It's not as simple for me for travel vs local use. If I wish to travel lightweight on a trip where my prime purpose is not bird photography, the RF 100-400mm is excellent, especially on the R7, because it is light, small and inconspicuous. I'll also take it on local hikes when light weight is of real concern and to be honest, on the R7 it is not far behind the RF 100-500mm on the R5. However, if it's a serious birding trip, I'll take the RF 100-500mm, especially as that lens works well with the RF 2xTC (the RF 100-400mm is really not up to use with TCs) and it's sharp corner to corner with very fast AF for BIF. I use the RF 200-800 a lot as well for serious bird photography.