Tripod padding: Heres a great source if you are looking

I have recently been in the market for some suitable replacement padding for my Gitzo aluminum tripod. I decided that I wanted to replace my pipe foam with something a bit more pleasing to the eye (at least to me anyway).
There are plenty of people who will just use pipe wrap and thats great, but if you are looking for a suitable material that fits and looks like it was installed at the factory, I have a great source.
I searched extensively for 1.25 diameter padding for my Gitzo 341 but didnt come up with many options. I had seen this company in my searches and finally decided to send them an email.
I emailed Grab On Grips here in my home state of Washington. They do all kinds of grips and padding.
I sent an information request and the next day I received a reply from a gentleman named Marty. He decided to send me some samples to see if the material he selected was what I wanted.
About a week later I received the package of sample material and since they were the correct length for me (12") I installed them.
They were relatively easy to install and once attached they fit really tight without any slippage.
I think he said they were about 9 bucks each.
I am in no way affiliated with this company. I liked the product and thought I would pass the info along to save time in finding a vendor for this material.

Heres the link:

http://www.grabongrips.com/

Size and or Part number I used was 43/01/12.00" L/.225W.

Before:
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x...7/IMG_0270.jpg


And after:
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x...7/IMG_0271.jpg



http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x...7/IMG_0272.jpg

Craig,

Interesting. Can you describe the material? How much does it weigh?

Roger

it says on their website that the minimum order for the tubing is 55 bucks, so did they say you could order 3 pieces for 27?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rnclark

Craig,

Interesting. Can you describe the material? How much does it weigh?

Roger

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Hey Roger.
The material is a soft foam type material. I guess easiest to say its like a motorcycle handlebar type thing.
Its also very light. I have no real way of estimating weight but doesnt weigh much.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jamie Strickland

it says on their website that the minimum order for the tubing is 55 bucks, so did they say you could order 3 pieces for 27?

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Hi Jamie.
Ya know I need to find out about that.
I am not going to say until I ask Marty. My impression was that you can order what you need and pay for what you need only.
I did not get the feeling that you have to order a large quantity to fulfill the requirements.
I will email him and repost when I get an answer.

Thanks Craig !!! Should be great for cold weather !!

Have you had it in the field yet? How was it on your shoulder?

Just a tip on installing them given they're like handle bar grips...use an air compressor to shoot air under them as you put them on or pull them off your tripod. This works amazing well for handlebar grips so I"m sure it will work for this type of thing.