4lb, 26 inch tripod too heavy for airpline/hiking?

Do you guys think this is too much to carry? I think I can fit it diagonally into my luggage if I take the ball head off. Weight's not too much an issue for me, plus I like the stability weight provides... not sure if I want to buy a dedicated travel tripod.

4 lb. without the head would be a heavy tripod with head...totalling about 7 lb., that is about what an aluminum Manfrotto 055 would weigh.

4 lb. with the head would be a light tripod, ..about what my Gitzo 25xx carbon fiber with RRS BH-40 head weigh

Back about 25 years ago Bogen still dominated the US market for 'good but affordable', hikers would select the 3001 and those working mainly 'in studio' or not hiking day after day would select the 3201 for its height and better rigidity.
The advent of Chinese carbon fiber tripods changed things a lot, after carbon fiber became less prohibitive in price (compared to Gitzo)

I figured. Thanks.

I have carbon fiber Amvona tripod which has worked okay. It's about 4 or 5 lbs and I've taken it on hikes. It's fallen apart on me several times and I've replaced nuts and bolts from Home Depot. I wanted an upgrade and I found an old Gitzo Explorer (G2227) for $200. I'll be using a Manfrotto 486RC2 Ball Head, so at least that's light.

Right after I bought the tripod, we started planning a trip to Yosemite. Now I'm wondering if I would have been better off buy a travel tripod. We don't travel often.

I just read a user report on the 2227. He states,

"On the 2227 leg spread is infinitely adjustable, without any catch mechanism, from fully vertical to flat on the ground. However, when you want to spread the legs to a normal standing position (which in my case is all I need most of the time), you find yourself having to pay close attention to a task which, so far, could be done almost unconsciously. There are small triangular marking on the top of the legs to indicate where to stop the spread for a vertical position. However, I found that it took me longer than normal to complete this step. I also found that I often spread each leg unevenly. "

Personally, I found that the Gitzos from around the 1990s had leg locks that I hated to use, so I ended up with a Bogen 3221 (about 7 lbs with head), until decades later when Gitzo introduced its G-Lock and the ALR (anti leg rotation) and bought my 2530 only then (4 lbs with head). Lugging 7 lbs. in the field was always mildly laborious for half day excursions, and lightening the load with 25 years more of wear and tear on the body was a treat.

That's from Luminous Landscape, I think. I saw that. I also came across this in reviews:

"I was very interested in the Gitzo Explorer line because of the flexibility of the leg angles. Most other tripods on the market have legs that have "stops" that set the legs at hard angles (30, 45, 60 degrees). The Gitzo Explorer has legs that are able to be set at any angle by opening and closing the three spoon shaped levers. This allows you much flexibility in selecting the height of your tripod as well as helping to set the tripod around obstacles - great for landscape or macro photography."

I wanted something of better quality than what I have now. Gitzo arrives in about a week. I will see if it fits in my suit case. I have some buyer's remorse, because I think I maybe should have bought something lighter. However, I'm reminded of windy situations after a long hike where I needed good stability... so I'm biased toward a heavier tripod. 4 lbs, plus ball head... I think I can handle that.

I suppose I could have spent more on a stable travel tripod, but I also wanted height. If I could only choose two between height, stability, and compactness... I chose height and stability.

What didn't you like about the leg locks? These are just twist locks, right?

Nathan wrote in post #18685362
What didn't you like about the leg locks? These are just twist locks, right?

Before ALR, the leg sections would twist, making it more difficult to lock/unlock leg sections, particularly with the twist locks that existed before G-locks

(Lack of) speed to set up or take down (when compared to the Manfrotto (Bogen) flip locks added to the downside of the older Gitzos.