Help your shoulders when carrying a tripod for under $3

Many photographers keep their cameras on a tripod while walking around looking for great subjects to capture. I do it too and my shoulders are often in a lot of pain afterwards. There is a simple solution that Op/tech designed called Op/tech 1.25″ Tripod Leg Wraps. These are neoprene pads with adhesive backing to stick to tripod legs. At over $20 for a set of 3 pads it can save you some pain. Recently I went on a search for some padding to save me the $20.

My first stop was Michael’s where I found 9×12 black sheets of foam with adhesive backing.  The sheets were thin but when wrapped around itself would add some nice padding for my shoulders.  These sheets were $0.66 each.  At under $3 for three  it is worth a shot!

When I got home I peeled the backing and wrapped the foam around 2 legs.  A few minutes later they started to peel off of themselves.  The adhesive is definitely strong enough to stick to a tripod leg but not to itself.  My solution was a little bit of a black gaffers tape!  Bingo! Now my tripod legs are padded and for under $3.  They are holding strong and more comfortable then a bare tripod leg.  I’m sure neoprene would be better but if you are not one to spend that kind of money and/or like doing things yourself then give the foam padding a try.

Good luck and thanks for reading!

Scott