#2s22
My stabilized Sig Sauer 16x42 weigh only 22 ounces or less than many of my other binoculars. It uses a single AA battery and the one I put them in July of last year is still in use. My standard battery is the AA for most of my equipment that needs replaceable batteries.
As for the tripod there are safari operators who have gimbaled arms to hold a heavy lens for the customers and I have seen these on both land vehicles and on small boats. In choosing an operator I would pick one that has these available.
I have learned over the years to do research and be selective in picking a particular operator. In the Pantanal I saw people riding on benches mounted in the bed of trucks and completely exposed to dirt from the road. I saw people trying to use a tripod along wit a dozen other photographers in the same boat. For the same cost my wife and I had the exclusive use of an air conditioner car on the roads and our own boat and driver on the rivers. When using a telephoto lens we would have the driver beach the boat to minimize any rocking and then make use of a monopod. It pays to do as much research as possible before selecting an operator and to not make assumptions about what is being provided.
Some people like stabilized binoculars. 16x is lot of magnification. It means that your stabo has a limited fov. Most 8x42s have fovs which are at least twice as wide. Dof is shallow. I would avoid your stabos or anything like that for general birding. Both your choices have exit pupils in the 2.5mm range. I prefer something much wider. Most safaris include at least one nocturnal trip. I find your choices very strange, but of course, you are free to choose any tools you like.
Most people cannot afford luxury safaris. Besides, such safaris are not always feasible. I do not select safaris according to the level of luxury they provide. I choose travel destinations according to what they offer in terms of sightings. Sometimes it means rough and primitive. Safaris and birding tours are not always in the big and most famous national parks. For birders wanting to see more than lions and elephants, a safari may mean 4x4s, guides, drivers, a cook, a field kitchen, small tents and a latrine pit far from the comforts of civilization. The conditions are no surprise. In Serengeti and other hot spots you may encounter charter tourists tightly packed into small minivans. That is true. In many countries locals on truck beds seem to a common means of transportation, but this far I have never seen tourists as truck cargo.
This is supposed to be a bird forum, not a general wildlife forum. Fixed photo support in safari vehicles may be very nice for buffalos or lions in front of you. In my experence, for everything else they have limited value.
Safari is a swahili word. Safari is an african thing. The term safari has spread (unfortunately), but I would not use the word safari in e.g. Latin America or Mongolia.
I have used tripods since I started out. I still use them, in a hide, on the beach, etc. but not on a safari. Much to restrictive. As primarily a birder I like to be prepared for anything in any direction. Including the sky above, which is very difficult or impossible in a safari vehicle. I had to learn to handle my earlier heavy tele without support. Today light 400, 600 and 800 mm lenses can be handled relatively easily without. I may use a monopod to ease the load, but there is rarely time to adjust it for e.g. birds in flight.
