You won't have time to play with either if you're not in a blind
Well that is not always true. A few years back when I was in NM on a Pronghorn hunt I had spotted a Pronghorn at 250 yards, and guess what I had time to stop take my pack off get into a stable, relaxed and comfortable shooting position. Now because I had practiced shooting a boatload at 300 yds in a seated position using my pack as a rest that is what I chose to use. However I had plenty of time to set up my tri-pod if I wanted to. I finally shot him at 50 yards while he was on a dead run strait towards me.
Anyways I am a huge fan of the tri-pod as an additional tool. I use a Manfrotto photo tri-pod with a pan head that weighs in at about 8lbs. I carry it when I archery hunt and rifle hunt. For the archery season it just serves as a base for my optics for glassing. Rifle hunts it pulls double duty for glassing and as a shooting rest if needed for longer shots or unusual positions or horribly uneven ground. Don’t get me wrong it is not my one and only shooting aid I use or practice with, I still keep a bi-pod on the rifle and will also use my backpack as a rest from a sitting or prone position.
I made my own cradle out of 1 ½” X 1/8” aluminum stock that I attached to one of the Manfrotto quick release bases so I can switch between shooting rest and optics. The cradle allows me a good solid rest with flexibility to move as needed.