Traveling to Chicago at the end of March and I am looking for Travel Tripod suggestions.

Sorry title should say Travel Tripod

As the title says, I need a travel tripod for flying to Chicago. I currently own a Gitzo series 2 with a RRS BH55 head and I love the setup but it’s a bit long and heavy for backing in my bag. So I am looking for suggestions for something light, steady, and as inexpensive as possible. I understand the concept of strong, light, cheap pick two, but at the same time trying to figure out the best compromise. My goal is two take some night shots of the city and skyline while I am there so there won’t be any super heavy lenses(100-400 II or 70-200 III are the heaviest glass I own) that I would be using. Probably my goal would be a tripod that would be steady with my gripped Eos R and either Rf24-105 f4 or Sigma 35mm art f1.4 and maybe I’ll just leave the grip at home to save more weight. Thank you for any help or suggestions.

I have Gitzo and Induro tripods. For compact travel legs under $250, I’ve recommended the Mefoto Roadtrip Carbon a few times here. I need 60” operating height, so don’t consider anything shorter. This is 15” folded w/head, 62” max height, 3 lbs, 4 sections. It includes a decent head and legs that invert without removing the head. After several years, have not seen anything that beats this combination for the price. For sturdiness, it is satisfactory to very good. I take it instead of an Induro CLT004 Stealth and Gitzo Sport Basalt (which are better built) because one leg converts to a monopod. For me, the monopod is often needed on busy streets or in public buildings. Mefoto is owned by the same company as Benro and Induro, so shares many features. The Benro Tripster has similar specs for $285.

Next level up with 60” max height:

Induro CLT104 Series 1 Carbon at $350, 20” folded, without monopod or head.

Sirui T-2205S T-S at $400, 16.5” folded, with monopod, no head.

Gitzo GIGT1545T at $600, 17” folded, without monopod or head.

Thank you for the great and detailed reply. I will look into your recommendations.

I've had Gitzo GT4553S Systematic as my workhorse tripod, but when I also needed something more suitable for my frequent travels, I ended up getting Gitzo GT1545T Traveler Tripod (linked above by NDAPhoto) after much research. For a traveler tripod, the criteria for my decision were: folded length short enough for carry-on bag; load capacity, CF strength and stiffness, appropriate height and weight. For me the one that met all these criteria was GT1545T, and it's a beauty:

Load Capacity 22.05 lb / 10 kg
Maximum Working Height 60.2" / 153 cm
Max Height without Center Column 51.18" / 130 cm
Minimum Working Height 8.7" / 22 cm
Folded Length 16.73" / 42.5 cm (short enough for placing it inside my backpack)
Weight 2.34 lb / 1.06 kg

You haven’t mentioned any budget or minimum height. Minimum height on many “travel” tripods is frquently around 52” without head.

Truthfully, for a one-off trip like this, I would suggest you take a trip to a local Best Buy where you might be able to find something like a Sunpack for $25. There is a summary listing at https://www.bestbuy.co​m …at17071&st=sunp​ak+tripods.

One more note about the Mefoto Roadtrip is that mine has 4 leg sections because I searched for it and ordered one from overseas. The one sold in the US has 5 leg sections. I prefer 4 sections because it is a little faster to set up and take down.

NDAPhoto wrote in post #19018716
One more note about the Mefoto Roadtrip is that mine has 4 leg sections because I searched for it and ordered one from overseas. The one sold in the US has 5 leg sections. I prefer 4 sections because it is a little faster to set up and take down.

No guarantee, these are rules of thumb; generally fewer sections yields a stiffer and hence more stable tripod. In addition, more sections can yield a shorter collapsed height (or length).

John from PA wrote in post #19018751
No guarantee, these are rules of thumb; generally fewer sections yields a stiffer and hence more stable tripod. In addition, more sections can yield a shorter collapsed height (or length).

Yes, that too. Smallest tubes must be skinnier when there are more sections, so slightly less stable. In this case, the difference in folded size was only an inch so either version fits into carry-on luggage.

The Gitzo 1545 is functionally the best, but 3x the price after you add a head, and has no monopod.

FYI, the B&H Deal of the Day for 03/02/2020 is the Sirui T-1004SK T-S Aluminum Travel Tripod. It is normally $200 but as Deal of the Day is available at $100. A similar deal is available for the carbon fiber version, bringing the price down from $300 to $200.

You won't get anything much better for that sale price of $100, except you do need a head!

See https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …04sk_aluminum_t​ripod.html for specs, ordering, etc.

I have been traveling to Europe a quite a bit in the last six years. I bought the MeFOTO Globetrotter Carbon Fibre specifically for a trip in 2014. Went to my local store which just started carrying the brand. A Gripped 5D Mark III with a 70-200 f/2.8 L IS II mounted on the Globetrotter CF passed the test in the store and even to this day. Fits in my checked suitcase no problem and small enough to carry as it comes in its own carrying case.
Capturing “Shift” images in Portrait position with a 24 TS-E Tilt/Shift in Paris, Barcelona or Athens, this Globetrotter CF has served this Greek well.