Stability, .... in this case, I'm talking about camera stability, not emotional stability, which will be addressed in a future post.
Lugging around a tripod can definitely be a drag, especially when it weighs in at 13 lb., but when the wind kicks up or there's heavy traffic nearby, nothing beats a stable platform.
The tripod on the left is a Gitzo aluminum G1415 with a G1527 column and Manfrotto 405 head. It's my favorite working rig, as it's incredibly stable and the head is basically three micrometers on three different axis points to make precision adjustments a breeze.
It definitely is something of a beast to travel with, though, as the tripod and it's padded bag weigh about 15 lb. and need to be checked when flying. Unless it's going to be absolutely necessary for the particular shoot, I usually pack a Gitzo GT2942 Basalt tripod with it's Frankensteinian pano rig: an Acratech leveling base, a Manfrotto QTVR pano rotation head, an Acratech Ultimate Ballhead, all topped off with a Really Right Stuff Precision Plus pano kit. The head assembly outweighs the tripod legs by quite a bit, but it all disassembles and fits quite nicely into my carry-on sized roller bag, which, honestly, usually gets checked anyway but that's only one checked bag even for a week of shooting. I also stick a Benro TRCB069 tripod in the carry-on bag, too; it's awesome to have a back-up tripod, or sometimes I like to shoot with two cameras on their own tripods.
Over the past six weeks I did three shoots that required air travel; I've got the whole packing thing down to a science. My camera and lenses go into the Crumpler Karachi Outpost backpack I've written about before and absolutely love. The laptop and all necessary cables, chargers, manuals, spare hard drives and snacks go into a giant, elderly Timbuk2 courier bag, and both bags go on the plane with me. The camera bag goes in the overhead and the computer goes under the seat. The tripods, clothes and toiletries all go into the one checked bag. Everything essential to the shoot is on my person; worst case is that, if the checked bag goes astray, I can get some T-shirts, a pair of jeans and a toothbrush pretty much anywhere, and even a cheap tripod can be pressed into service if need be. There's a Walmart just about everywhere; I can't say the same about a camera shop that happens to stock a Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5, which is, without question, my most-used lens.
It's definitely tiring lugging all that stuff through airports, especially on a flight with lots of connections, but the comfort of knowing I can complete the job even if my bag gets lost definitely makes it worthwhile. Besides, the extra weightlifting involved helps offset all the less-than-healthy food I inevitably eat while traveling.
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