It's getting tougher to get all your gear on the plane safely and tripods are usually on of the harder things to get on. . . so i thought I'd post a few thoughts about a nice tripod that I've been using. If you contact me directly I can get you 20% off (i'm not getting anything for this BTW)!

Anyway, the unit is Promaster System Pro T525P - 5 section carbon tripod - it can hold a camera or a spotter! "Out of the box it's sturdy. It feels sold and well built."

If you're looking for a new tripod and the first thing that comes to your mind when considering a certain model is, "what's it's maximum extension," stop reading now and move on. This little "giant" is not made to be used that way.

The T525P is a light-weight, active travel photographers tripod, not a three legged crutch for a picture taker. The T525P is a compact fully functional carbon tripod that can be used for backpacking or plane travel and can support a camera lens combo up to spotting scope.

For photographers, proper use of a tripod means you put it where you believe is the best place for the best composition and move behind it and shoot. This tripod has ample adjustments to allow for placing it securely on most any terrain.

If you’re thinking about packing a tripod off the beaten trail, then weight and size is critical. Stability is of course the critical, but if you can’t get the tripod there does anything else really matter? No. Fortunately, this tripod is truly packable and fits inside most packs or if you prefer strapped on the outside of your pack, and it's sturdy for its size.

At just 2 lbs 3 oz (without a head) and less than 15 inches collapsed, there's no reason to leave the tripod at the road. It's rated for 15 lbs, but I think 10 is more like it. It's a remarkably well built compact tripod that has features I like better than my prized Gitzos. The leg locks hold and don't slip but unlock with a simple twist, just like they should.

Pros: slight, compact, ridged and stable for its size; solid and well built, leg angle locks are strong, in fact they are better built, in my view than the newest 6x g-lock Gitzo (considered one of the best because you can operate them with gloves on. With the Gitzo this is not possible.
Cons: cons might be too strong a word for this tripod but if there was one thing I would mention it's that when fully extended I noticed some torsion.

This tripod wont tell you where stand, but when you put it on the ground it will hold true. This unit is a good choice for the backpack photographer or back-country enthusiast looking for wild game from a mile a way through a spotter!