Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Landscape Photography Locations => Topic started by: daleeman on August 05, 2008, 10:39:39 am
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In my future trip in November I am hoping to bring a tripod. I have a large and sturdy Induro C313 with a ball head and I also have a much smaller A014 Induro. What I wonder is has anyone had great experiences and poor experiences in traveling with a tripod… for this time only in the US.
I wonder about putting my C313 into a suitcase that is checked and how hungry a TSA agent is and will they take it home for their point and shoot camera. Additionally can one take such a monster 29” without head on it, into the cabin of a plane as carry on? Will the smaller A014 go as carry on? Does the TSA think these things are weapons and steal them from you? (I would say confiscate but it really is Government stealing in my mind)
I imagine I will take my Nikon D300 with a 17-70 and a 80 – 400 zoom. Additionally I believe I will take my Mamiya 645 1000s. Still love B&W. the smaller Induro is a bit weak for these but it packs well into a small place.
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A large tripod/head may be an issue.
While expensive, I prefer to ship my tripod/head (a Gitzo 5530S and RRS BH-55) via UPS to my location ahead of time, usually by 2 days (so there is a backup day in case it gets misrouted). I also call the hotel I'm staying at to make sure they're cool with the idea, and of course, I insure the cr*p out of the shipment as well. I've done this at least a half dozen times now and it's just easier than dealing with the TSA (think what would happen if one airport allowed your tripod but another wouldn't and how rapidly your day might go downhill at that point) or with checked luggage and the issues there. When I travel, I try to minimize the things that can go wrong in terms of getting my gear there, so shipping the tripod (and whatever spare clothing I might need as well) while carrying the rest onboard works best for me. Makes for less stressful flying in my book.
-m
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I think you will be fine checking in one of your bags. I travel often with typically four light & stand bags and always get the "TSA Love Letter" saying they went for a look. Not one thing has gone AWOL. One recent trip was 12 flights over 14 days out & back from Atlanta. Yeah, only two overnights! Got the love letter every time.
The TSA people are not thieves like some the baggage handler gangs that were common in yesteryear. They are doing that incredible crazy job of looking for stuff that could harm an aircraft. Give them some credit.
I have not taken a tripod into the cabin in a long time so I can't tell you if you can. I know that the Louisville, KY airport does not allow any Louisville Sluggers in the cabin, even the little one they give you after taking the factory tour. They have a display at security with the little bats that have been collected - oh, I can see the very upset little kid! Seems a ball bat & tripod might be considered cousins?
I like to just take the cameras & computer in the cabin and save my back by checking everything else.
Ken
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A large tripod/head may be an issue.
(think what would happen if one airport allowed your tripod but another wouldn't and how rapidly your day might go downhill at that point)
-m
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That happened to me: no problem carrying on a small Gitzo from US to Osaka, but I was not allowed to carry it on for the return flight. It ended up in baggage, unpacked and was subsquently disassembled by customs and not reassembled very well. I recently took a larger tripod in checked baggage to France and back with no problems.
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I've flown between Canada and US with a tripod in checked luggage, no problem.
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I carry the head and check the legs.
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The TSA people are not thieves like some the baggage handler gangs that were common in yesteryear. They are doing that incredible crazy job of looking for stuff that could harm an aircraft. Give them some credit.
.......
I like to just take the cameras & computer in the cabin and save my back by checking everything else.
Ken
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Ken,
I believe I do need to lighten up on the TSA. They are in fact doing a job, one I wished they could have been doing a year earlier than when they started and maybe just maybe 9/11 would not have happened.
I'll follow up on your example of checking everything else and taking the computer and camera in the plane. In this thread is a comment about packing the legs and taking the head onboard. I think this is a good idea too.
Lee
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I carry the head and check the legs.
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Very Good Idea. I think I will go out and buy a 3/8 16 nut or wingnut to protect the threads while in the suitcase.
Lee
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Very Good Idea. I think I will go out and buy a 3/8 16 nut or wingnut to protect the threads while in the suitcase.
Lee
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I have carried my tripod and head dozens of times in this fashion, nationally and internationally, and never have had any issues. I don't use any special protection of the 3/8 bolt, I figure whatever trauma might come to that to damage it, would most likely destroy the luggage piece anyway, it would have to be pretty major damage. It is a steel bolt!! The head on the other hand is in my camera bag and more protected as it is more delicate, but still I have been lucky. I have only broken an old head due to over tightening by yours truly...my newer head is an RRS model BH40, and doubt much could damage that ....
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I usually put the tripod leg setup into a leg of one of my pants and the head used to go in one of my boots. Now I'll keep the head with me if I can find a place amongst everything else.
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I usually put the tripod leg setup into a leg of one of my pants and the head used to go in one of my boots. Now I'll keep the head with me if I can find a place amongst everything else.
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'must make you walk funny.
Sorry.
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I have traveled quite often and place a Gitzo CF tripod with an RRS-55 ballhead. I have never had trouble carrying this in my carry on suitcase whether national or international travel.
I usually put the tripod leg setup into a leg of one of my pants and the head used to go in one of my boots. Now I'll keep the head with me if I can find a place amongst everything else.
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In this thread is a comment about packing the legs and taking the head onboard. I think this is a good idea too.
Lee
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Lee,
I used to do that - take the head on board but...
The screeners would see this big solid glob that didn't make them at ease. They had to see it and this meant opening the bag it was in. Too much for me so it goes with the legs checked.
Ken
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Lee,
I used to do that - take the head on board but...
The screeners would see this big solid glob that didn't make them at ease. They had to see it and this meant opening the bag it was in. Too much for me so it goes with the legs checked.
Ken
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I fly fairly often, domestically and internationally, and as my bag enters the x-ray unit I mention to the screener that there is a tripod head in the bag. They typically nod and it goes through fine. A mini-mag flashlight gets far more attention normally.
In Tokyo (Narita) I don't mention it and the screeners never comment on it (several times each year). In Bangkok sometimes I mention it and sometimes I don't, but they are usually interested in other, smaller types of things there. Traveling within Thailand I just carry it on as if I own the plane and they have never commented about it. Who knows how it will go with the next flight though?
I leave a set of legs in Bangkok now, so I don't have to carry legs to that destination at least.
Cheers,
Dale
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I fly fairly often, domestically and internationally, and as my bag enters the x-ray unit I mention to the screener that there is a tripod head in the bag. They typically nod and it goes through fine. A mini-mag flashlight gets far more attention normally.
That's a good way to handle it as they might not know what they are looking at. Once you tell them what it is, it may become more obvious to them.
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'must make you walk funny.
Sorry.
Yeah... I pretty much walked right into that one!! (Is that a tripod in your pants or are you just glad to see me??)
That'll teach me to post before my morning caffeine. Thanks for the laugh.
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I've only flown domestic U.S., and have had no problems putting the tripod legs (Gitzo 1348) in my checked luggage and carrying-on the ballhead in my photo backpack.
Others I know have carried-on tripods with no problems, so YMMV.
Paul
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In the US the maximum length of a carry on item is 26" so If I do not check the tripod I take the ball head off and make sure the collapsed length is 26" or less. The same diagonal dimension of a 22" roller suitcase. In other countries it is approx the same length expressed in cm's
Marc
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I almost hate to admit this, but here in the US, before I picked up a worthwhile tripod, upon entering my destination city I would go to Wal-Mart and purchase their best tripod and use it where ever I went. I would keep the box safe in the rental car trunk and the night before my return, I would produce the receipt back at the Wal-Mart and return it in the original box. Always did it with cash, so “Ole Sam” would not roll over in his grave seeing me buy and return 9 to 15 tripods a year.
I’m really selling me down the river here guys. I just had to share it to cleanse my soul.
8 months clean and sober in tripods anonymous
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... I would go to Wal-Mart and purchase their best tripod and use it where ever I went.
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That’s brilliant! I’d never have thought of renting a tripod from Wallmart!
Mike
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I have a large Manfrotto with ballhead and chose my checked bag on the basis that it would fit in it. I have checked the setup at least 40 times without problems of theft.
I do see people bringing smaller tripods on the planes so they must be allowed. I carry a laptop and my camera case and typically you are only allowed 1 carry on and 1 personal item. So the tripod would be considered the 3rd piece and not allowed.
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I have a large Manfrotto with ballhead and chose my checked bag on the basis that it would fit in it. I have checked the setup at least 40 times without problems of theft.
I do see people bringing smaller tripods on the planes so they must be allowed. I carry a laptop and my camera case and typically you are only allowed 1 carry on and 1 personal item. So the tripod would be considered the 3rd piece and not allowed.
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I have taken my tripod in carryon with no problems and I fly in and out of one of the largest military bases in the world (Ft. Hood, TX).
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I have taken my tripod in carryon with no problems and I fly in and out of one of the largest military bases in the world (Ft. Hood, TX).
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Mil flights?
I guess they let you guys take guns too?
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This weekend I will visit Home Depot and see about the options for buying a 6" PVC tube and end caps to see what UPS to the far site hotel would cost, (Attention guest: me)
Something else that came to me, as an option. The Induro Carbon C313 and Cullman head will not fit, even apart, in the existing suitcase I have and wonder of the pipe would be cheaper and re-usable?
Lee
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This weekend I will visit Home Depot and see about the options for buying a 6" PVC tube and end caps to see what UPS to the far site hotel would cost, (Attention guest: me)
Something else that came to me, as an option. The Induro Carbon C313 and Cullman head will not fit, even apart, in the existing suitcase I have and wonder of the pipe would be cheaper and re-usable?
Lee
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=217566\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Here I go talking to myself. Home Depot had 6" pipe, $ 26.00 for 10 feet and they would not cut it. Much to big for my hacksaw. So I am looking more and more for an answer. I still like the ship to hotel open since reading in the Wall Street Journal that the top three airlines in the US loose 23% of all bags for at least a day.
We land and leave town in a rental as soon as we can for a 3 hour drive. Hate to hang about waiting and hoping for the bag with the tripod to arrive on the next flight subject to being canceled.
Maybe a box - it - up place is the answer to ship to remote hotel.
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I'm coming into this conversation a bit late, however the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) considers tripods to be photographic equipment. You may not travel with 'spiked feet' though. If you have spiked feet you should screw the rubber all the way down covering the spike and place gaffers tape over the top of the rubber-foot screw threads to prevent the rubber feet from being twisted into a position revealing the spiked feet.
Most all international airline security administrations allow tripods to be carried on, provided they meet all carry on requirements. One noticeable exception is Italy. Italy expressly forbids tripods from carried on to commercial aircraft. This restriction is not often enforced, however should it be enforced the security agent is withing their standard operating procedures to block it from entering the airports sterile area.
I addressed the topic of tripods and carry-on allowances on my site for traveling photogs, Flying With Fish. This information can be found here
http://flyingwithfish.blogspot.com/2008/10...n-board-my.html (http://flyingwithfish.blogspot.com/2008/10/can-i-carry-my-tripod-on-board-my.html)
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"Much to big for my hacksaw."
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The diameter may be 6" but the wall thickness is maybe 3/16".....just draw a line and go for it..the cut doesn't have to be pretty..the end cap will cover it.
Steve
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So its been a month after my trip and I successfully moved the tripod out to our destination and back. I pu the Induro C313 legs into an LL Bean drop bottom duffle bag:
http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/se...n&cat4=2915 (http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?categoryId=32162&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&parentCategory=4522&feat=4522-tn&cat4=2915)
The bottom of the bag was great because it gave enough room for the tripos ent to end. I put a 3/8 nut on the threads, mostly so it did not cut through the canvas. It was just hand tight and was no issue. Being the duffel cost a bunch, I did not want a 15 cent nut keep me from having a hole in the bag, so a trip by the hardware isle in Sears did the trick.
I put the head in my cary on camera bag. To my suprise no one gave it a second look in the X-ray scanner next to my stinky shoes. (I hate taking off my shoes in the airport.)
So the trip went well. Had a good time shooting with the tripod. You can see my shots some on the tripod at:
http://leegephart.smugmug.com/Art (http://leegephart.smugmug.com/Art)
Look in the November in California gallery. Be glad to read any and all comments on the photos. All done with a 500cm with an 80 or 150 lens.
Lee