Can anyone recommend a good quality tripod for my DSLR? I don't need the most expensive unit but I would prefer something that is going to last more than a few months.

Everything about tripods is about compromise: weight versus stability, overall size, height when fully deployed, size when packed for travel, terrain where it will be used (salt water proximity), weight of the camera/lens combinations it is supposed to stabilize, etc. And then of course there is the cost. If you buy a good tripod and then place a cheapo ball-head on it with a heavy camera/lens you will defeat the purpose of good rigidity. The whole set-up will only be as good as the weakest link.

If your goal is to photograph birds-in-flight (BIF) with a 600mm lens, then you will need something far different then a little tripod to hold a pocket camera for group portraits. If you are going to use it often and want serious stability you will also want to have a ballhead with the ARCA SWISS release system (all good ballheads have this), meaning you will also have to have the adaptor plate or L-bracket on your camera body.

Tell us what you want to use it for, with what gear and under what circumstances. If you want "one" tripod for "all" uses then get a GITZO Series 3 tripod and put a Markins or Really Right Stuff ballhead on it. Really Right Stuff also makes a good tripod and you can buy the tripod and ballhead as a combo and save a couple of dollars. We're in the $1,000 to $1,500 range here. Everything else is cheaper of course.

I own a small and light carbon fiber FEISOL Traveler Tripod CT-3441S ( http://www.feisol.com/index1.html ), took off the center column (which just turns your tripod back into a monopod) and changed the ball-head for something better and smoother. If I hang a backpack or other weight off the center hook I can get it pretty stable, but not nearly as stable as a Gitzo or RRS tripod. It is a pretty good compromise however for travel and a fairly light weight camera/lens combo.

http://www.markinsamerica.com/MA5/demo.php

I have 2 Bogen/Manfrotto (3000 series) units with ballhead that are rock solid. also picked up an old Skil at a yard sale with a pan head for $30. works great with a spotting scope.

Rich