Me FOTO Road Trip A1350Q1 £140, $190

Smaller yet higher, lightweight but strong, it also brings a touch of colour to the show

Adding a bit of fun to tripods, the RoadTrip is available in no fewer than 12 colours. If the MeFOTO name is new to you, rest assured that its parent company is Benro and it has that firm’s high standard of design and build quality. Indeed, apart from the colours, the ball head for this tripod is practically identical to that supplied with the Benro tripods on test, which is no bad thing. Other similarities include a detachable leg for use as a monopod.

A crucial difference between the RoadTrip and the Benro Travel Angel 2 is that, while they both feature fully pivoting legs for compact stowage, the RoadTrip has five- rather than four-section legs. It folds down to 40cm instead of 45cm, yet almost matches the Benro for maximum operating height, at 157cm compared with 160cm.

Performance

Inevitably, with five sections in each leg, the bottom sections are thinner than in four-section legs, measuring 12mm in diameter. Even so, they’re the same diameter as the bottom sections in the Manfrotto, and wider than those of the Giottos and Velbon tripods. Ultimately, despite the lighter weight and smaller stowage size, rigidity is as impressive as in the Benro tripods, and the maximum load rating is an equally weighty 8kg.