Tripods & the elements.

Until the last couple tripods the units were cheap & barely functional. They all ended up in the landfill due to failure. Exposure to water, sand, salt air mist, mud eventually resulted in the leg section release levers/twist rings jamming or falling apart.

Eventually picked up a decent Bogen. Fine for the 35mm gear, but bit oversize & too heavy ballhead for mu43 gear. So a few months ago purchased a very compact, light Benro cf tripod. Bit of a compromise. The light weight was appreciated on yesterdays outing. Pretty much either climbing or descending some too steep pitches.

Tripod set up in shallow water, mud or sandy surfaces on a regular basis. Benro claims to have a wiper seal to keep moisture & soil out. Assuming these seals work, how effective are they as the temperature drops? Durability? Have yet to see any Benro twist-lock replacement parts. Are leg lock parts from the high end manufactures like Gitzo and RRS available?