Using Manfrotto 055XPROB at the beach, Need suggestions

I have the same tripod, what would be good to polish it with car wax? also what would be good to lubricate it with

One suggestion nobody has made is how to make the tripod stable on sand.

You simply cannot put a tripod onto sand and expect it to be like on hard ground. However, you can make up three pads from plywood or something else hard and handy (maybe even three thick Frisbees, for example) to lay on the sand and then put the tripod legs on. This will also keep a lot of the sand out of the tripod's legs.

Wind-blown salt water should not be the least bit of problem if you rinse it off soon after leaving the beach.

Trash bags would be bulky and really funky looking!

I suggested umbrella bags because they are much slimmer (still, about 6" diam, measuring the set which I snagged for myself once)

Since you do not immerse your tripod in salt water, I think a fresh water rinse and wipe down with a towel would suffice to keep the tripod in good condition. I didn't want to throw the fear of the wrath of G*d in you, but I wanted to provide the realities of anodized aluminum on a boat used in salt water environment...even with care, salt water is harsh, even salt mist.

wouldn't ben_r_'s solution work
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=855352

Skip, thanks for that tip. I hadn't thought about that.

Wilt, where can I find those bags you're talking about? Do they come in black? Thanks.

Net_tech, only problem I see with that setup is that you can't adjust the height when using those right?

If I were you I would spray a bit of WD40 on about six inches from the bottom of each leg before I start the day. I would also carry a small paint brush from a hardware store to gently brush off any sand before pushing the legs in.
I regularly use my tripod on thick sticky mud. It's spick and span. I use plain water to clean.

net_tech wrote in post #12090529
wouldn't ben_r_'s solution work
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=855352

Ha! This is EXACTLY what lead me to make my own solution for situations such as these. I couldnt find anything on the market to protect from environmental circumstances such as these. Especially for people who arent in them often enough to justify spending a more on a CF tripod and just need the added protection every once in a while. Thats when I started making my own solution

Ben, if I needed to shorten the legs would I be able to use your solution? Or would I need to cut shorter pieces separately for that?

DigiNon wrote in post #12091199
Ben, if I needed to shorten the legs would I be able to use your solution? Or would I need to cut shorter pieces separately for that?

Depends on how short you want to use them. You can actually fold the plastic leg covers into themselves or over themselves (imagine like a sock) but that will at most get you half the over all length. Or, if you know you will never need them to be any long than X length, you could just permanently cut them shorter. Say for example if you knew youd never be in anything deeper than 1 foot of water or 10 inches of sand, etc.

ben_r_ wrote in post #12091232
Depends on how short you want to use them. You can actually fold the plastic leg covers into themselves or over themselves (imagine like a sock) but that will at most get you half the over all length. Or, if you know you will never need them to be any long than X length, you could just permanently cut them shorter. Say for example if you knew youd never be in anything deeper than 1 foot of water or 10 inches of sand, etc.

or... ben can make a custom plastic leg covers for 055XPROB with square holes cut out for lock access

Max length I would need is about 25". How much would you charge for a set of 25" long pieces?

DigiNon wrote in post #12091299
Max length I would need is about 25". How much would you charge for a set of 25" long pieces?

? Price of materials and time involved is about the same regardless of length. So it's still be the same price of $10 shipped. PM me if interested.

net_tech wrote in post #12091314
How much commission do I make from this sale?

lol how much of the almost $3 profit after shipping would you like for commission exactly?

net_tech wrote in post #12091261
or... ben can make a custom plastic leg covers for 055XPROB with square holes cut out for lock access

Problem with that would be that they would only be water proof up to that first cut out.

DigiNon wrote in post #12087291
Marcy, some of my main concerns are will the legs eventually start to rust or anything similar? And how would I go about cleaning inside the legs? Or should I just not shorten the legs until I clean them?

Aluminum does not rust, however, it does corrode.

The legs do come apart on the 055's with minimal hand tools and a few minutes of your time. Rinse everything well with fresh water and finish off with compressed air(if available), otherwise, just dry it off with a towel and let it finish air drying.

The biggest thing is to not let it sit with dried salt on it for long periods of time. A day or so is fine but make sure you don't pack it away for weeks or longer and forget to wash it off.

I wouldn't bother with those gimmicky(IMO) plastic bags on the legs. In even mild surf, you're going to get plenty of splash elsewhere...not to mention, if you tear a hole in the bag(very easy to do BTW), it renders them useless.

Just remember to wash it off and it will be fine. (advice coming from a longtime salty sea fisherman\photographer​)

DigiNon wrote in post #12091299
Max length I would need is about 25". How much would you charge for a set of 25" long pieces?

How much commission do I get from this sale?

SkipD wrote in post #12089186
You simply cannot put a tripod onto sand and expect it to be like on hard ground. However, you can make up three pads from plywood or something else hard and handy (maybe even three thick Frisbees, for example) to lay on the sand and then put the tripod legs on. .

Or you can find commercially available tripod shoes, like these

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …230_3255_All_We​ather.html