I’ve Used Peak Design’s Travel Tripod for 5 Years, But Its Pro Series Is About to Become My New Go-To

It’s been five long years since Peak Design entered the tripod market with its innovative, lightweight Travel Tripod. Despite launching at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Travel Tripod proved successful, enough for Peak to double down and develop a Pro Tripod in three sizes: the compact Pro Lite, the standard Pro, and the appropriately named Pro Tall. All three are available for preorder via Kickstarter today, and I’ve had a brief opportunity to try all three, with more extensive testing to come.

Peak Design Pro Tall, Pro, and Pro Lite in closed positions (Credit: Jim Fisher)

The Peak Design Pro Lite is priced at $799.95, the Pro at $899.95, and the Pro Tall at $999.95. There are two discount tiers for Kickstarter orders. Impatient photographers can opt for a 9% discount versus retail with product delivery in October. Creators who are willing to wait can grab a bigger discount (23 to 27%, depending on the version) by waiting until February 2026. As for general retail availability, Peak is targeting a November 2025 launch.

The Pro Series: Heftier and More Stable Than the Travel Tripod

The Pro series uses the same design language as the original Travel Tripod, but all are larger, heavier, and taller. That makes sense as they are made for general use, not specifically to squeeze tightly into a carry-on. Even so, the Pros pack tighter than most other tripods due to their polygonal legs and sculpted center column, and use carbon fiber to come in at a reasonable carry weight. The Pro Lite comes in at 3.7 pounds, the Pro at 4.2 pounds, and the Tall at 4.5 pounds, compared with 2.8 pounds for the carbon fiber Travel Tripod.

The Pro Lite and Pro are pretty close in size, as there’s only a half-inch difference packed, and a couple of inches at maximum height. The Pro Tall is tall; with the center column raised, it goes up to 77.7 inches, or nearly a foot taller than the regular Pro. All versions of the Pro use 4-section legs secured with a set of three flip locks. I prefer them to the twist locks found on some other tripods—I sometimes use a Gitzo Traveler that is incredibly stable and light, but a pain to deploy because its legs use twist locks.

Peak Design Pro Tall, Pro, and Pro Lite fully extended (Credit: Peak Design)

The ball head sits below the pan axis, a small design detail that landscape photographers and video specialists should appreciate. It makes it easier to set up the tripod for multi-shot panoramic images and video. It’s not included, but Peak is offering a video head add-on for the Pro series. It clamps right into the ball head and includes a telescoping handle plus a knob to set tension for its tilt axis.

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Based on Initial Pro Series Testing, I’m Impressed

I’ve used the Travel Tripod as my main tool for location work, camera lab tests, and product photography for the past five years. I’ve found it to be a reliable tool for all, and rarely think twice about bringing it out for photos when I know I’ll have long exposure opportunities. It has its quirks, including a skinny center column that wobbles enough that I try to avoid using it whenever possible, and a divisive twist ring to set the ball head in place. Peak had to make some design compromises to achieve the Travel Tripod’s small and light build, and I’ve grown to live with them.

The concave, three-sided center column is more stable than skinny aluminum center column Peak uses for its Travel Tripod (Credit: Jim Fisher)

All three Pro models have a carbon fiber center column with three concave sides, a more stable design that I plan to field test. The ball head is more spacious too, offering enough room to put a bubble level off to the side so your camera won’t block it, and it adds a fluid pan motion with adjustable drag. You’ll still loosen or tighten the ball head with the ring, but it’s tall enough to manipulate comfortably, and has knurled ridges so you can find it by touch.

I’m especially impressed with the Pro head, which seems like a grown-up version of the Travel Tripod’s. Its tension ring is taller and easier to manipulate, and it’s less finicky when being adjusted to a vertical position. The Arca-Swiss clamp is beefier too, so it is easier to find by touch, and adds a discrete lock switch so there’s no chance of opening it by accident and dislodging your camera.

Credit: Jim Fisher (The Pro ball head supports fluid pans and Arca Swiss quick release plates)

I’m already eying the Pro Lite as an at-home and around-town tripod. I have a few good travel tripods around, but am still using a 20-year-old aluminum Manfrotto with a pan-tilt head when a travel model isn’t up to the job. I like that the Pro Lite isn’t that much heavier than Peak’s Travel Tripod, but is more comfortable to operate and sturdier to boot. I’ll have to do some more testing to decide, though, as the Peak Pro Tripod series is priced in line with other premium options like the Gitzo Traveler Series 1 ($747.95) and the Really Right Stuff Versa ($1,140).

Check back soon for a thorough review here at PCMag. I hope to publish one before presales end, but my initial advice is that Peak Travel Tripod owners who want something similar, but larger and more capable, should give the Pro Tripod line a close look.

About Jim Fisher

Lead Analyst, Cameras

Images, and the devices that capture them, are my focus. I’ve covered cameras at PCMag for the past 13 years, which has given me a front row seat for the DSLR to mirrorless transition, the smartphone camera revolution, and the mainstream adoption of drones for aerial imaging. I have extensive experience with every major mirrorless and SLR system. As a Part 107 Certified drone pilot, I’m licensed to fly unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for commercial and editorial purposes, and am knowledgeable about federal rules and regulations regarding drones. You can find me on Instagram @jamespfisher.

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