I would say this is the nicest tripod I currently own (and also the most expensive). I am more of a hobbyist than a professional.This comes in a nicely padded carrying bag. The bag has large metal zippers and a nylon zipper. It open wide to make removal or replacement of the tripod easy. There are no interior or exterior pockets. There is also an adjustable strap so you can carry over your shoulder.The included instruction manual is pretty basic. There is also an included hex key. I would say if you want to keep this with the tripod you can use some Velcro ties to strap to one of the legs.I like the height of the monopod at full extension. When I place the ball head on top of this & then my camera, I don't need to bend over at all (I am about 6'2"). If I don't use the head then I need to just slightly bend over when using the view finder. There is also a padded grip in this leg. You can also use this as a hiking stick.The legs have a few angles of adjustment. The bottom rubber feet are removable. This does not come with different feet so if you want spikes for example for use in dirt / sand you will need to purchase those as none are included. At full height this will tower over a crowd. There is also a hook where you can hang your backpack or weights to help keep this more stable. You can unscrew this so you can then reverse the center shaft to use as a low or macro tripod.The head is dampened so when rotating you can get a smooth effect if shooting video. You need to be a little careful as the head can unscrew when rotating if you don't have the lock screw loose. This is also my first tripod where you can bring the arm over to shoot off to the side of the tripod. This is really nice being able to stand next to the tripod instead of behind it in some instances.There is a bubble level on the top of the head. The camera mount does not use the snap quick release which in nice as it does not wiggle & feels more secure when you have the knob tightened. You can purchase additional shoes for this tripod.I don't find this tripod to be too heavy for my use & do find it to be very versatile & am so far very happy with this tripod.