Air Travel With Tripod

Hi,

This was last asked back in January, as far as I can tell. One person out of

many responded that it was no longer possible to carry on a tripod. Is this

(still) true? I have a 21" Gitzo weighing 2lbs and it will easily fit in my

carry on without a head. I have gone through the TSA site and canes and

umbrellas are okay but sports equipment is not but the sports equipment listed

would not fit in a carry on. I sent in the question to them but who knows when

they will reply. Does anyone have recent experience? Thanks

I always put mine in my suitcase - not hand luggage. It's the same width as the case so stays firmly in place.

I saw someone carry one on, not in a bag or case, a month or so ago. Sort of surprised me. I just put mine in a check-in bag.

On my last flight, a few weeks ago, I saw a sign in Dulles airport that listed, among other banned items, "club-like" objects. I would expect that tripods can be interpreted as "club-like". I always check mine.

I take the head off tripod and put it in checked baggage. I have carried the head in my carry-on camera bag without problem. (Like last month to Alaska).

I just got back from St. Martin and went from Dulles (Washington DC) to Puerto Rico to St. Martin, then back through Miami. Carried a 5 lb 30" tripod with carry strap with me the entire route, and nobody blinked. I had a ball head on it as well.

 

J

I'm of the "why risk it" school. I put mine in checked bag, rather than get up to the gate and have someone tell me I can't take it on board. Now I have to get my checked bag back (good luck) and stow it

I always take my tripod as carry on. The only airport that gave me problems was in Naples Italy. They said that because it is a military airport it is more strict. I've flown twice internationally and once within the US with my tripod as carry on and no problems this year. Of course this may be luck.

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Hope that helps,<br/>

Patrick

<a href="http://www.patrickperon.com"> Travel Photography</a>

I recently was not allowed to bring on the small Allen key for my Gitzo tripod, let alone the tripod itself.

When I travel by air, in USA or out, I keep my RRS head in carryon camera bag, and put the legs in my checked bag. I may have been lucky so far, but never have had any issues. Feel it is cheaper to pick up a cheap pair of legs to go with the head then to replace the head itself. Just me. Friends who have traveled with whole tripod outside bag have not had any issues either, but they have maybe been lucky. It all depends on who the TSA agent is who sees you. It has not stopped me from getting wanded down etc either way, but really all the cost of security of some kind. Some airports like TSA agents tend to be more inquisitive then others. Only issue I have had when an RJ plane was substituted for a larger planned model, and did not have as much room for my $10k of gear in the roll on bag that I had chosen. Flight crew was very nice and accomodations both in seat and another passenger allowed it all to work out, but was lucky, since then I have traveled with the smallest gear that will do the job...fwiw..

I had an Allen key confisgated, as well. The agents seemed apologetic about it and offered to let me place it in my checked luggage. Since I own about six of the things and could buy another for a pittance I declined the offer (too much trouble at that point).

 

I have generally put my tripod in my checked bag. Usually I will find that indeed, the inspectors have gone through my bag (it probably appears menacing when viewed through an x-ray device). Knowing they've rummaged through the bag is slightly creepy, but it's been ultimately harmless and seems to be simply part of the world we live in today.

I have a feeling that race, age, gender, appearance (hairstyle & dress), itinerary and other profiling factors are more at play here than a hard and fast rule against tripods. The loss of our civil liberties is a small price pay when, as our esteemed VP pointed out on Larry King this week, there has not been a single instance of domestic terrorism since 9/11.

 

That's okay by most of us. We weren't using our civil liberties anyway. Were we?

I just flew out of Honolulu airport last night and as the TSA person was running my shoes through the bomb-sniffing machine ("random check"), I asked her if camera tripods are allowed as carry-ons. She said "Yes, they are". When I said I'd try bringing it on with me next trip, she said that would be fine. So there you go -- at least one TSA person at one airport says it's ok to carry a tripod on the plane with you.

I always carry mine on in a tripod bag, usually with the ballhead separate and I travel quite extensively.

Jim,

 

I find little use for a tripod on a plane, wish I could as for example to stabilize the night sky scene of dark blue-blacks for the 30 sec needed for proper exposure, etc. But the plane's vibrations would kill that shot, tripoded or not ...

 

What do you need a tripod for when you fly, please let us know.

Or do you generally fly with only carry-on baggage?

Frank,

 

You don't need a tripod WHILE flying, you need it at your destination. Many people prefer to carry expensive, essential items with them in the cabin.

 

To avoid any hassles with airport security, I put my tripod legs into checked baggage and the head in my camera bag. I figure the legs alone are relatively easy to replace in an emergency.