One of the first things I learned when I started getting serious about becoming a decent outdoor and nature photographer is that I absolutely needed a tripod. So I got one. It wasn’t the right one, I quickly learned.

I got tips from my photography instructor and did a little research and bought my first real tripod (a Bogen 3221). This was a little over 30 years ago. I still have that tripod. And one of the first things I learned about owning and using a tripod was to put some cushioning material on the outside of the upper part of legs. This does a few things: it protects the legs, it cushions the legs when carrying the tripod over your shoulder, and it offers some level of insulation from a cold metal (or carbon fiber) tripod on cold mornings. The level of insulation depends on what you wrap the legs with.

Some people used electrical tape. Most were using pipe insulation that was either simply slipped on, or they taped it on. Several companies were making tripod leg covers that zipped on the legs, but I wasn’t really interested in paying so much for something I could do myself.

I started with pipe insulation. I liked the cushioning and the insulation. What I didn’t like is that it didn’t give me a good grip on the tripod. So I used electrical tape and taped it up really good on the top, middle, and bottom of the insulation. That worked well enough; at least it stopped the insulation from slipping around.

But I moved on from pipe insulation when I got my first Gitzo tripod (this was an aluminum tripod in the days before carbon fiber tripods). I don’t recall if I saw it on someone else’s tripod or if it was some brilliant idea of my own, but I decided on using bicycle handlebar tape instead. And not just regular tape. I tried the cushioned cork tape that gives the rider a grip even when sweating.

And that’s what I’ve been using ever since. It gives me a great grip on the tripod, doesn’t unnecessarily bulk up the legs, offers enough cushioning and acts as great insulation.

I recently received a new Vector tripod from Colorado Tripod Co. (that’s a story in itself) and I needed to cover my new legs.

If you go to a bicycle shop or REI, you can find this kind of tape, though it’s gotten expensive at specialty stores. For my newest tripod, I found some on Amazon for less than half the price of what a similar tape was going to cost at REI. And remember, you don’t need any super high performance racing tape, you’re just covering your tripod legs. The tape comes two rolls to a package so you’ll need to buy two packages.

Installation was easy. I start at the bottom end of the leg and wrap it upwards. The tape I got has a narrow strip of adhesive tape on the back. It’s not a strong adhesive and seems meant only to help keep the tape in place while wrapping.

Depending on the length of the top tripod leg section, you may wish to start part-way up. With the circumference of the outer leg sections of my new Vector tripod, and the length of the tape, I figured  it would cover about 15 inches, so I started about 15 ½ inches from the top of the legs. Worked great.

Begin wrapping at a bit of an angle so the tape will spiral up the leg and overlap each turn by about 1/8-1/4 inch, keeping the tape tight as you go.

You could finish off the wrap at each end using the included finishing tape, but I found there wasn’t enough. Electrical tape works, but is a little too slippery and shiny for me so I prefer gaffer’s tape.

I’ve found that after a few years, the tape can start to slip. The tape on my Gitzo needs some tightening so that will be my next project. But all in all, I really like how the tape works and looks.