What are the travel pros and cons of bringing a full-size tripod on flights?
Asked 9/4/2012
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2 answers
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I’m choosing between a compact travel tripod and a taller full-size tripod for long exposures and HDR work. I’m around 6 ft tall, so full working height without a center column is appealing, but I’m concerned about how practical a larger tripod is when flying.
What are the main logistical pros and cons of traveling with a full-size tripod? In particular:
- Can you usually carry one onto a plane, or does folded length often become a problem?
- Have you ever been forced to check a tripod at the airport or gate?
- If you check it, what’s the safest way to pack it?
- Is there a real risk of damage from normal baggage handling?
I’d like to understand whether the extra size and height of a standard tripod are worth the travel inconvenience compared with a more compact model.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
9
Contrarily to everyone here, I always check my tripod. It's too big even though it collapses to 42cm since it's almost 60cm long with the ball-head and leveling base. I do carry a Gorillapd SLR-Zoom in my carry-on for backup. I know someone who carries the head on their carry-on but its too much of a hassle for me.
To make it easy, I shopped for a hard-sided suitcase with my tripod and bought the smallest one which fits the tripod straight (diagonally fitting would mean a huge hassle for other things). The tripod is packed in a tripod bag in the hard suitcase. It was never damaged after visiting 25 countries which includes over 100 flights (I do not keep count of flights but on a single trip to 7 countries I took 39 flights). All continents except Antartica and Oceania (Australia) included.
This is a carbon fiber tripod and it was never damaged during any flight. Flying through the US though I usually find a note in the suitcase from the TSA saying they inspected the suitcase. Not one thing ever went missing either. This reminds me: Get TSA locks!
One odd thing happened while driving 3400km around Iceland in rough terrain this year, after about 3200km actually: The tripod bolts were shaken loose. The hotel lent me a tool to tighten them but in retrospect, I would have liked to have a lightweight tool the exact size for this just in case.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A full-size tripod is workable for travel, but the main tradeoffs are carry-on convenience, weight, and how much risk you’ll accept if it must be checked.
From the shared experiences, some travelers do carry tripods onto planes without issues, especially if they remove the ball head and attach the legs to a camera bag. A compact folded length helps a lot. If keeping everything carry-on matters to you, a tripod that folds under typical cabin-size limits is the safer choice.
Others routinely check larger tripods and report good results when they pack them properly. The safest method mentioned was placing the tripod in its tripod bag inside a hard-sided suitcase, ideally one sized to fit it without awkward diagonal packing. Clothing can add some protection.
The downside of checking is mainly potential damage or cosmetic wear from normal baggage handling, plus the loss of luggage weight allowance. Some photographers are comfortable checking a tripod; others avoid checking carbon-fiber support gear because they don’t want to risk damage.
So the practical summary is: if you want maximum ease and carry-on flexibility, choose the more compact model. If height and less compromise matter more, a full-size tripod can travel fine, but plan on checking it sometimes and pack it carefully.
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