Amy,



I've seen a number of birders carrying their tripod mounted scopes using any
of several tripod carriers, especially on the several hour, 2-4 mile weekly
walks at Nisqually NWR. Checking out features, I found the following list of
vendors:

Tri-pak <http://wanderingtattler.com/tripak1.html> , aka Wandering Tattler
tri-pak ($45-48) - apparently designed & imported thru a couple based in San
Francisco who seem to have vanished. Apparently they allowed any number of
other vendors to rename their product. Seems adequate. There may be a few
vendors with remaining inventory but warranty is dubious.

Vortex Glaspak
<http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-glasspak-tripod-carrier> ($40)
-designed by and imported for Vortex, allegedly at the behest of other
distributors to replace non responding Tri-pak vendor. Comes with 3 year
warranty, but I couldn't get more than 1-4 uses out of one then another of
these before the shoulder straps started becoming unstitched from the top of
the pack...POOR quality construction but otherwise quite similar to Tri-pak,
except olive green rather than black. Others I know have had issues with
this product. Fortunately Vortex customer service is very easy to work with.

Scopac <http://www.scopac.co.uk/> - made in England. I have no experience
with this nor ever seen one.

Mulepack <http://www.cleyspy.co.uk/the-mulepack-c41.html> - made by Cley
Spy, also in England. At first I was put off by the sizeable expense to buy
here in USA ($110 approx) due to currency exchange and shipping expenses.
After returning 2 Vortex Glaspaks, this became the "do or die" alternative.
VERY well made and works VERY well for the several months I've had this and
used frequently. The Mulepack comes with a detachable shoulder bag that
clips on to the tripod carrier (tripod's center column side) with a Velcro
base on the lower back. Can be worn attached to tripod carrier OR carried
separately. Good for snacks, cell phone, gloves, and misc junk one never
seems to have enough space for. Additionally has a separate pouch and
adjustable hold down for a water bottle. Google/Bing for additional info and
images. I wear mine while also carrying binoculars on an OpTech harness
without any interference between the two. Check out the 2 videos at the
Mulepack link furnished, especially the 2nd video. Pricier but highly
recommended..so far!



Best of luck!



Russ