Carrying Travel Tripod

I've purchased a Velbon Maxi 343E tripod to primarily use for some European business travel photo ops.

 

I'm looking for a way to carry this tripod in a reasonably discreet but handy way when I'm out and about. My photo gear is going to be limited to a MF folding camera, spotmeter, film, a few accessories, plus the tripod. I have a pretty good idea on how to carry the rest of the gear (the small size of the folder helps), but carrying the tripod stumps me.

 

Sticking the tripod in a business shoulder bag is about the best idea I've come up, but I wonder if someone has a better idea.

 

� Bill Brant

i have two very nice tripod bags, both fitted and equipped with padded shoulder straps. One of them i got a camping store and was designed to carry something skinny -- maybe a tent. the other i got from a musical instrument gig bag/soft case maker and was designed as a case cover for a clarinet/oboe/soemthing skinny case (the idea is that you put your instrument case inside the case cover and the cover provides a strap and some padding and insulation for the case). i have since seen these case covers in a lot of different music stores and they make great tripod totes. one place that will custom make a case cover/tripod bag for you is moradian case company in allston, mass (call the music emporium in lexington, mass if you can't find moradian's number). you can have it sized to the dimension of your tripod, specify a zippered pocket on the outside for film/meter/a bess ii -- whatever you like. good luck.

This is probably to large for you but I purchased one of those foldable fabric lawn/camping chairs. It came with a shoulder strap carring case that turned out to be a perfect tripod carrier. They come in many sizes and are cheap enough that you discard the chair and still be money ahead.

A tripod bag is an okay idea, but I have alternatvely used a "ski sling" from time to time to carry large tripods. These are nothing more than a strap about 4 feet long with velcro straps sewn at a "T" on each end. You wrap one velcro around the top and the other around the bottom of the tripod, and voila, instant shoulder-strap on your tripod.

 

:-),

Another thing you may want to look at is those "document tubes" that couriers use to tote around things like blueprints.

Recently I bought a rope bag from The North Face for my tripod. Those are like duffle bags but very narrow and have additional straps to tighten them around their content. The shoulder straps are extremely sturdy and well padded. I can´t find the bags on their website, but IIRC they come in two sizes.

Hmmm, discreet "and" handy. LLama?, Well, I think the tube idea with a sling would have to be the best. Leave the end cap off for faster access. Dressing in UPS brown would help. Otherwise throw it over your shoulder and don't give a care. But do watch for the local police and/or building owners who may not want their property photographed. Sometimes a tripod carrying person is thought of as a professional. I like the folder idea, but it will cause you too shoot slower and be more a target for the locals. Have you thought of also taking a monopod? The tripod probably won't be allowed in many buildings, but a monopod (cane for the infirm) would. Just a thought.

The domestic airlines won't let you carry a tripod on board. It's a weapon! The only way you can take it is to check it as baggage, and it should be in something that doesn't advertise "tripod" as apparently tripods are attractive to baggage handlers.