Leki Aergon Photo Adapter

Useful little gizmo for photographer/hikers that adds utility to your hiking pole.

We have two sets of Leki hiking poles and I picked up one of these little photo-adapters to allow me to mount a camera to the top of one of the poles. The instructions are in pictogram form and very simple. It took about a minute to take apart the top of one of my grips and reinstall the new part that converts the pole into a camera mount, and that time included opening the packaging ;-)

There are actually two parts to this little bit of kit. One part is a new top for your trekking/hiking pole that includes a threaded brass socket. You remove the top cap of your pole (with the included tool that is oddly shaped like an airplane) and replace it with the new camera cap. Thoughtfully they also include a plug that keeps the threaded brass socket clean, and it is attached and cannot be lost.

The other part is an adapter that threads into the bottom of your camera AND into the top of the hiking pole. If there is any concern at all, it is losing this adapter. Best advice may be to simply attach it to your camera and leave it there so it doesn't get lost.

Great little adapter, high price, like all LEKI products, but it certainly allows for more utility and extended use of your hiking poles.

I had some difficulty installing the photo adapter because the tool provided is too flimsy to remove the pin that secures the top of the grip.  I resorted to using a small screwdriver to push the pin out so I could replace the standard grip top with the photo adapter top. 

Other than that the photo adapter works as advertised, but only if you can get the pole to stand by itself. It will work in soft dirt, sand, snow and rocky places where you can wedge the pole in. It's fine for point and shoot digital cameras but I would not put the weight of an SLR on it. If you do you might just end up wishing you hadn't. 

Lastly, the camera mount section that screws into the pole is small and could easily be lost so you need to keep it in a secure place. I like this photo adapter for its convenience but I still carry a lightweight Monfrotto tripod in my pack.