I have two Tripod related ARRRRRRRrrrrrrr moments. One awhile ago, and one very recent and financially painful.
About 7 years ago I went from Liverpool to Southport for the annual British Musical Fireworks Championships. Altogether about an hour's trip. Getting ready to set up, only to find that I had left the tripod Head at home.
I ended up having the Tripod on the floor on its side with the camera placed on it, and the camera adjusted with my coat underneath. Not so easy to set up the camera three inches off the floor in the time before an adjustable LCD screen.
The second one happened a couple of weeks ago, second day into a weeks holiday. Recently I have taken to carrying my tripod around during the day, rather than just taking it out in the morning or at night. I was in Venice, and took the boat to Burano. Lovely relaxed trip sitting at the back of the boat in the Sun.
Got off the boat, walked the hundred or so metres into the island and started taking some pics. It was then I realised I had left my Tripod on the back of the boat.
Now the boat from Burano sometimes goes the short distance from Burano to Torcello and back, so I rushed back to the Vaporetto stop and enquired if that was the case. 'No' was the reply.
It was going on another route. He said to try the Lost Property Dept, but give it a few hours to get there, if it indeed would get there. Tried 5 days on the run with no luck.
But I had to buy a Tripod for some of the pics I had planned after the first day of the of not being in Lost Property. There are about for 4 Photography shops in Venice. Found one of the bigger ones I had seen before was closed, though not according to the internet.
I bought a Tripod for €79 in another shop. It was actually the 2nd Tripod I tried, as while the Tripod could take the weight of the camera and lens, it could not apparently take the weight when the camera was in the portrait position, with the camera drooping badly as the camera could not be tightened enough. Glad I tried before I bought.
Now that I am back I have replaced what I had lost. The cheapest I could initially find was Tripod and Head for £207, as prices don't seem to vary much for Tripod related gear. Thankfully I found a 'Open Box' Tripod saving £35. And I found a Head £9 cheaper. Still made it a more expensive trip than it should have been.
Hopefully lesson learned.