During my last trip to Cambodia I had the chance to test out a new toy! A good friend of mine always spoke highly of his new travel tripod, the “MeFoto A1350Q1“, also known as the “MeFoto Roadtrip“. As he didn’t need it for the time being he gave it to me for that trip – and it’s always nice to try out new photography gear. As I was highly surprised by the quality of this lightweight tripod, I want to introduce you to it in my MeFoto Roadtrip Review!
MeFoto Roadtrip Review: a short Introduction
Some background info to start of my MeFoto Roadtrip review: MeFoto is a relatively new name on the tripod market. The good thing is – they are completely focussed on travel tripods! So if you’re looking for a company specialized in travel tripods, MeFoto has a lineup of six different models to chose from. As you can see in my guide to the best travel tripod, I already had the chance to test the MeFoto A0350Q0, which is called the “Backpacker” model. The model I used for this MeFoto Roadtrip review is a different model though. It is a little bit more expensive (189 USD instead of 139 USD) than the MeFoto Backpacker model, but offers some great additional features which I (without giving too much away) found very useful when wandering around Angkor Wat on my Cambodia trip.
Key Features of the MeFoto Roadtrip
Elemental for a MeFoto Roadtrip review: an overview of all the key features!
- Maximum Height: 61.6in // 156.5cm
- Maximum Monopod Height: 63.9in // 162.2cm
- Minimum Height: 15.4in // 39cm
- Closed Length: 15.4in // 39cm
- Weight: 3.6lbs // 1.6kg
- Maximum Load: 17.6lbs // 8kg
- Material: Aluminum (also available in Carbon Fiber)
- Price Tag: 190USD
My Travel Experience with the MeFoto Roadtrip
To kick this MeFoto Roadtrip review off we should compare the raw features with other tripods on the market, shouldn’t we? With a weight of 3.6lbs/1.6kg the MeFoto Roadtrip is not the most lightweight travel tripod out there. This is also due to the fact that it is one of the largest ones out there: you can extend it to a maximum height of 63.9in/156.5cm, which makes it one of the highest travel tripods in this price range. Another reason is the durable construction: it can take a camera of up to 17.6lbs/8kg in total!
The key spec I liked most was the compact size of the MeFoto Roadtrip. When I took off to Cambodia I could easily fit it into my hand luggage when flying, so I always had it available during my stopovers. When I arrived in Cambodia, I spent whole days on the road exploring the famous Angkor Wat ruins with this tripod and my Canon EOS 6D. Although the temperatures and the humidity were high, the tripod in my backpack never annoyed me (which speaks for its weight). When walking towards a temple I especially started to like the fact that you can easily set it up to act as a “monopod“, which means to have a “camera on a stick”:
You just have to remove the center column and put one of the tripod’s legs in its place – so you can quickly switch between both use cases. This is also one key advantage compared to more inexpensive tripods in MeFoto’s product range, which do not offer this monopod functionality. Also the tripod legs are very well made and it just feels all around very durable when adjusting its position.
The same goes for the ball head and the weight it can carry. When I switched to my Canon EF 70-200 f/4L lens (which feels like it weighs a ton), the tripod still continue to just stand there firmly. This is the main aspect of my MeFoto Roadtrip review that made me love this tripod: we spend thousands of Dollars for expensive camera bodies and lenses but often try to save every penny when it comes to a proper tripod. If your tripod falls over, chances are your gear will take major damage. And this is the big plus of the MeFoto Roadtrip – I never felt more confident in putting my expensive lenses on a tripod than with this one!
MeFoto Roadtrip Review: Summary & Recommendation
To conclude my MeFoto Roadtrip review I have to say that I fell in love with this tripod. In the price range under 200 US dollars it is my favorite, along with the Dolica TX570. It excels in two features that are oh so important for tripods. First, it can be extended to a great height compared to other tripods in this price range. Second, the ball head supports even the heaviest DSLR cameras. Other travel tripods lack this feature and are only made for smaller, non-DSLR cameras. Sadly I had to give the tripod back to my friend after my trip to Cambodia and this MeFoto Roadtrip review – if I had to chose today, I would definitely buy it!
The Pros & Cons of the MeFoto Roadtrip in short:
Maximum Height, Monopod Option, Maximum Load
Not the most lightweight travel tripod
