I’m just over six feet, so most lightweight travel tripods are too short for me. But rather than carry a huge tripod for travel photography, I wind up carrying a small portable tripod…and bending over all the time when I use it. But then Really Right Stuff came to the rescue with the introduction of the Ascend-14 tripod. This tripod has a built-in head and the ability to take off sections of the center post. I purchased the ‘L’ large version, and with the legs extended, the tripod comes right up to my eye. And at around 3 pounds and very compact, this tripod is my new favorite for many trips. The integral head works differently than a standard head, using one level to control both drag and tightness. If you don’t like this you can opt to use another head like the BH-40. I use my 500mm PF and 70-200mm F2.8 on this tripod with no problems, plenty of support. This tripod isn’t cheap at around $1400…but the craftsmanship and quality is superior to all others.