Vortex Radian Carbon Tripod with Leveling Head and Ball Head

The Vortex Carbon Radian Tripod on the left has the Ball Head and the one on the right has the Leveling Head.
The Vortex Carbon Radian Tripod on the left has the Ball Head and the one on the right has the Leveling Head.

U.S.A.-(AmmoLand.com)- Upon opening the box on the Vortex Radian Carbon Tripod, I right away identified this as the most detailed, precise tripod that I had ever handled. Wow, it is light years ahead of any of my other tripods. The first thing that you will notice upon pulling it out of the box is that it is stoutly built. The legs are 1 3/8” thick. It is heavy-duty.

Vortex Radian Carbon Tripod with Leveling Head and Ball Head

Another big factor is that it is built to be interchangeable along with a lot of your other accessories. With the flip of a switch and the push of a button, you can interchange between the Vortex Leveling Head or the Vortex Ball Head. With the ball head, the tripod can go from 7.3-inches up to 57.3-inches tall. The Leveling head can go 7.8-inches up to 64.3-inches tall. Vortex also has a Pan Head which I have not tested out yet.

The legs have three screw out adjustment features but at the top of the legs by the head are three-angle pivots. With all of these adjustments in conjunction with all of the angles and switching of head positions, you can obtain almost any angle that you so desire. You long-range shooters will like this feature. On top of the leg and on the head are levels. The plate that comes with the head can be removed with the flip of a switch and the push of a button and the base should dovetail in fine with a majority of your other attachments.

The feet of the legs are interchangeable giving you two options. You can use the rubber boot feet or in less than one minute you can unscrew and remove the rubber boot and screw-in metal spikes. Your choice. This is a nice feature if you’re using the tripod on varying surfaces, which we do encounter in the outdoors.

The Vortex Radian Carbon Tripod (and you decide which head you like, the Leveling Head or the Ball Head) can be used on a multitude of our outdoor activities. Here are a few that I identified right fast.

  1. Long-range shooting
  2. Hunting (although it would be to heavy to lug around in the mountains).
  3. Glassing with a spotting scope
  4. Glassing with a set of binoculars
  5. Use it for photography work

The two aforementioned heads both have a counterweight hook that of course protrudes out of the bottom. You can hang a weight on the hook if you want to stabilize your set-up. The heads are as stout as the tripod itself. The Ball Head can hold up to 55 lbs. and the Leveling Head can hold up to 44 lbs.

Both tripods come with a nice canvas case. The MSRP on the VORTEX RADIAN CARBON TRIPOD LEVELING + HEAD is $1,099.99 and as is usual, we will close with the specs.

Vortex Radian Carbon Tripod Specs:

  • Build on a solid foundation with +/- 15 degrees of leveling capability and the tools to quickly and accurately find and hold your angle with total confidence.
  • 44 lbs. Max Load Perfect for large binoculars, spotting scopes, and rifles.
  • Carbon Fiber Leg Construction Perfect combination of strength and lightweight build.
  • Arca-Swiss Head Mount Compatibility across a broad range of mounting options.
  • 3-Angle Leg Pivot Locks Position each leg individually for multiple heights and easy, secure setup.
  • Counterweight Hook Holds extra weight on the bottom of the center column for greater stability in windy conditions.
  • Twist Leg Locks Valued for rapid adjustment of leg height and reduced bulk.
  • Rubber Feet Provide solid footing on slick surfaces.
  • Spiked Feet Included spiked feet ensure a non-slip grip.

About Tom Claycomb

Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoor writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening #ad for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”

Tom Claycomb

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Beobear

As opposed to the carbon fiber tripod I just bought for a bit over $100. Does pretty much every single thing listed that the Vortex does but it’s so light you could very easily use it for hunting. The carbon fiber on mine isn’t as thick but that’s what makes it so packable.

Time will tell how well it holds up but others I’ve heard from say theirs has held up fine for years of hard use. Either way, $110 vs $1100…..

Cruiser

Some fool will buy it, my “mamma didn’t raise no fool.”