It is easy to open and close with the pop up of three clamps. Be careful though. I got a nasty pinch on my finger when opening one of the clamps. Otherwise the clamps are similar to a tripod and they are easy to open and close and hold securely. The handle, when closed, is about 12 inches. When the handle is extended all the way out, it is about 35 inches from the head unit which makes it 39.5 inches from the ground. However, when you are using it, it will be at a slight angle. So, for me, at 5’-8” it is a little short and I feel like I am bending over a little as I walk along. Not a big deal though. It rolls easily whether you are going fast or slow. This unit has a comfortable rubber handle with a loop at the top for hanging. The part with the numbers is large and the numbers themselves are very big so they are easily seen from a distance, like when you are standing, without having to bend down or bring it up closer to see it. The case is a hard black plastic and seems sturdy and durable. There is a button to “zero” it out that will set it back to zero. There is no maximum distance you can measure but the counter goes up to 9,999.90m. The unit I got measured in meters. I got this because I use it to measure bike racing distances and they are always in meters in the U.S. After measuring on the asphalt street, it is easy to keep on the ground and measures accurately. There is a floating arrow that perpetually points down so you know exactly where the measurement point is. If you roll backwards, the counter will go down. It comes with a nylon case that has a zipper and a handle. The bag is more than big enough for the measuring unit so I also keep my orange vest in the bag so I don’t forget it. The only downside I can see is that the handle of the bag is on the opposite side of the zipper so if you happen to pick it up by the handle and you forgot to zip it up, the unit could fall out. When I weighed the device, it was 1 pound, 11 ounces. The rubber on the wheel is a
JL 
