I'm looking for my first tripod, and would prefer to get it right the first time. In other words, I'm willing to spend now rather than spend more later.

I'm shooting a 40D, and my largest current lens is a 70-200 f4 IS. Eventually I'd like to get something like a 100-400, but I seriously doubt I'll ever have anything larger. I will want to take the pod with me on trips (car, hiking in the mountains, and overseas) so weight and collapsed size are important - more so than price. I live in Kansas, so stability in wind is critical too.

So far, I'm looking at things like the Gitzo GT2541 and Manfrotto 055MF4 with a RRS BH40 or BH55 head. These parts (especially the Gitzo) seem expensive, but they all appear to meet my criteria.

Is there a less expensive, but equally good combination that I should look at?

Thanks!