It will be one of the best photo equipment investments you have made. Having that height will matter a lot when you are on uneven terrain. Over the years I’ve seen so many photographers struggle under the weight of overstuffed camera bags (with more gear than they really need), and then they carry a flimsy light weight tripod. I take the opposite approach, I got one of the lightest camera bags I could find, strictly control the amount of gear in it to just what I need, and then carry a good big tripod. When I hike more than a couple miles, I put the tripod in the strap on the back of the camera bag. For shorter distances, I just carry the collapsed tripod by hand. I almost never put my camera on the tripod and carry it over my shoulder, I’ve seen 2 or 3 people who have had a gear drop that way. You will get used to the extra weight. The other piece of advice is to practice setting up and collapsing your gear quickly, it helps. A nice tall tripod also makes for a decent hiking stick sometimes too.
@Ed_McGuirk I try really hard not to throw it over my shoulder! Sometimes it is so easy but I try to be more careful with my camera than that. It is going to take some getting used to, having no center column makes it a challenge right now but that will come with some practice. I tried not to use it before but it was so easy to make small adjustments like that. I’m looking forward to getting some more use out of it!
If you’ve secured everything properly it’s not an issue. I’ve been doing this for many years without an issue.
I’m doing it as well as Kristen does. If you have faith in your gear, everything is secure, and you’re not a clumsy type of a person, then you’re good to go. I hold on my shoulder (or just in my hand) the whole setup - tripod with head and camera on top, with filters (I use cirsular ones) and a cable release. Of course, if terrain allows it. If it’s though, I pack it all back and attatch my tripod to the backpack as well.