Clampette is a tool for photographers I have first seen in Ansel Adams Gallery, which is located in Yosemite Valley. I was quite puzzled by seeing a C clamp in the display case of a camera store.
The next day, I saw it in a mountain climbers store in the same valley. This time I took a closer look and immediately realized its usefullness: The clampette is a C clamp with a tripod screw attached on an anti-slip swivel head.
The clampette allows the photographer to mount his camera just about anywhere: on a seat of a car, on tha back of a chair, on a backpack, on a bicycle, anywhere. It even has soft pads for clamping glass.
Unlike a regular tripod, the clampette is small enough to slip inside your pocket. It is made out of light-weight aluminum, so you will not tire any faster just because you are walking with the clampette in your pocket.
According to the packing slip, the clampette is manufactured by High Sierra Mfg. Co., Midpines, CA 95345 - I am mentioning this because I have not seen it in "ordinary" camera stores, so if you are a photographer and cannot find the clampette locally, you may want to write them.
I paid $7.75 for it - a lot less than any tripod costs.