Can somebody suggest light sticks that can safely support my 7.5kg XL2 outdoor setup? The sticks are intended for somewhat remote/wilderness footage, so weight is important and I'm willing to pay extra for carbon construction if required. (I'm addicted to my Vinten Vision 3 head, and refuse to use anything else.) However, I would like to keep costs below $1K.

There are too many products! Bogen has good price/performance characteristics, but I'm interested in any competitive hardware out there. Even when looking within Bogen's own product line, I'm a bit confused. For example, the 351MVCF weighs in at 3kg and supports 12kg, well within my 7.5kg configuration, and the price is $682 at B&H:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=357530&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

The Bogen 542ART is heavier to haul around, but setup is quicker and it supports a heavier load-- and it costs over twice as much!

Does anybody have an opinion on either of these two sticks? How do they perform, especially in outdoor, possibly cold conditions? Should I be looking at another vendor/product within my budgetary constraints?

You might want to look into the spreader-less, single-tube designs like the Miller Solo or Gitzos. With these tripods you don't have the weight of a spreader (usually adds another pound or so) and the legs can be independently set to different angles so they might be more useful for remote/wilderness shooting. I know the Kraft Brothers who shoot and star in those animal shows for PBS/NatGeo use a Cartoni on a Gitzo carbon fiber tripod. But then again, you also see guys that shoot 16mm for wildlife use dual-tube spreader tripods.

I agree with Tim. Check out the Miller Solo tripods. They are very nice, very light. Very easy to set up. They will support big loads. Not very cheap but worth the bucks.

James