MeFOTO RoadTrip A1350Q1

It doesn’t get the outright top set of scores, but it’s best for travel

The MeFOTO wins even though the Nest Traveller scored highest in our tests. The Nest is a superb tripod that can serve equally well for general purpose use. It’s reasonably compact yet soars to a good maximum height and would be the overall winner, but for its weight. It’s the only tripod in the group to weigh over 2kg.

The Giottos Vitruvian and Velbon Ultrek kits are about half the weight of the Nest Traveller, and fold down to a considerably smaller size. However, while both of these tripods make ideal travel companions, they’re a little lacking in terms of rigidity.

The MeFOTO RoadTrip is the perfect compromise for compact, lightweight stowage along with impressive rigidity and versatility. It’s also excellent value for money, as is the slightly less expensive Manfrotto.

What’s good: Great design, superb build quality, good rigidity despite small carrying size and weight.

What’s bad: Less rigid than the Nest Traveller but it’s half a kilogram lighter to carry.

Our verdict: The best blend of compactness, light weight and stability.