Best way to hike with a tripod

[vrkaya]

I actually use my carbon fiber tripod as my hiking stick Just extend one of the legs to the correct length and works pretty good for me.... canyons, woods, and so on.....

[nokk]

for extended hiking i have a platypod knockoff.  it can sit on a rock, get strapped to a tree or whatever.  it's got a standard ball head on top.  i wish there was more clearance between the plate and the ball head, but it's much easier to carry than a tripod so i can ignore the little annoyances.  an L bracket on the camera makes it possible to shoot vertical shots.

if i have to take a tripod i usually strap it underneath my backpack, with the head on my right and the feet to my left.  i've tried to carry it upright on the back of the bag, but it pulls backwards too much and that's just hard to carry.