Tripods:

Height of tripod- measure how tall you need it to be –eye level

Length: under 24” to fit in a suitcase for travel

Weight:-

How much does your Camera Weigh

Canon 7D= 1.8pounds without lens or flash attachment

Lens: Tamron 18-300mm= 1.7pounds

Travel tripods:

Manfrotto – BeFree-aluminum tripod-collapses down to 15.7 inches in length can hold up to 11 pounds

Joby- gorilla pod- small-packable-bendable

http://joby.com/

Slik: Slik Sprint Pro II- affordable-compacts down to 19inches and goes up to 63inches –weighs about 2 pounds- more casual photographer