Airline Travel Tripod

[mshea]

I owned a great Gitzo travel tripod that was stolen. I replaced it recently with a Sirui 2205X (approx. $300.00) on which I use an Acratech Pro head. The Sirui is very lightweight and folds to 15" (shorter than my old Gitzo). I imagine it's not quite as rigid as the Gitzo, but it serves me well. As noted by others, it's not meant for very windy conditions, though you might be able to mitigate that somewhat by using IS lenses or IBIS. Fortunately, I've had no trouble on foreign trips packing it with my camera gear in a Think Tank Airport Accelerator.

[NancyP]

I take it that the people taking tripods in checked luggage have hard-shell luggage? One of these days I am going to have to break down and buy actual hard-shell roller luggage - my checked luggage to date is a really shabby (by now) nylon cloth number with the university logo on its side, without any rigid frame. There are some benefits to unlocked ugly shabby luggage, I suppose.

[armand]

I take it that the people taking tripods in checked luggage have hard-shell luggage? One of these days I am going to have to break down and buy actual hard-shell roller luggage - my checked luggage to date is a really shabby (by now) nylon cloth number with the university logo on its side, without any rigid frame. There are some benefits to unlocked ugly shabby luggage, I suppose.

I do but I don't think they are truly necessary to protect the tripod. Unless the gorillas* that deal with them throw the luggage with the soft side into a sharp corner some clothing around it should do the the trick.

* - they were successful in breaking one on my hard shelled luggage

[bassman51]

I always pack my tripod in my checked bag (unless I'm traveling by myself and have only carry-on). Our trip to Africa last summer required soft duffels for our checked luggage, and my Airport Essentials had no way accommodate a tripod internally.  So it went in the duffel. 

By the time we reached our first stop Johannesburg, the center column was jammed beyond my ability to repair.  Fortunately, I had almost no use for the tripod and should have left it home.  But packing a normal (not tabletop) tripod in a soft checked bag is asking for trouble.

P.S., MeFoto repaired it at no cost beyond my postage to get it to them - customer service the way you want it!

[armand]

When I said soft shell should be fine I wasn't thinking of duffels, that is pushing it. More like this:
https://m.kohls.com/product/prd-2903354/samsonite-hyperspin-2-spinner-luggage.jsp?ci_mcc=ci&utm_campaign=LUGGAGE&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=google&utm_product=62135319&CID=shopping15&utm_campaignid=%7Bcampaignid%7D&ci_mcc=ci&utm_campaign=LIA_Luggage+&gclid=Cj0KCQiAoY7VBRDtARIsAHWoO-JRAbZ9mhDeh8cn2WflsGbf2OuWrlrs3Bysl7wJvbohrwWeIEAHU2oaAtQdEALw_wcB

PS. the cheapest place with good variety for luggage I found it to be TJ Maxx

[NancyP]

Thanks Armand. I should get a checkable roller. The duffle-ish soft sided suitcase is fine for weekends or casual weeks, but does have the annoyance of being a non-roller, carry it by the handle type. Hiking poles are also going along.

[hogloff]

I live and die by Eagle Creek luggage. I traveled extensively for business and it never let me down. I have since retired and have traveled the world for pleasure and always have my Eagle Creek luggage with me. Life time warranty and they stand by it.

[vulture]

I am travelling with my Gitzo carbon tripod with Manfrotto 501 head since years. With the head off and the tripod disassembled, I never had an issue to pack it in checked luggage (hard shell).
Also as carryon, head in backpack and tripod in my hands was never an issue - Frankfurt check-in security sometimes apply the graphite paper check - and that's it.

[NancyP]

graphite paper check?

[NancyP]

I bought a hard-shell, latch / lock-only, no-zipper Samsonite last-year's model roller in check-in size in an obnoxious color (red, and I am adding lime-green X-strap as well - UUUUGLY). I figure that those are more nuisance to try to break into than the zippered variety, less likely to be targeted by airport thieves.

[vulture]

It's a piece of graphite (?) paper they sweep over the tripod legs and then insert into a special computer.
It's showing them if there is anything inside the pipes of the legs, they told me.
But you have to go to a special room with the security.
Sometimes they do it with my large lenses as well.

[vulture]

<graphite paper check?>

It's a piece of graphite (?) paper they sweep over the tripod legs and then insert into a special computer.
It's showing them if there is anything inside the pipes of the legs, they told me.
But you have to go to a special room with the security.
Sometimes they do it with my large lenses as well.

[Wayne Fox]

It's a piece of graphite (?) paper they sweep over the tripod legs and then insert into a special computer.
It's showing them if there is anything inside the pipes of the legs, they told me.
But you have to go to a special room with the security.
Sometimes they do it with my large lenses as well.

I believe it’s detecting residue from materials that are used to make explosives.  Be pretty easy to make a pipe bomb out of a tripod.

When I traveled with my wife in her wheelchair and she couldn’t go through a metal detector, they would always swab the chair in several places. 

[hogloff]

I believe it’s detecting residue from materials that are used to make explosives.  Be pretty easy to make a pipe bomb out of a tripod.

When I traveled with my wife in her wheelchair and she couldn’t go through a metal detector, they would always swab the chair in several places.

That's exactly it. I've had my gear swabbed quite often.

[NancyP]

That's interesting. Being a naive law-abiding citizen who spent "too much" on that tripod, the possibility of a pipe bomb never occurred to me. So my carbon fiber gets to meet some more carbon - cool. But lenses? You'd think that taking the front and back caps off and staring down the barrel would convince them that the lens is full of glass and air.

[hogloff]

That's interesting. Being a naive law-abiding citizen who spent "too much" on that tripod, the possibility of a pipe bomb never occurred to me. So my carbon fiber gets to meet some more carbon - cool. But lenses? You'd think that taking the front and back caps off and staring down the barrel would convince them that the lens is full of glass and air.

The swabs are very sensative and a quick swab of the camera case or one piece of equipment is all that is required to see if there are any residuals of bomb materials in your gear. I've travelled a lot with my gear and have had my case swabbed a few times.