Water, Sand, Gravel and Mud's influence on a Carbon Tripod

[lorens_christian_asmussen]

<p>Since April this year I am the happy owner of the excellent carbon fibre tripod Gitzo GT 3531S, which I use for my Hasselblad 503 CW.<br>

So far I have used the tripod in and out of doors on tiles, tarmac, grass and hard, dry soil.<br>

I am considering using it in the middle of a local stream with a riverbed of gravel, sand and occationally mud.<br>

Another environmentally hostile location is the nearby coast with sand and saltwater.<br>

I suppose that the leg joints are the critical areas, which should be kept clean and unexposed?<br>

Please share your experiences and subsequent advice on the use and abuse of carbon tripods in nature?</p>

[david_lei]

<p>A Gitzo carbon fiber tripod can take a decent amount of abuse. I've used mine in plenty wet conditions before. As you say, it's best not to get water or sediment into the locking joints as those would then have to be cleaned and re-lubricated. If you're very concerned about the potential for damage, you could wrap each leg in a garbage bag. Seems unnecessary though and if you were dealing with that much water, I'd be more concerned about the Hasselbald getting soaked. Also, Gitzo recently released a tripod line designed for use in water, if I'm not mistaken.</p>

[ulrik]

<p>I would leave my Gitzo at home and use a wooden Berlebach tripod in sandy salt water.<br>

Ulrik</p>

[Glenn McCreery]

<p>I have used tripods in similar circumstances, mostly my old trusty aluminum Tiltall. What I do before collapsing the legs is to wash dirty legs and joints with clean fresh water or rub with clean snow. If there is any binding then unscrew the slip joint and clean it and the leg. If you go to the beach it might be a good idea to bring along a jug of fresh water for cleaning. I understand that tripod legs that are built like U-shaped channels and use external clamps are less prone to jamming from dirt, although I do not own one.</p>

[donbright]

<p>I did this with mud exposure, and dirt, but when home I took the legs apart and cleaned them. It's a lot of work to clean collar threads, and slip joints. Or I should say it's tedious work, but kind of fun.</p>

[ndnbrunei]

<p>When I used my Gitzo carbon fibre tripod in a salt water lagoon with a muddy floor, I wrapped the legs in heavy duty garbage bags and taped the bags in place being careful to exclude the air from the bags (I didn't want the tripod and my camera to float away!) The tripod is actually worth more than the humble Rolleicord it supports. An interesting tripod designed to be used in water is made by Benbo (a British company) and is based on the design for a machine gun tripod. It is very versitile but unfortunately it is heavy.</p>

[sheldonnalos]

<p>I've used my Gitzo 1325 carbon fiber tripod in salt water and sand many, many times, including getting it buried in sand and immersed in salt water. It does just fine. Just disassemble it and clean it with tap water at the end of the day, relubricate the joints when necessary. I had to replace the bushings after several years, cost about $60 for the parts from the distributor. Still going strong!</p>

<p>Here's a shot where I drove the legs into the sand, abandoned the tripod and camera to the waves (about 18 inches deep) and retrieved it once the waves receded a minute or so later.</p>

<p><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2636/4174867479_06a0623d1e_z.jpg?zz=1" alt="" width="640" height="385" /></p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>When using a Gitzo in sand or mud, always extend the bottom leg so that the joint doesn't get dirty. If dirt or sand sticks to the leg, wipe it of with whatever is available, your hand if necessary, so that big chunks don't get into the joint. The joint is actually rather tight, and is mostly self-cleaning when you collapse the tripod. Most of the time, you can hose the legs down with fresh water, and it will be as good as new.</p>

<p>Salt water will eventually corrode the aluminum fittings. It won't affect the CF or bushings. Rinse everything with fresh water at the end of the day, and you'll be fine.</p>

<p>If you get sand in the threads of the joint, it gets gritty and hard to turn, but mostly works they way it should. At some point, you have to take the joints apart, clean the threads with mineral spirits (keep it off of the bushings, they might swell), and relube the threads with a thin layer of white grease. I use mil-spec TW25b, which doesn't stiffen in cold weather.</p>

[dumitru_dabija1]

<p>I'm very happy with my Gitzo carbon tripod specifically because it can handle very well harsh environments - sand, mud, sea salt, etc<br>

In many occasions I would shoot having the tripod legs in sand or in the ocean.</p>

<p>There's a very useful tutorial on how to clean Gitzo tripods on RRS website - <a href="http://reallyrightstuff.com/websiteinfo.aspx?fc=150">http://reallyrightstuff.com/websiteinfo.aspx?fc=150</a></p>

<p>Follow those guidelines once you get home from the trip and you should be fine</p>

[bob_cook]

<p>I use my Gitzo carbon fiber in mountain streams in the Smokey Mtns each year. Sitting in sand and gravel. I've never taken it apart or cleaned it in any way. Just keeps working. I guess if it was saltwater I'be be more concerned about the aluminum components, and probably rinse with fresh water.</p>

[Troll]

<p>"Seal" the joints by wrapping them in a couple of layers of duct tape (wide mailing tape, etc).</p>

[lorens_christian_asmussen]

<p>Thank you very much all of you for sharing valuable experiences.</p>