Glide Gear TST 12 12-Foot Tripod Stand Air-Cushioned Telescoping Sections Heavy-Duty Aluminum Construction Adjustable Height for Photography Videography

I use the tripod to take sports videos. The height that this tripod can reach is excellent, which results in nice aerial view videos if there are no high stadium stands at the field. Typically, I don't use the maximum reach of the tripod because I keep the clamping knob for the bottom 5' section unscrewed. That lets me rotate the tripod tower freely to track the game action. I still get probably up to about 17'-18' feet (5' per section x 3 sections, plus the height from the unfolded tripod legs). The tripod is easy to set up and easy to take down. The sections are air cushioned when the clamps are unscrewed to collapse the tower. That way, the sections collapse slowly, rather than telescope back down full force. I've used the tripod in winds up to about 30 mph. There was some sway of the vertical tower from the wind. I opened up the tripod legs to make a very wide base and the unit seemed steady (I weighed it down with about 10 lbs at the base and kept my hand on the tower just in case). Technically, I think that this tripod can reach up to around 24 feet, not the 20 feet advertised. There are four 5' sections, giving a 20' tall tower. The tripod legs when deployed add more height, varying maybe from about 2'-3' high (if you have the legs spread wide) to maybe 4' if the legs have a narrow stance. I use an old ski bag to carry the tripod. Update: I recently used the tower during a very rainy game. The telescoping sections retained a fair amount of moisture when collapsed. I saw noticeable water on the tubes the next weekend when I used the tower again. I also saw that the screw threads for the clamps were a bit rusted. So, it's probably a good idea to wipe down/dry the tower after using it in the rain. I also noted that one of the Allen head set screws that holds the very top section to the tower had loosened and when I pulled that section upward to extend it, the entire tube separated. I didn't have an Allen wrench with me to tighten the set screw, so I depended on gravity and friction to keep that top section in place while videoing the game. The set screw is re-tightened now and everything seems good to go. Read more

The tripod itself is exactly what was described and seems exactly what was needed. The problem is that the adapter and the stability kit were both missing. I contacted the seller via their support website and via phone and in neither case was my communication responded to. I wouldn't purchase from these guys again. The other pain in the ass is the top spigot stud is not standard so I couldn't use any of my existing ones. Not a deal killer but a pain. Pick up your support process please. Read more

I purchased a Pix4Team unit to automatically record soccer matches and since the Veo-branded tripods are $200 more expensive, I thought I would give this tripod a try. I am glad I did, because I have been impressed with it. The thickness of aluminum is slightly less, so at full extension it wobbles a little more than the Veo stand, but I learned to counter this by not fully extending each section, but rather leave about 2-3 inches in each section to increase the stability. Also, the built-in feature which slowly descends each section is awesome! The Veo stand just drops quickly and often pinches fingers. The only thing the Veo stand has going for it is the hole at the bottom of the tripod feet which allows for you to use metal stakes. Since we are often on turf, that doesn't help out and I use sandbags full of pea gravel for weight. I read on another review to buy a snow ski bag to carry this around, and that was a genius idea. In addition to this tripod, here is what I purchased to round out my setup. Convert 1/4" Male Thread to 3/8" Male Thread for Camera: $5.60 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XDJ2PV1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Sandbags with plastic liners (great to prevent moisture from soaking your bags): $20.99 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XCP8XJQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Ski bag with boot bag to carry tripod and camera: $35.98 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001JP0NJS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Read more

Update: I have increased to 4 stars. I reached out to Glide Gear through their website and they immediately shipped out a replacement part. Thanks for the great customer service! Overall this is a very nice tripod for the price. It is almost impossible to find anything in the 20' range that doesn't cost twice as much. It would have been nicer if it had an adjustable leg to more easily secure it on uneven ground. My only other complaint is that the cardboard box this thing comes in is just too flimsy which can result in damage during shipping. Mine arrived in one piece for the most part with the exception of the piece at the top with the threads to attach a camera. The threads are damaged and the little plastic cap that was supposed to protect them was found floating around in the box. I'm surprised it didn't come out of one of the holes in the cardboard. Either way, I can't really use it until I find a replacement as I can't attach what I need to it. I have contacted Glide Gear for a replacement part as it just doesn't seem logical to send the whole thing back. Depending on how they respond will determine if I drop the rating to 2 Stars or increase it to 4 stars. Read more

Love love love... ended up buying a more flexible rotating mount and still need to get a remote, but this records VB games so no conversations are captured. Read more