Renowned photo safari leader and Really Right Stuff user Andy Biggs approached us a few years ago about developing an adaptable support system he could recommend to his clients. Thus began our quest to design safari gear that will deliver unsurpassed long lens support in a demanding African safari environment. Our gear combines the mobility of a monopod with the stability of a tripod while maintaining a compact and lightweight setup in a vehicle. The Andy Biggs Safari Rig consists of multiple components that can be used separately or in combination.
Using custom quick release mechanisms, the monopod easily detaches from the vehicle when you need to roam and allows you to return to the vehicle and your former setup effortlessly. The Ultimate Rig consists of a Monopod, Safari Monopod Collar, two Safari Clamps & Ball Clamps, our TA-2-LC Series 2 Leveling Base, and PG-02 LLR side-mount Pano-Gimbal head with TH-DVTL dovetail plate.
Ultimate Safari Rig Components:
- MC-34: Our MC-34 carbon fiber monopod is the perfect base for our modular safari components.
- Safari Monopod Collar: Monopod Clamp securely collars the top tube of the MC-34 monopod. Three tapped holes accept Safari Ball Clamps.
- Safari Ball Clamp: Safari Ball Clamps resemble our BH-25 in size & design. Their ability to pan and articulate allows for both height and angle adjustments; secure your monopod practically anywhere.
- Safari Clamp: Safari Clamp is extremely rugged and highly versatile. Intended to secure heavy gear to the vertical or horizontal rail in a safari vehicle, the Safari Clamp will just as easily grasp non-uniform supports like branches, posts, and table tops.
- TA-2-LC: A leveling base on a monopod might sound odd, but a rigid monopod is unable to make even minor leveling adjustments in response to changing terrain. Our TA-2-LC leveling base with quick-release clamp mounted to your monopod will deliver ±15° of float; rapid locking mechanism makes quick adjustments fast and smooth. The lever-release clamp on top of the leveling base makes it fast and easy to swap your Pano-Gimbal head from your monopod to your tripod.
- TH-DVTL: Our round TH-DVTL dovetail plate fits the base of our PG-02 and BH-55 heads. This custom quick-release plate mounted on the bottom of your tripod head allows you to easily use one tripod with multiple heads.
- PG-02 LLR: Our patent-pending Pano-Gimbal head is the perfect head for a safari. It is an extremely robust and smooth side-gimbal head with your biggest telephotos. It can also be used a 360° panorama head with any camera/lens combination by just adding a nodal slide. With the included TH-DVTL plate, it is fast and easy to swap this head between your monopod and your tripod.
Safari Gear User Guide