I've carried LF gear in the mtns for nearly 40 yrs now. How you pack things is very important, just in case you need to lower or raise you pack using a section of rope negotiating brief Class 3 pitches. For 4x5 work I have the very first CF Gitzo Mountaineer model, which has 3-ply tubing rather than the more fragile current 2-ply model. I never use tripod heads with view cameras, and consider ball heads to be the root of all evil. All my tripods have spike feet. For dayhikes I prefer Ries wooden tripods.