I had one of the original Smokey Joe grills when I was single (a long time ago).  I used it at my apartment and took it on camping trips.  It worked well at home, but it was a pain to take camping.  It was tippy and always fell over in the truck, sending the grates, lid and kettle all over the place.  The Gold model remedied that shortcoming.  The lid locks down tight for portability.  The tripod leg system still isn't as stable as a four-leg system would be but the Gold model is not as tippy as the standard model I used to have.  (I wonder whatever happened to my old Smokey Joe?)