MeFOTO WalkAbout Air Monopod - Lightweight Aluminum Travel Tripod with 360° Ball Head, Compact & Portable for DSLR Cameras (Red) - Perfect for Travel, Vlogging, and Outdoor Photography

I so wanted this tripod to work because I love the weight, folded length, and color! I'd had a MeFoto Roadtrip classic that I liked when I was shooting a DSLR system but didn't love the multiple twist legs. I thought this one with the bottom leg locks would be perfect for my smaller mirrorless system. In reality, I found the locking mechanism to be unpredictable despite my care in using the locks. I watched videos of others using it to ensure I was doing it correctly. Without my camera, the tripod was typically fine - occasionally a leg would collapse but I attributed it to user error. When I put my Fuji Xt2 and 23mm prime, it was like a circus act trying to keep the legs tightened. I used it on carpet because I figured that would mimic surfaces like sand. I suspect when I moved the camera on the ball head, the tension on the legs was enough to unlock them. I kept going from leg to leg to re-tighten them, then they would collapse again as I moved the camera. Two of the legs in particular were prone to this. I ended up sending this back before testing it in the field. (I was a little nervous about the stability in a situation where my camera wouldn't be falling onto soft carpet!) I decided instead to go with the MeFoto Backpacker classic. I really wanted something this size and weight but was concerned that the out-of-production Daytrip would be too short with a maximum of 24" height. I really hope MeFoto can sort out the functionality of this design out because it's such a sweet spot in weight and cosmetic appearance!I love almost everything about this. It's relatively small and light, yet does everything most people need from a basic tripod. Given how small it folds down to, it's relatively fast and easy to set up and take down. I need that, and it delivers. That it fits in any backpack easily is amazing. All of the adjustments you need are available and very easy/quick to make. It even has a cell phone adaptor included (with its own pouch in the bag!) and a hook for a hold-down weight. It also converts to a monopod / selfie stick. There's little it can't do. You'll never get a truly smooth pan head in something this size, but I've actually managed some decent pans with this. My only real complaint is that it's difficult to get all parts of the legs fully locked. Every so often, a leg segment starts to slowly slide down and I have to stop my shoot to tighten it. It's quick and easy to tighten, and doesn't happen super often, but it's still annoying.I HATE this godforsaken tripod. To all the Wired magazine and whoever else reviewed this garbage tripod and gave it thumbs up, you should be fired. It is not a usable, practical, or functional tripod. It fails in every possible category, except that it is light.This dumb tripod is literally not a practical or usable piece of equipment. I purchased so I could take on my trip to Norway to photograph the Northern Lights. I know, first world problem to have that I get to photograph that beautiful phenomenon and my biggest gripe is a crappy tripod, but, when you figure having a tripod is literally a REQUIREMENT to photograph the lights, then you can imagine why I hate this tripod so much. I literally couldn’t use it, so basically none of my photos turned out. I got better results trying to hold my iPhone and hope for the best, than trying to gently push the picture button on my actual camera. Because when is push a button, you guessed it, a leg would jiggle and down comes the stupid tripod again.The half turn to “lock” in the legs DOES NOT STAY. Once you get one leg to stay out, another has inevitably loosened and collapsed. It was like a clown car, except it wasn’t funny.When you’re in nature, and a breeze goes by, this stupid tripod would wiggle ever so slightly and a leg would drop. There were all the other people with their clunkier but usable tripods, then there was me. F’ing around trying to get the dumb legs and swivel to simply stay put. But no, that was not in my cards. It basically ruined my north we lights photos. Do yourselves a favor, buy a better tripod.I hate this awful tripod so much, I’m not even bothering to take it home with me.My kit is a EOS-M5 w/Tamron 10-25mm Lens. Total weight is a little under 3 pounds. The Road Trip is rated to handle up to 13 pounds and advertised great for landscape and long exposures. I have used it with the legs fully expended and the center shaft extended and here are my findings.On the plus side it is very light weight and easy to carry on the backpack.On the negative side.I find that the twist lock is not that reliable. The 1st time I extended the legs and twisted them, put the camera on it, one of the legs slowly started to collapse inside. At 1st I Thought it was a user error, but have found that it happens more often than I would care for it to happen.Since it is so light weight that when fully extended and doing long exposures and if there is a slight wind blowing will cause camera shake. Not good for long exposure. Also if you are going to walk away from the camera, you will need to add weight to the center to keep the camera from blowing over, I use my camera bag that adds another 6 pounds to the load to the tripod. When this happens it accentuates the legs slowly collapsing.Lastly when you extended the center column to it's fullest, adds a tad much flexibility to the center column IMO.Keep in mind most of the use is extending the legs fully so I can frame the shot. Have not used it in any other configuration yet.The colour of choice for my daughter and perhaps black might be more "professional; but it is PURPLE and at only £61.52 a lot cheaper than all the over colours at around £120 (at the time of writing June 2018, green is £83 over £20 cheaper than the other colours).At 1194g it is heavier than I would like as a daily carry whilst trekking, but at 154cm fully extended remains far more stable than the lighter and smaller tripods I have. I am not sure I have a use for the selfie stick - by removing one of the legs - but the remote for a mobile phone and the included mount for one are nice extras to have. If travelling with carry on only it is large, shorter than the Slik 500g but wider and deeper. the 500g Velbon VTP-815 is a dwarf in comparison.This feels and handles like a quality tripod. The twist and lock of the legs is positive and I have had no problems with making sure it is tight. I do prefer the lever locking but the MeFoto emulates that of the Slik 500g, and the 180cm tall Slik video tripod just as effectively.Check out the reviews on YouTube. Even at the £120 plus this is a good choice of tripod. Watch out for the changing prices on Amazon and try to get your colour choice at a lower price.I bought this to be able to take photos using this tripod in the shortest time. This is the fastest tripod I've used and ideal for my purpose. I have both Manfrotto and Gitzo travel tripods and only disadvantage, I find, is the speed of setting it up. The build quality is good and sturdy enough for my lightweight cameras.I loved this tripod since I first saw it and thought this is exactly what I've been looking for.However.It has a minor flaw: the top head hasn't been designed very well. It always moves (rotates) and can't be locked - because of bad design.I will be returning this item but also will be waiting for the next generation of this product where all issues are resolved because it is a good quality product and I do really like the locks - they make it really fast to operate the tripod. That bit is absolutely fantastic.***to be fair, this shouldn't pose a problem for smaller, non-DSLR cameras. My DSLR (Nikon D7100 and Sigma 18-35mm F1.8) is about 4kg (MeFOTO states this product has been designed for cameras up to 6KG - I disagree with that after using the product) and as I said earlier this is causing the top unable to lock... I would buy (and will consider in the future) for another (smaller) camera setup though...Waiting for the next release and then will certainly buy (assuming that all problems are resolved).It is much shorter and lighter than all the tripods that extend to 5 feet.Its sturdiness is good enough for light weight cameras like P&S and Micro 4/3. A heavier camera needs something sturdier.The hyperlocks are the quickest mechanism to extend or retrieve the legs. Just be careful that the locks are fully secured.It would be perfect if it could convert to a monopod and come with a replaceable head.This is the worst tripod I’ve ever owned. The legs do not lock properly and many times one leg has collapsed causing the tripod to tip over. I stuck with this tripod for several months but not any more. I bought because it was small and portable (which it is) but it just doesn’t work properly. It’s probably too late now for me to get a refund, but I advise everyone else to avoid this product. Get a tripod with quick lock legs rather than screw lock.