I love my 73" Gitzo carbon fiber tripod but it is really a hassle to travel with unless I am driving my own car. I have to disassemble it to even get it to fit in my luggage. Thus the quest began for the perfect travel tripod. Many did not fit the bill.
After much time and research my quest for a workable travel/hiking tripod is finally over. My requirements were 1) will easily fit on/in a backpack, 2) will fit in carry on bag on an airplane, 3) is tall enough for me. This versatile 65" carbon fiber 5 section tripod is well engineered and is also high quality. I have read that many "travel tropods" sold for under $100 are cheaply constructed in the same exact Chinese factory and are not worthwhile for any serious photography.
The MeFOTO GlobeTrotter 64.2" Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod met all my requirments. This one is also made in China but the locks and other moving parts are all very well made. The flexible center column can be used to hang extra weight or mounted upside down to capture images all the way down to the ground. It comes with a decent ball head which I'll make use of for other purposes as I will likely use my RRS ballhead with this tripod most of the time. Available in several colors (I got titanium) at Amazon, B&H and other camera stores.