Yippeee! my Sirui Travel tripod and ball head just arrived from China - so light (carbon fibre), incredibly compact, pretty stable without a bag hanging from the hook and very stable with one. Really nicely finished. Excellent carry bag, short stem and allen keys all included in the $285 price tag plus $40 postage. I am well pleased. Hope it lasts, as I am aware carbon fibre tripods can be very $$$$$$ items and this is comparatively cheap - I will be gentle with it.
Now I'll actually take a tripod with me and not just leave it languishing in the car, or worse, at home in the garage.