Tripod Condoms

[Michael Pancier]

Saw these mentioned in artie's bulletin and a photographer I know recently used them on a trip with James. Interesting idea. where can I get them asap for this weekend?

[Robert Amoruso]

Call up James, he has them.

[David Kennedy]

Are they supposed to be one-use only (disposable)? I already suggested to Artie that "tripod condom" isn't necessarily the best name for a product, but if they're supposed to be multi-use, then it's definitely a misnomer.

[Rod Wiley]

There really called Drypods.I've started production on them this week. James and Art have been testing different versions and we now have two models. The Deluxe for the extreme shooters that use heavy gear in rough areas and the Weekender for the casual shooter. They are portable and simple to use. There made of a special blend of plastics to be tough and still flexible. The boot at the bottom has several layers of different woven polyethylene to help to protect the sleeve from puncturing
I'm not sure where the word Condom startedbut it is kinda what they are. James may still have a few sets available. Rod

www.adayintheswamp.com (http://www.adayintheswamp.com)

[Alfred Forns]

HI Rod ready to get some as soon as you had them available

I used one form the original design at Estero for a couple of days and stayed dry !!!! Looking forward to the new ones !!!!

[Charles Glatzer]

We made and tested a similar product a few years ago. The new bushings w/ gitzo 6x tripods made the product unnecessary, as the new bushings do not absorb or swell from water. Rinsing the tripod well in fresh water after use in salt water is all that is necessary.

Best,

Chas

[Robert O'Toole]

We made and tested a similar product a few years ago. The new bushings w/ gitzo 6x tripods made the product unnecessary, as the new bushings do not absorb or swell from water. Rinsing the tripod well in fresh water after use in salt water is all that is necessary.


FYI:

I use the drypods and they work great, thanks Rod, they are a great time saver. I am able to shoot without having to disassemble my GT3530 after use. If you do use the tripod in deep salt water, you have to disassemble and drain once the tripod bottom section fills with any amount of salt water. Otherwise the tripod will corrode and the legs will loosen and FALL OFF.

In one IPT workshop last year three Gitzo CF tripods lost a leg. The Glue that holds the leg in place fails, yes on a $649 Gitzo tripod the legs are glued on :) To make things worse, once Gitzo finds corroision, your warranty is not honored.

I have been told that the "new-new" GT series have "better" glue, but I still wouldnt risk anything.

Robert

[David Kennedy]

...If you do use the tripod in deep salt water, you have to disassemble and drain once the tripod bottom section fills with any amount of salt water. Otherwise the tripod will corrode and the legs will loosen and FALL OFF...

Robert,
So with the new 6X's, do you still have to do the lithium grease trick on all of the screws? I've had my 3530 since last May but it's only been in a few inches of salt water, but I'm about to go to Fort DeSoto in another week where it will doubtless be in many feet of salt water...

[Robert O'Toole]

It would be a good idea. Extra grease will definitely not hurt and it will help keep out sand/dirt and water.

If you haven’t disassembled one before the white plastic guide shims are directional and have to line up with a ridge inside the leg when you reassemble. The procedure can be tricky the first time.

Robert

[David Kennedy]

Good to know. I already had the feet sealed up with a silicone aluminum & metal sealant from GE, but didn't appreciate that the 6x's would still benefit from the extra protection of the grease. Fortunately, we have some in the house for Dad's old 1325. I'll put it on my to-do list this week!

[Jim Fenton]

Is that the legs fill with water instantly when the joints are submerged...far more so than my old 1325 did.

[Robert Amoruso]

It would be a good idea. Extra grease will definitely not hurt and it will help keep out sand/dirt and water.

If you haven’t disassembled one before the white plastic guide shims are directional and have to line up with a ridge inside the leg when you reassemble. The procedure can be tricky the first time.

Robert

I would redefine tricky as downright a pain in the a-s-s.

[David Kennedy]

Well, I lithium-greased up the tripod. While I did pull out the lower sections just to check them, because the tripod has been on the beach on the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans and water has come up to the first screw/knob/whatever, they were clean on the inside, so I didn't feel compelled to disassemble any further. I just unscrewed the adjustment "knobs," greased up the threads, and re-screwed them. One advantage of having never been fully submerged...yet! But yes, Robert O. and Robert A. are right that sliding removed leg sections back in is a pain...

Jim, I think it's interesting that your experience with 6X is that they flood more quickly than the older Gitzo designs. I thought Gitzo touted that the design was more resistant....weirdness.

[Jim Fenton]

I'd rate the flooding as instant...and my leg lock rings are as tight as I can get the suckers.

[Robert O'Toole]

Used a new set of Drypods today and photographed morn and evening sesssions in deep salt water. Not a drop. Saved me another 20 min X 2 at least, thanks Rod and Froggy.

Very happy.

Robert

[Robert Amoruso]

They work good. I got a Beta set from James to try out.

[Alfred Forns]

Testing is over and the real thing will be shipping soon Two version The heavy duty should take a great deal of abuse in stride !!!!

[Robert O'Toole]

Yes true Alfred my new non-trial set is working well, I am very happy with them. They feel like the new version should work even better than the last pair.

Robert

[Alfred Forns]

Robert do you have the ones with the booties?

[Robert O'Toole]

No just the ones with the extra clear layer at the bottom, I think james was using a pair with the darker bottom heavy duty sections.

Robert

[David Kennedy]

They work good. I got a Beta set from James to try out.

"They work well." Sorry, the grammar cop inside of me couldn't resist :p

[Arthur Morris]

We made and tested a similar product a few years ago. The new bushings w/ gitzo 6x tripods made the product unnecessary, as the new bushings do not absorb or swell from water. Rinsing the tripod well in fresh water after use in salt water is all that is necessary. Best, Chas

With all due respect for Chas whose work and talent I admire greatly, if you forget to dis-assemble and rinse the legs once or twice after you have been in saltwater you might as well be flushing $650 (price increase coming quite soon) down the toilet bowl...

Those who do not know me may wish to call me a Drypod shill; they are free to immerse their 3530s in salt water and let me know how they do.

later and love, artie

[David Kennedy]

...if you forget to dis-assemble and rinse the legs once or twice after you have been in saltwater you might as well be flushing $650 (price increase coming quite soon) down the toilet bowl...

Artie,
I asked this of Robert earlier up the thread, and consequently applied it to the threads on my tripod, but is the lithium grease enough to keep out the salt water?

[Arthur Morris]

Hi David, I do not know... I have been using the Drypods with great success. I couldn't find them in my mess of a trunk the other day and just got finished rinsing and drying the legs... Not fun.

later and love to all, artie

[Jim Fenton]

I spoke with Gitzo the other day and they advised that the threads on the 6X leg locks are coarser than non ^X models and therefore will fill with water faster than pervious models....and this matched my observations perfectly.

Are the new leg condoms reuseable to any great extent?

[Arthur Morris]

I had an earlier version and used them at least ten times. One had a tiny pinhole leak almost from the beginning that never let in more than a drop or two of water. I am still using them. The two newer versions should be a great improvement as far as durability.

later and love, artie

[Michael Pancier]

I tried them with Darth last week. One of them developed a leak and a few inches of water got in; the others worked perfect.

I simply rinsed the pod in fresh water when I was finished as I do when I shoot at desoto and the tripod sits in 1-3 inches of mud.. should I take it apart and re-rinse it?

[Arthur Morris]

Michael, As long as you did not get any water above the first leg joint, a quick rinse should do it. No need to disassemble.

later and love, artie

[Rod Wiley]

My original version of the Drypod was made of 6 mil poly with a 6mil poly boot. I had sent several samples up to James and he systematically destroyed them all. Objects in the sand and mud were poking holes in the foot of the Drypod. That made me realize that off the shelf material was simply not going to work. I've contracted a company in Minnesota to extrude a special blend of poly that is nearly 10 mils thick. I've added a layer of woven poly between the sleeve and the boot. This layer is free to move between the boot and the sleeve to help deflect any intrusion that may get through the boot and protect the sleeve. I've added a sacrificial layer of woven poly to the outside of the boot to take the hit from parking lots and other abrasive surfaces. We can still roll them up and put them away for storage.The last reports from James test of the new Weekender Drypods was very good. He has used them for around 2 weeks with no problems. Some of the Drypods James has is still the very thin 6 mil. That's probably the ones you guys have been using. The new ones are around 36 mil on the end. As long as you don't put in a tripod leg with the rubber missing or the spikes out they will hold up very well. Some of the moisture inside the Drypod is condensation and won't hurt anything. All of my efforts has been to protect the sleeve material from outside intrusion. If I made the inside totally safe for any sharp tripod foot the cost and time to build them probably wouldn't be worth it. Most guys take good care of their tripods and when they lose a rubber foot they replace it anyway. My wife and I are in the process of building them now and Art is going to make them available on his web site and I think James will make them available here as well. Your feed back we be greatly appreciated and we will be implementing and testing your suggestions as we go along. I shot allot in the backwaters and along the coast here in Bonita Springs and use them all the time, so I'll get a chance to test all the new changes as they are made. Thanks R J Wiley

www.adayintheswamp.com (http://www.adayintheswamp.com)
www.rjwileyphoto.com (http://www.rjwileyphoto.com)

[Michael Pancier]

My original version of the Drypod was made of 6 mil poly with a 6mil poly boot. I had sent several samples up to James and he systematically destroyed them all. Objects in the sand and mud were poking holes in the foot of the Drypod. That made me realize that off the shelf material was simply not going to work. I've contracted a company in Minnesota to extrude a special blend of poly that is nearly 10 mils thick. I've added a layer of woven poly between the sleeve and the boot. This layer is free to move between the boot and the sleeve to help deflect any intrusion that may get through the boot and protect the sleeve. I've added a sacrificial layer of woven poly to the outside of the boot to take the hit from parking lots and other abrasive surfaces. We can still roll them up and put them away for storage.The last reports from James test of the new Weekender Drypods was very good. He has used them for around 2 weeks with no problems. Some of the Drypods James has is still the very thin 6 mil. That's probably the ones you guys have been using. The new ones are around 36 mil on the end. As long as you don't put in a tripod leg with the rubber missing or the spikes out they will hold up very well. Some of the moisture inside the Drypod is condensation and won't hurt anything. All of my efforts has been to protect the sleeve material from outside intrusion. If I made the inside totally safe for any sharp tripod foot the cost and time to build them probably wouldn't be worth it. Most guys take good care of their tripods and when they lose a rubber foot they replace it anyway. My wife and I are in the process of building them now and Art is going to make them available on his web site and I think James will make them available here as well. Your feed back we be greatly appreciated and we will be implementing and testing your suggestions as we go along. I shot allot in the backwaters and along the coast here in Bonita Springs and use them all the time, so I'll get a chance to test all the new changes as they are made. Thanks R J Wiley

www.adayintheswamp.com (http://www.adayintheswamp.com)
www.rjwileyphoto.com (http://www.rjwileyphoto.com)

RJ, I'm not sure which one James let me try out, but the only one that leaked was not via a hole on the bottom. It appears that the leak was above the foot. As I said, when I removed it, it had about 4" of water which was leeching on a pin hole about 4-5 inches from the top. We were shooting in soft mud. But otherwise, the product worked great and is something I will use extensively. I always feel uneasy about sticking an expensive tripod in salt water so I commend you on your idea.

[Rod Wiley]

Michael when I first started to develop the Drypod I tore them above the boot when I would put them in the truck and they would snag on a 2X4 I have in the bed and sometimes I would snag them on a mangrove tree. That's why I went to the 10 mil poly. When James had his other boat we would stack the tripods like cord wood and the bouncing around on the way out could snag the Drypod as well. James and I discussed making them thicker for this reason. In the package for the Weekender you will get 4 sleeves. The 4 th one will be a back up for you or a buddy. I did that because I hate equipment failure in the field. With the extra sleeve you can slip it on and keep on going. Your tripod may have gotten wet after a puncher but a least you won't be forced to leave it submerged the whole week end. I will say that most of the leaks are caused by faulty tripod feet, no rubber or spikes left out. Before you put the Weekenders on, just take your hand over the foot and clean off the sand and feel for a sharp spot. You can wrap it with a cloth or tape it, heck some guys just chop off a little plastic at the top of the sleeve and wrap that around the foot. As I put in the instructions " If you wouldn't set up your tripod on your wife's new hard wood floor, DON'T put them in a sleeve without covering them". I have a Gitzo G 1340 tripod and have never damaged a Drypod yet. What makes the Drypods unique is the fact they are portable and you can store them in your vest or a pocket. We also have the Deluxe unit for extreme shooters. It has a very tough nylon sleeve that slips over the Drypod sleeve to handle guys with real heavy gear shooting on rough surfaces like a rock jetty or coral. Rod

www.adayintheswamp.com (http://www.adayintheswamp.com)
www.rjwileyphoto.com (http://www.rjwileyphoto.com)

[James Shadle]

RJ, I'm not sure which one James let me try out, but the only one that leaked was not via a hole on the bottom. It appears that the leak was above the foot. As I said, when I removed it, it had about 4" of water which was leeching on a pin hole about 4-5 inches from the top. We were shooting in soft mud. But otherwise, the product worked great and is something I will use extensively. I always feel uneasy about sticking an expensive tripod in salt water so I commend you on your idea.


Mike,
You used the early beta versions. I had to beg Rod for them and promise to tell everyone who used ta set that they were just that. Early Beta, nothing like the finished product.

I have has the latest versions on my tripod for over 2 weeks, non-stop.
They are great!

James