Manfrotto 5001B Nano Stand

This is quite similar to the only slightly more expensive Manfrotto MS0490A. The differences are that this one does not have the adjustable leg for uneven surfaces, this one is all black (parts of the MS0490A are red), it has no sand bag hook, and it lacks the ability to detach the centre pole to be used as a monopole. I suppose this one might be desired for being slightly less distracting when used in concerts, but bear in mind it really can only be used indoors on flat floors.
I use it for hoisting microphone arrays above head head height for recording classical concerts (it remains stable up to about 2.15m).
It is a light stand - as in it doesn't weigh very much, so it is much preferable to standard mic stands for travelling. The aluminium construction seems good and there are no sharp edges. It folds down small enough to fit into a back pack. Beware, cheaper light stands don't fold down to such a short length.
It comes with a thread adapter which means it can be used with cameras (1/4" thread), European mic clips (3/8" thread) as well as photography lights.
It's a shame Manfrotto don't include a canvas sleeve with this as the adjustment screws have a tendency to catch on things in transportation. I hope this doesn't result in damage.
I just drop a few stars as I think this should be cheaper by a bit more than the MS0490A, considering the features it drops. I only got this one as the MS0490A was unavailable when I needed to purchase, otherwise it's a solid, reliable light stand.

I bought 2 of these for mounting speed lights for photography. They're very well constructed, considering their size and weight. I think they're limited to 2kg payload (say Manfrotto). I'd say that's about right. If you put more than that, with any kind of boom for leverage, things will start to flex quite a bit.
Obviously they don't have the same feeling of stability and strength as their bigger siblings, but they are considerably smaller when folded down than even the next size up. These are manageable to carry on your own. Those might not be.
Buy these if you like to travel light in every department. If you regularly use heavier lights you'll need something beefier. More weight, but then, you're carrying those heavier lights anyway.

I'm a sound artist and field recordist. I use this stand to put up microphones (in a blimp) in a variety of settings. It is a perfect travel companion.

So I record sounds in the field, this could be in the street, in the Savannah, rain forest, Tundra, or Icy lakes. My 5001B has travelled everywhere with me. It either holds a rode or a cinela blimp with several microphones. Frankly, my 5001B has seen a lot of abuse, including being covered in sand, mud, sleet, a lot of knocking about in the back of the trunk. And it still goes strong. I notice no friction when I collapse or unfold the several parts. Weighing less than a kg, it's a no brainer to put it in the field backpack. Stable enough to either hold one blimp with stereo mic or DMS set for example. Or a lightweight stereo bar and two mics in AB or ORTF. A heave stereo bar with two blimps on it is just too much (it can handle it, but it will no longer be stable).

If you need to put up anything in the field (mic or lights), this is the stand your looking for, at a ridiculous low price no less.