6 T he mos t imp o r tan t cr it er io n f o r a go o d tr ip o d is its s tability quit e explicitl y the t o r sio nal r ig idity With tha t a v er y valuable bu t no t the o nl y ar gumen t f o r the o r ig inal tr ip o d f r o m Leica G eosys t ems has b een named Other sub s tan tial b enefts ar e the heig h t s tability under load and the minimal ho r izo n tal dr if t A ls o no t t o b e under e s tima t ed ar e advan tage s such as lo ng lif e o p timal vib r a tio n damp ening wa t er r e sis tanc e ou ts tanding b ehaviour in s olar r adia tio n and their weig h t in r ela tio n t o loadb e ar ing capacity o ri ginal T rip o ds F o r s tability 6