>>4270329i ended up buying this tripod with a 19.8 lb load capacity:
http://slik.com/products/pro-700-dx/it seemed like the best build quality for the price, all things considered. my imaging setup is a canon eos 2000d and a soligor 400mm prime lens, which weighs maybe 5 lbs max. add a star tracker and it should still be well under the capacity
as with a lot of gear choices, it's a balance between astrophotography appropriateness, and versatility/portability. my thinking is: i can go hiking with this tripod and also use it as a general-purpose tripod, but when i upgrade to an equatorial mount and a long focal length telescope, that'll necessitate something heavier and purpose-built like a modified surveyor tripod
bear in mind my top priority right now is to practice solar imaging as much as possible before the eclipse. i really wanna get some high quality data and will be travelling to the path of totality, and probably camping out, to see it
