CT-3441T Rapid 4-Section Carbon Fiber Traveler Tripod, 57.48" Max Height

I've had this tripod for several years, and it has worked great for me. It's lightweight and easy to carry, but it has proved strong enough to support a Really Right Stuff gimbal head, a Canon 1DX, and a Canon 200-400mm lens. I've hiked with it on Alaska's Katmai Coast to photograph grizzly bears, and it met every need. I replaced the long center column with the Feisol CC-2707 short center column because heavy camera equipment is not as stable on extended center columns. Plus, then enables me to set the tripod only a few inches above the ground with the legs folded straight out. Even with the center column unextended, this tripod is tall enough for me to shoot comfortably -- I'm almost 6'4" tall, and I have no problem bending a bit to look through the camera viewfinder. Plus, it folds up small enough to easily fit inside my carryon bag. It's not the sturdiest or most stable tripod available, but it's sturdy enough for photographing wildlife with a long, heavy lens. If you need a rock-solid $1,000 tripod, you won't be satisfied with this one. But it you want a compact, lightweight, strong travel tripod, this one will meet your needs. Feisol also has good customer service. I got trapped in a sucking-sand tideflat once in Katmai NP when I was carrying my camera and tripod, and I slammed the tripod sideways into the dirty wet sand as I caught my fall. I rinsed the tripod off in the ocean to get the worst of the grit off, and the tripod still worked fine the rest of the day -- although I could hear the sand scratching and grinding as I adjusted the legs. When I got back to the lodge, I disassembled the tripod and rinsed everything off with fresh water. When I reassembled the tripod, I noticed that I had lost one of the inner plastic rings for one of the leg segments. The tripod still worked OK, but I contacted Feisol when I got back home, and they mailed me some replacement rings free of charge. Now everything's back to working great again.

This was my first travel-style carbon fiber tripod, and it may be all that I'll ever need. It folds down compactly, and the reversible legs allows you to hide the ballhead between the legs. Just make sure that the ballhead you plan to use can fit snuggly in between the legs. Otherwise, the legs will splay out too much, rendering the tripod less compact. With the center column fully extended, the tripod is at a decent height. I personally use the center column often and find it to be necessary. Out of the box, the legs are a little bit loose. However, that's a pretty easy fix. If you get this tripod, I also think it's worth it to get the version with the anti-twist (AKA rapid leg locks). It makes extending and folding up the tripod a breeze. With the anti-twist, the tripod becomes very intuitive to use. Obviously, this tripod doesn't come cheap, but you do get what you pay for.

These legs are nicely designed and well constructed. I believe they would hold twice the weight Fesiol specifies. Consider getting this longer leg version. A tripod can always be shortened, but...... I've had occasion to use a number of CF's, and this one is as strong and functional as any I've seen, and in a traveler size. If I manage to take proper care, it may be the last one I need. Mate it to the CB-40 head, along with their camera plates, as they have a safety feature other brands will not work with. So far, this combination is working well for me. Feisol is a small company and has excellent US support.

Perfect travel tripod. Light, compact to fit in small luggage, tall enough for me (5'10") without full center neck extension. Carbon-fiber strength and quality at great price.

Super lightweight and tall. Pretty happy with it. I chose this over a Gitzo , Induro and Benro.

Quick: I love my tripod which is equipped with an Arca Swiss Z1 ballhead and handles my Nikon D7000 excellently. I carried it around Bali for 2 weeks and highly recommend this tripod as an affordable alternative to the astronomically priced Gitzo's. Long: I put in a lot of time comparing tripods and wound up with this after handling some Manfrotto, Benro, and Gitzo alternatives. Feisol the company is a breeze to deal with. They quickly offered to replaced the included tripod bag after it developed a tear in the strap. The twist-lock joints are easy to manipulate and allow you to quickly set-up and shoot. Only once have I managed to overtwist and separate a joint at the twist-locks. It took me a few minuted to figure out how to reassemble and then all was fine. After doing so, I am confident I could disassemble and remove sand should it ever get into the locks though I'm sure they don't recommend it. I found stability to be fine and have had great results with long exposure shots(+5sec), even when taken at 140mm. I've found the weight to be tremendous for portability though I am not using the most weight-friendly ballhead. I would recommend considering a lighter head if you plan on hiking and carrying the tripod around with you often. Another consideration is that, though the size and weight are highly portable, if you plan on fitting your tripod into a backpack side pocket, this tripod's geometry may only allow you to fit a leg into the mesh. If you are using a really big lens you will probably find the tallest geometry a tad unstable though all other arrangements are robust. All said and done, I've been very pleased with this tripod and highly recommend it. Excellent value. I fully expect to see Feisol become a well known brand in the near future given the quality I've experienced. FEISOL Travel Rapid Tripod CT-3441T

If you're a 6'4" photographer and tired of lugging your favorite Gitzo or RRS on hikes, you've got two options— the RSS TQC-14, or the Feisol C3442T. They're both great tripods, but only the Feisol will never require you to crane the over your camera. With its ingenious hinge system, it fits an extra section into the same, airline- overhead-friendly, 18.9" length. It's slightly steeper in its angle, and so probably a bit less stable, but it's more than enough for me. NOTE: it works well with the Really Right Stuff BH-30 ballhead, but make sure you specify the COMPACT CLAMP version. I tried the BH-40 with full sized clamp and unfortunately it forced the legs out too far. Stick with the RRS BH-30 with compact clamp and you'll be a happy hiker.