Anyone out there have experience carrying a tripod onto an airliner?
My wife and I are travelling to Costa Rica in 3 weeks on a birding-photography trip. I want to bring my Gitzo GT3540 tripod but am hesitant to ship it as checked baggage. American Airlines personnel told me it would be ok as carry-on as long as it met the weight and size requirements. Its in a soft canvas case that measures 25" in length - a bit more than the standard 22" luggage dimension. My other equipment will be in a Tamrac backpack that I will stow under the seat. My checked bag is not large enough to accommodate the tripod. Any experience or thoughts?
I carry a tripod on aircraft and always ship it as checked luggage and so far have not had a problem. I have shipped it in hard and soft luggage. I always carry my lenses and camera bodies as hand luggage.
I have recently bought a Gitzo 5541 and I take the Wimberly head off for shipping and pack it separately ( mainly to distribute the weight).
I would not have thought that it would be a problem to take a 25" tripod as carry on luggage, I would have thinkt if queried it would fit diagonally into the carry on luggage measuring frame.
Roger,
I think that carrying on the tripod is going to be a hassle. If your checked bag isn't large enough to accommodate your tripod, I'd think seriously about buying a new bag. There are a LOT of deals at department stores right now, and I bet you could find a large enough bag at a good price.
I use a rolling duffel and place the tripod in the bottom and surround it, as well as the Wimberley, AA NIMH charger, tools, and other accessories with my clothes.
They do not like carry-on of anything made of closed metal tubes. I tried this with a monopod once in Punta Arenas and was not allowed. They cannot see inside with x-ray. Item was checked by security personnel but did not show up in Buenos Aires so someone down there has a nice Manfrotto monopod now. Hope they are using a decent rig on it!
I am going to Florida from Maine in February on Delta Airlines. I have multiple Canon bodies and my Gitzo 5540 with Wimberley 2 Head to get there. I am using my Tamrac Expedition 8 back pack and hand carrying my Canon MK2n with the 300. I expect to have put the backpack in the belly on the very small commuter plane from Portland to JFK in New York, Of course I will take my 5D out and carry that on as well. But the larger planes will accommodate my backpack in the overhead to Florida from JFK.
Now the tripod! I just purchased a padded Gitzo bag from B&H to carry the tripod in. I sent it back pronto. It was massively huge. Way over the size needed. So I purchased a duffel bag with handles, airline legal, and will put it in there. I will pack my clothes in it as well to pad it. I expect to have to check it in, 1st bag is $15.00 on Delta, second bag is $25.00. So long as I do not run into John's issue above, someone stealing it, I expect to get it there in OK condition.
I plan on being extra nice and cooperative so as to not cause any issues. Never hurts to be smiling as well. Personally, I would carry as much as possible on the plane with me if I were you. Most airlines will not cover lost or stolen photography equipment, period. No exceptions from what I can read in the fine print. So your own insurance is something to consider for loss when traveling.
I have both carried on and checked my carbon fiber tripods (Gitzo 1200 and 1300 series). Never had a problem. Last year when coming home from Greece, going through Frankfurt I saw a guy with a quite large tripod. Remember, European airlines generally have stricter weight restrictions. He was a professional videographer and said he always carries the tripod on and has traveled the world and never had a problem. It was much larger than Gitzo 1500 series tripods (sorry I don't know the new numbers of their latest series).
The key to tripods is no spiked feet; those will always be refused.
I also never take a ball head or other head, just the bare tripod.
When I check it in a suitcase, I built a simple wire lock (e.g. using cable like on bicycle locks, only 1/8-inch wire) and use TSA locks to secure the tripod to the suitcase. That way it can't be stolen out of the suitcase; they would have to take the whole suitcase.
I appreciate all the comments. I think passing through security it is a crap-shoot, depending on the TSA official on duty, as to whether the tripod will be allowed to be carried on or required to be checked. And, while I may be able to check it at this end, who knows what the Costa Rican authorities will decide. So, I plan to follow David's advice and buy a suitcase large enough to accommodate the Gitzo, protect it with clothing and check it. I found Roger's suggestions about fastening the tripod to the structure of the bag interesting and may do than. Then, I can loose the entire bag along with the pod.
Generally, the gate agent or flight attendant would be the one to tell you you need to check something - usually when there is no room for it in the overhead. Then, at least, you're checking it onboard, and not relying on the conveyor belt system to safely transport it from point A to point B. I usually carry on my Underwater housing, strobe, etc in a carry-on, and my camera gear in a Tamrac backpack like you suggested. If we get on a smaller plane where the rolling carry on can't be stowed on board, I just check it at the side, and then pick it up again when I disembark.
We travel with dive and camera gear quite often. We put a key-ring on each of the zipper-tabs of our check bags. Then we zip them closed and link the key-rings together. After that, we add a zip tie. If someone (official) needs to inspect the contents, they can cut the zip ties (when they do, they replace them, and usually put a note inside that the bag was inspected), and un-link the key rings. However, getting those key rings un-linked is a hassle that can take some time, so it is a good deterrent for anyone who just wants to quickly open and grab something from our checked bags. So far, it's worked well for us.
Tripods as Carry-on baggage
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