We all hate schlepping around a big tripod. Now a company in Santa Cruz, CA called Joby has created a mobile, flexible solution. The Gorillapod is super light (45 grams), super cheap ($22), compact, portable, bendable, grippable and super smart with flexible legs that can wrap around poles, trees and fences, or just stand on its own.
The name was coined because the tripod’s legs are prehensile, like a monkey’s tail. “We thought of using the name Monkeypod, but that sounded kind of funny,” said co-founder Ken Minn. “And we thought a gorilla was the coolest monkey in the family — although technically gorillas don’t have tails and don’t hang from trees.” So the name is a non-sequitor, but it’s still pretty cool.