Travistello.

Side-by-side / Research assessment

Travel tripods compared

Compare two researched travel tripods on published folded length, working height, weight, and rated load, and on the figures each manufacturer leaves out.

Products
2
Score model
Travel tripod model 1.0
Research
Official sources

The short answer

Does it fit in the bag, and how high does it really go?

The Ulanzi folds 102 mm shorter and publishes its height with the centre column both down and raised, which is the figure that decides stiffness. The SmallRig costs roughly half and publishes the stronger leg rating, but quotes one height range and no plate standard. Neither has been load-tested by Travistello, and a published rating is not measured stability.

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Decision matrix

Height, packed size, and what each one refuses to publish.

Standouts are calculated from the products you are viewing. Ties, missing values, and prices in different currencies receive no winner. More capacity or output is a specification advantage, not a promise that a product is better for everyone.

Showing the complete researched set. Select any two to narrow it.

Decision factor
Ulanzi Zero Y lightweight travel tripod with Arca-Swiss ball head, official product view
UlanziUlanzi Zero Y Travel Tripod 3028
SmallRig Portable Carbon Fiber Tripod, official product view
SmallRigSmallRig Portable Carbon Fiber Tripod
MaterialOne is full carbon fibre, the other a carbon and aluminium hybrid.Ulanzi Zero Y Travel Tripod 3028Carbon Fiber+Aluminum AlloySmallRig Portable Carbon Fiber TripodCarbon Fiber
Folded lengthThis is what decides whether the tripod travels inside the bag or strapped to it.Ulanzi Zero Y Travel Tripod 3028Standout423 mmSmallRig Portable Carbon Fiber Tripod525 mm
Weight70 g apart, which is not the difference that decides this.Ulanzi Zero Y Travel Tripod 3028Standout1.1 kgSmallRig Portable Carbon Fiber Tripod1.17 kg
Maximum heightSmallRig publishes one range. Ulanzi publishes the raised figure separately.Ulanzi Zero Y Travel Tripod 30281567 mm raisedSmallRig Portable Carbon Fiber Tripod50.0-160.0cm / 19.7-63.0in
Height with the centre column downThe stiffest configuration, and the one only Ulanzi publishes.Ulanzi Zero Y Travel Tripod 30281327 mmSmallRig Portable Carbon Fiber TripodNot stated
Minimum heightSmallRig's 50 cm floor comes from its single published range.Ulanzi Zero Y Travel Tripod 3028153 mmSmallRig Portable Carbon Fiber TripodNot stated
HeadA ball head frames stills faster; a fluid head pans video more smoothly.Ulanzi Zero Y Travel Tripod 3028Integrated Arca-Swiss ball head, not detachableSmallRig Portable Carbon Fiber TripodFluid head with an approximately 3 kg counterbalance
Head maximum loadA manufacturer rating, not a measured stability result.Ulanzi Zero Y Travel Tripod 30285 kgSmallRig Portable Carbon Fiber Tripod5 kg
Leg or centre column ratingThe two figures are not the same measurement and are not directly comparable.Ulanzi Zero Y Travel Tripod 302818 kgSmallRig Portable Carbon Fiber Tripod12 kg
Arca-Swiss plate standardSmallRig publishes no plate standard, so third-party plates cannot be assumed to fit.Ulanzi Zero Y Travel Tripod 3028YesSmallRig Portable Carbon Fiber TripodNot stated
Ownership protectionUlanzi's page states two terms that do not agree with each other.Ulanzi Zero Y Travel Tripod 3028The page publishes a four year warranty badge and separately describes a lifetime guarantee. Both are recorded as published; they do not agree.SmallRig Portable Carbon Fiber TripodTwo year warranty, with 30 day returns stated on the product page.
Observed official priceChecked on each official European store on 2 September 2026.Ulanzi Zero Y Travel Tripod 3028EUR 298.28SmallRig Portable Carbon Fiber TripodEUR 146.90

Written analysis

Ulanzi Zero Y 3028 vs SmallRig carbon fibre tripod

Mouaad Sekkouri, Founder and researcher

The real difference

One publishes the height that decides stiffness. The other does not.

Ulanzi publishes its maximum height twice, once with the centre column raised and once with it down, plus a minimum. The column-down figure is the one that matters, because a raised centre column is the least rigid way to gain height and it is the configuration most manufacturers quote when they want a bigger number. SmallRig publishes a single working range instead, so the figure that decides real stability is not stated. That is not a small difference in disclosure; it is the difference between a specification you can plan around and one you cannot.

What separates them

  1. 01

    Packed length

    The Ulanzi folds 102 mm shorter, which is the difference between fitting inside a cabin backpack and strapping to the outside of one.

  2. 02

    Weight

    70 g apart. This is not the difference that should decide it.

  3. 03

    Rated load

    SmallRig publishes the stronger leg rating. Both figures are manufacturer ratings, not measured stability, and neither says anything about behaviour in wind at full extension.

  4. 04

    Plate standard

    Ulanzi publishes Arca-Swiss, so third-party plates and L-brackets fit. SmallRig publishes no plate standard, so compatibility cannot be assumed.

  5. 05

    Head type

    A ball head frames stills faster. A fluid head pans video more smoothly. This is a use-case split, not a quality ranking.

The honest limit

A load rating is not a stability measurement.

Every support figure in this comparison is a number the manufacturer printed. Real steadiness depends on wind, how far the legs are extended, what they are standing on, and technique, and none of that has been tested. Damping, lock feel, and head smoothness are hands-on judgments and carry no score here.