I can't believe how well packed this thing was. Bubble wrap around every part, extra foam pads over anything sharp (bolts, wingnuts), cardboard around the ends of the heavier stuff so it won't puncture the box, then wrapped in kraft paper inside and outside the carrying case. There was more packing material than crane!It went together in five minutes without any tools and it feels rock solid.The "crane mounts easily to a sturdy tripod or to our crane stand" line in the description made me wonder if the bottom half was included. It was.