Vista by Davis & Sanford Connex Quick Connect Lightweight 4-Section Aluminum Tripod

The Connex Quick Connect Lightweight 4-Section Aluminum Tripod from Vista by Davis & Sanford is an ultra-portable camera support that snaps together quickly and folds down to a little 15" package. The design of its aluminum legs will be familiar to any camper: release the two locking straps, and the leg sections unfurl and quickly snap together like modern tent poles.

Such a design fosters an extremely speedy setup, which is crucial for capturing those blink-and-you'll-miss-them moments that are half the reason we make trips in the first place. Travelers will love not only the easy, lightning-fast setup of the Connex, but also its light weight – at only 8 oz, you'll barely noticed it's strapped to the outside of your backpack.

The 44" tall tripod offers a few mounting options. At the top of the ball head is a 1/4"-20 screw for attaching just about any point & shoot, DSLR, or video camera. (The Connex supports loads up to 3 lb.) The single-lever aluminum ball head also features a 90° tilt mode for switching from landscape to portrait orientation. In addition, the Connex comes with an adjustable camera phone adapter that cradles your phone and allows you to mount the resulting assembly to the head's standard screw.