First impressions:
These are my first impressions. Hopefully after using the tripod a few times in the field I will fine tune this review.
I had a hard time deciding between the Roadtrip and the larger heavier GlobeTrotter. In the end I bought the Roadtrip because it is one pound lighter and I have no camera or lenses that would, when combined, exceed the 17 pound plus capacity of the tripod. Not even close.
Materials and Construction-
The tripod seems well made. The controls for the ball head as well as the leg locks are wrapped in a soft material that makes the controls very pleasant to operate. Nothing about this tripod feels cheap. You can unlock each leg section five at a time quite easily. Try doing that with lever locks. I prefer the twist locks and these seem very nice. The level is a little small for my aging eyes. That’s about my only complaint on the materials. The ball head is very nicely made and machined. There is a tension control for panning and although this tripod is not designed for video, you could do an occasional pan quite smoothly. All if this is in a sub 4 pound package. Very nice!
Operation-
Very easy to open and setup. If you practice this, you can do it quite rapidly. After the wrap, the fun drops considerably, but the nice tiny package you end up with is well worth the small amount of work you put into collapsing this thing and putting it away. One or more have complained about the quick release plate not gripping a DSLR tight enough. I would suggest mounting the plate horizontally across the camera bottom. This has two advantages. First it covers more surface area and the grip is considerably better. If you tighten up the plate occasionally, your camera will stay put in the vertical position. At least mine (Nikon D7100) does. The other advantage is that you can see the tripod level, if your eyes are good enough. The tripod does vibrate a good bit. It is very light weight and this should be expected. Using the included self-retracting (spring loaded) hook and some weight would help with this as would something other than the shutter button to fire the camera off. If you want something a bit sturdier, get the GlobeTrotter. Get the carbon fiber version if you want to have the weight of the Roadtrip, but you are going to spend close to $400 on it. I've got a Bogen 3021 for my rock solid needs. I've also got a pickup truck to haul it around. I think the Roadtrip will suit me just fine.
Value-
Exceptional is the only word I have to describe the value of this tripod. Yes it is made in China, but those who think everything coming out of China is junk are fooling themselves. You usually get what you pay for, but in this case you are getting a tripod that could be sold by someone else for a lot more than you pay for it. The main reason why I picked this tripod was the great reviews at Amazon. The fact that there was a well-designed web site with contact numbers and addresses impressed me. I had a chance to try out their customer service a few days ago. The warranty for this thing is 3 years, but if you fill in the registration they give you an extra 2 years. This can all be done on their web site. The problem I had was I couldn't find a serial number on the tripod to put in the registration. Last Saturday, I emailed them and asked where it was. On Monday at 9:44 AM I received a reply and they told me where to look for it. That’s a .75 business hour response time. You don’t get much better than that. I feel confident that should I need a part or warranty service on this thing, I will be able to. By the way the serial number on my tripod was located at the top of the sticker on one of the legs in dark ink on a dark background. You have to look for it harder than I originally did.
Summary: So far I have only tested this thing in my home, but my impressions are very positive. I really don’t have anything negative to say about this tripod.
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From the manufacturer
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Sleek DesignWe were tired of the all black tripod, so we came up with something that's smaller, lighter, and doesn't weigh you down, topped off with a spritz of color. |
360-degree PanningAccurate panoramas can be easily orchestrated using the graduated panning scale for accurate image alignment. |
Supports up to 17.6 lbsWeighs just 3.6lb yet strong enough to support a full DSLR and telefoto lens |
Travel FriendlyThis little number folds down to a quarter of its extended size, making it small enough to fit in your carry-on, shoulder bag, or backpack |
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CompactThe tripod legs can be inverted and folded back 180° making it small enough to carry just about anywhere. |
Twist Lock Legs with Anti-Rotation SystemMeFOTO's innovative rubberized locking grips combined with anti-rotation legs enable fast and fumble-free set-up plus weather and dust-resistance. |
Also a MonopodWho says you can't teach a tripod new tricks? The RoadTrip tripod converts into a monopod. The removable leg and center column combine to make a full size monopod without tools. |
Carry Case includedEach MeFOTO comes with its own carrying case for transport and protection. |
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| MeFOTO BackPacker Classic | MeFOTO BackPacker S | MeFOTO RoadTripper Classic | MeFOTO RoadTripper S | MeFOTO GlobeTrotter Classic | MeFOTO GlobeTrotter S | |
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| Customer Reviews | 42
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| Product Weight (lb) | Aluminum: 2.6 lb | Aluminum: 2.5 lb Carbon Fiber: 2.2 lb | Aluminum: 3.6 lb Carbon Fiber: 3.1 lb | Aluminum: 3.4 lb Carbon Fiber: 2.9 lb | Aluminum: 4.6 lb Carbon Fiber: 3.7 lb | Carbon Fiber: 3.5 lb |
| Leg Material | Aluminum | Aluminum or Carbon Fiber | Aluminum or Carbon Fiber | Aluminum or Carbon Fiber | Aluminum or Carbon Fiber | Carbon Fiber |
| Maximum Load (lb) | 8.8 lb | 13.2 lb | 17.6 lb | 17.6 lb | 26.4 lb | 26.5 lb |
| Folded Length (in) | 12.2 in | 13.19 in | 15.4 in | 13.98 in | 16.1 in | 15.75 in |
| Minimum Height (in) | 16.5 in | 13.2 in | 15.4 in | 14 in | 16.1 in | 15.7 in |
| Maximum Height (in) | 51.6 in | 54.7 in | 61.6 in | 59.4 in | 64.2 in | 61.6 in |
| Head Type | Ball Head | Ball Head | Ball Head | Ball Head | Ball Head | Ball Head |
| Quick Release Type | Arca-Swiss Style | Arca-Swiss Style | Arca-Swiss Style | Arca-Swiss Style | Arca-Swiss Style | Arca-Swiss Style |
| Monopod Conversion | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Colors | Black, Titanium, Blue, Red, Green, Orange, Purple | Black, Titanium, Blue, Red, Green | Black, Titanium, Blue, Red, Green, Orange, Purple | Black, Titanium, Blue, Red, Green | Black, Titanium, Blue, Red, Green | Black, Titanium |
Reviews with images
Tripod leg bad assembled
It is a great tripod, lightweight but sturdy, however one of the segments of one leg was bad assembled. Each segment have two plastic stops and one was missing and the other is broken...., I wonder if these plastic stops can be obtained from the vendor.Update: I contacted the Mefoto Customer and they have send me the missed nylon shims. Awesome service!!!
Top reviews from other countries
LittleBoss
Gran calidad, pero un pelín grande plegado
Reviewed in Spain on December 14, 2014