mrk I've had that tripod in my wishlist for a while now. What are your impressions so far? Is it sturdy if you don't extend the legs?
Looking for something compact to take on walks without sacrificing stability, the maximum height is not a concern.
I'd definitely be happy with this outdoors. The steel Red Snapper RS-324 is more stable but then you'd expect that from such a big and heavy tripod. I don't think a steel tripod can be beaten in that respect. I owned a Slik Master Classic before the Red Snapper and that was equally as beefy as the RS-324 but again it was too heavy for travelling with it on my back!
Anyway, this is still very stable, legs extended or not. At it's shortest length the distance between each leg is quite short so I'd move the switch over to space out the legs one position (there are 2) so there's more spacing therefore more balance. It stands a bit taller than 30cm so you can imagine how small the gap is. In my photo above it's in position 2.
Legs pic:
Things I like:
- How sturdy it is given the price and deceptive size. It's tiny yet still has lots of girth.
- Price.
- How quickly you can fully extend each leg. The main leg twists once to unlock and extend. The other legs are in 4 sections, twist once you unlock the outer leg, another time to get the 2nd leg in and then a 3rd and 4th time for the remaining 2 respectively. I think this system is genius. There's a click and you know when each leg has been unlocked.
- Weight. It's not as light as a carbon fibre tripod but it's magnesium alloy so lighter than most others whilst being more stable.
- Size. I will be able to unscrew the head and put it into a luggage bag when travelling, no more need to sling over a tripod bag. I know how much hassle that was in Finland
Things I don't like:
- No hook to add weight balance. I had to DIY mod one in from an old tripod which will work just fine but this shouldn't need to be done when even rubbish tripods come with hooks.
- No spirit level on the tripod itself. Okay most heads have one but it would have been nice to have one on the legs too. Red Snapper give you one in the same price range!
- The included carry case is not padded and is too short when the Calumet head is attached. It's only suitable for small (maybe medium if the mount bit is pointing down) ball head usage. I use the CF tripod case instead and that's fine with the Calumet head with several inches spare to put in whatever else.
- No spikes on the feet. Not a deal breaker but having the option would have been nice.
For the price of £96 I don't think it can be beat but you do want a good head on it and so if I account for that then the whole package has cost in the region of £250 edit* Although even a £50 head would be good. Depends on what you want I suppose.
What is the length of that with the head on when compressed?
My ball head is 4.5" tall so with that included, the tripod when compressed is 18.5" tall.
Edits*
Made some bits clearer, was writing in a rush yesterday to get out the door.
Just want to know in case of any future accidents. 
