Tripod leg sections vs stability

I have had a number of travel tripods, and now I'm looking for one whose size (must reach eye level without a center column) and stability will enjoy priority over portability. However, since photography for me always involves some sort of traveling, collapsed size and weight can't be ignored, otherwise the tripod would just be left at home every time and I'd take something smaller and less stable with me instead. I have a Nikon D850, and the heaviest lens I would use is a 70-200 f/2.8, so let's call it 2.5-3 kg maximum. I would use this tripod for landscapes/nature and cityscapes. I would pair the tripod with a ball head with at least a 40mm ball, such as the Sirui K30X or Leofoto LH-40. Unfortunately the RRS ball heads cost more than I'm willing to spend now. I have basically narrowed my choices down to these four candidates in no particular order:

Feisol CT-3742

FEISOL

Very light for its beefy legs, but while short enough when collapsed, the wide mounting plate still makes it less portable and would take up quite some space in a suitcase. I also heard about some quality control issues, namely feet falling off and leg angle adjustment flaps getting stuck. I am located in China, and the Feisol is not available here at all, but I do go to the U.S. fairly often, and could easily order it next month so that it waits for me at the hotel when I arrive. The problem is if I have any warranty issues, it is more problematic for me to deal with them from here than with the Chinese manufacturers.

Sirui SR-3204

SIRUI SR Series Tripods - Guangdong SIRUI Optical Co., Ltd.

I heard only positive things about this tripod, and deep down this is what I want, and I'm trying to justify the extra weight and size. It is the largest and heaviest of the four, and I'm afraid it would often stay at home, in which case there's not much point in having it.

Sirui R-2214X

SIRUI R-X Series Tripods - Guangdong SIRUI Optical Co., Ltd.

The lightest and most affordable of the four, but also with the thinnest legs (18.6mm-29.4mm), so possibly the least stable. However, if it is stiff enough for my gear, why not? It also comes with detachable center column, which could come in handy for studio portraits.

Leofoto LS-365C

LS-365C - Leofoto

Tallest of the four when extended, shortest and most compact when collapsed, due to the fact that it has five-section legs, but very beefy ones. My main concern is that stability would suffer due to the 5 section legs. I have not found a single review of this tripod online, but other Leofoto tripods of the same series received favorable reviews, such as the LS-324C, which is its smaller, four section counterpart (but too short for my purpose). It even has the exact same size when collapsed. The diameter of its four legs are the same as the bottom four of the LS-365C (22, 25, 28, 32mm), but the LS-365 adds a 36mm thick section on top of those. Theoretically, if we assume that they are made of the exact same materials with the same amount of precision (both very likely), would an extra, thicker section reduce stiffness and stability much? The manufacturer rates its maximum loading higher than that of the smaller tripod, if that means anything. I guess my main question would be centered around how much stability suffers with an extra leg section, and how it would compare to a very similar tripod with four sections whose thickness is the same as the thinner four of the five-section tripod. The portable design and light weight make the Leofoto LS-365 a very attractive candidate, but not if stability is compromised. Then again, my gear is not particularly heavy. Any thoughts, lectures, and recommendations are highly appreciated.

I have a bunch of tripods. Like my film cameras these are older vintage. When I tried to mount a 1600mm equivalent (500mm mirror lens, 1.6 crop APS-C body, and 2X teleconverter) none of my tripods was really all that steady.

I also needed height since stooping over is a pain in the back and I wanted to use the tripod to mount some long binoculars as well.

Trial and error brought me to the STX 72

It is solid, weighs a ton. is fairly cheap, and produces sharp results up to 2000mm focal length and beyond. I call it "Iron Boy". I generally use a Manfrotto gimbal head on it

It would be burdensome on a long hike.