Prompted by severe and persistent pain resulting from badly damaged knee joints (too much rugby followed by too much golf and now too much weight to carry) I asked my wonderful missus for some money towards a new, lightweight tripod when she asked me what I wanted for my 50th birthday last March.
She then asked me what the specification needed to be. After a bit of thinking, a detailed search and trialling a few contenders, I said I'd like a lightweight 4 section carbon fibre travelling 'pod with a ball head capable of holding up to 8kg (more than enough to hold the heaviest body and lens combo I own) but that didn't weigh more than 1.5Kg itself.
The Gitzo Traveller was way too expensive. The Giottos Vitruvian series didn't seem all that well made and not particularly sturdy and the Manfrotto was okay-ish but heavier than I wanted and a bit pricey to-boot. Then I spotted an advert for a "Three Legged Thing X-1 Brian" in Amateur Photographer.
At first, I thought it was a wind up (April Fools Day wasn't far off) but I checked the spec out on the web and spoke to the manufacturer - an English company based just down the road in Stagsden, Bedfordshire. Here's a link:
http://www.3leggedthing.com/travel/brian.htmlI was smitten and I haven't looked back. The
really good news is that this 'pod can be carried under a messenger bag using Lowepro straps (if your bag has loops to attach them to), in the superb bag that comes with the 'pod or just in your hand - it is that small and light. The centre column and one leg also detach to become a monopod if you need one. Highly recommended.