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Peak Design to Donate First Round of Travel Tripod Profits to Charity

The Kickstarter darling tripod is now available to purchase directly from Peak Design—all profits from the first four days of sales will be donated to relief funds to aid the battle against COVID-19 and climate change.

Jim Fisher
 & Jim Fisher Principal Writer, Cameras

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The Peak Design Travel Tripod was introduced to the world via Kickstarter last year, garnering enough pre-orders to outpace its funding goals 24 times over. But if you're not one of the 25,000-odd photographers who snatched up a pre-order, you won't be left out in the cold.

Peak is opening up pre-orders for the tripod, but at the full price of $349.95 for an aluminum version and $599.95 for the carbon fiber version we reviewed. It's also showing some good will—through April 10, it is donating all profits from tripod sales to relief funds. This applies to sales directly from Peak's online store, as well as to sales from other retail channels.

The donations are going to the CDC Foundation to bolster the fight against the COVID-19 virus, an immediate threat, and to Climate Neutral, an organization working against the longer-looming threat of climate change. It's not a sudden decision; Peak is a Certified B Corp, a mark earned by a commitment to sustainability and carbon neutrality. 


Peak Design Travel Tripod Peak Design Travel Tripod

While many of us aren't traveling at the moment, a good tripod can be used at or close to home too. Peak's take on the concept is a good one—it's small enough to fit inside many camera bags when closed down, and doesn't require you to reverse the legs and adjust the center column for storage, like you do with competitors like the Gitzo Traveler series.

It wowed me enough to make it our Editors' Choice pick when I reviewed it last month. If you're shopping for a new tripod, it's worth your consideration, even if you'll be using it around the house for a duration.

If you've already pre-ordered, shipments are set to start today as well.

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About Our Expert

Jim Fisher

Jim Fisher

Principal Writer, Cameras

My Experience

Images, and the devices that capture them, are my focus. I've covered cameras at PCMag for the past 14 years, which has given me a front row seat for the changeover from DSLRs to mirrorless cameras, the smartphone camera revolution, and the emergence of drones for aerial imaging. I have extensive experience with every major mirrorless and SLR system, and am also comfortable using point-and-shoot and action cameras. 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.

The Technology I Use

I use all of the major camera systems on a regular basis, swapping between Canon, Fujifilm, L-Mount, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon, and Sony systems. I still find time to use Leica M rangefinders and Pentax SLRs on occasion, too. I keep an iPhone 13 in my pocket for the rare occasions I'm not carrying a camera.

I'm not a brand-specific photographer. For product review photos, I swap between a Canon EOS R5 and a Sony a7R IV. I use Flashpoint and Godox TTL lights and Peak Design tripods, and I most often reach for a Think Tank or Peak Design backpack to carry equipment.

When it comes to computers, I'm an unapologetic Mac person and have been for the past 20 years. I write in Pages and use Numbers for spreadsheets. I currently swap between an Intel i9 MacBook Pro and an Apple Silicon Mac Studio for writing and use a calibrated BenQ 32.5-inch with the Studio for photo and video editing. I rely on a LaCie 6big RAID for media storage. I also keep a PC around for gaming, but please don't tell my Macs about it; they'll get jealous.

I split time between several different software apps depending on the type of editing I'm doing. For Raw image processing, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic is my standard. I pair it with a LoupeDeck CT console to supplement my keyboard and trackpad, and I lean on RNI All Films 5 presets when I want to give an image a film look. I use Apple Final Cut Pro for video editing.

My first digital camera was the Canon PowerShot Elph S200, and my first DSLR was the Pentax *ist DL. I have a soft spot for antique film gear. I still use a 1950 vintage Rolleiflex Automat TLR and love trying mid-century Leica lenses on film and digital alike. I mainly use whatever's in front of me for review for digital snaps, but I pick up either my Leica M Typ 240 or Pentax K-3 III Monochrome when I want to step away from review work. In my downtime, I enjoy bird watching, reading, video games, and both good and bad movies, especially in the sci-fi and horror genres.

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