys (not sure I need them), everything seems quite well adjusted. One thing that's not mentioned anywhere is you can flip the center column over and spread the legs and use the head upside down in a prone position. Nice feature for shooting on a shooting mat. No having to stand up to use a spotter. Never posted a review on the Regal 100 ED but it's suffice to say, it's also a bargain. I also own a Vortex 80mm spotter and the Regal is every bit as good, or better than the Vortex at a much better price point. The Regal Tripod Kit and the regal 100 ED is a hard to beat combination for medium to long range spotting, bird watching and spying on the neighbors....lol

Just under a year since purchase, the legs suddenly jammed after a night out in the desert. I was never really able to get them moving freely again, no matter how much I cleaned/reassembled it. It's a shame, since it was otherwise a pretty great tripod with a nice fluid pan head and it held my Celestron SkyMaster 8x56 binoculars steady and stable.

Buon treppiede solido, stabile, una garanzia Celestron insomma, si presenta lineare nei suoi movimenti con una testa di buona fattura. La costruzione ed i materiali sono di buona qualità, è leggero ma robusto, ha un facile sistema di sgancio rapido con sicurezza senza rischiare di far cadere il cannocchiale. Io lo uso per il mio Celestron C90 Mak e si comporta bene, stabile, si può bloccare il pan scansionando in modo lineare l'orizzonte mantenendo fissa l'altezza che può essere regolata con un'altra manopolina, ha i piedi gommati e svitabili come nella foto postata con punta d'acciaio per terreni morbidi. Regolabile il movimento della testa da più fluido a più burroso, buona custodia da trasporto con un taschino interno dove sono presenti le chiavi per stringere le giunture, buona anche la tracolla. L'estensione dei piedi è ottima e regolabile su ogni tipo di terreno non livellato, ha la bolla livellatrice e la testa può essere anche capovolta, una specifica davvero non scontata questa, molto particolare; ha anche un gancetto per renderlo ancora più stabile appendendo un peso. Tirando le somme è un ottimo prodotto, mi trovo bene nel suo uso semplice e quasi quotidiano, non mostra criticità quindi lo consiglio.

Not Sturdy with not nice weight

Dobry statyw, z dobrą, płynną regulacją. Mój poprzedni statyw nawet po dokręceniu śrub regulacyjnych i tak opuszczał lunetę o te pół centymetra czy centymetr, co sprawiało że obraz na lunecie również bardzo uciekał. Trzeba było brać dużą poprawkę na to, że nawet jeśli zakręci się śruby, to luneta i tak opadnie, bo statyw jej nie trzymał. Ze statywem Celestrona tak nie ma. Zakręcam pokrętła i trzyma sztywno lunetę, żaden obraz nie ucieka. Używam potężnej lunety SVBony 406 i daje radę. Po zamontowaniu obciążenia, na pewno będzie spisywał się jeszcze lepiej.

Love everything about it!