tripod in airplane cargo bay

Ferdi Willemse

Ferdi Willemse

Well-known member
Hi guys,

I'm going to take my tripod with 516 head on a trip with me. I'll have to transport them in the airplane cargo bay. Is there a way to minimize the risk of having your tripod damaged? I have a tripod bag, but since the ground crew don't care about what's inside your bag, there is a chance it gets damaged.

I was thinking of taking the head off and putting it with my clothes in my backpack, but maybe there are some better ways.

Thanks in advance!
 
I put my tripod in a Nalpak hard case whenever I travel by air. They can beat the living daylights out of it and never hurt the tripod inside.
 
I don't have such a hard case for my tripod, just the bag. So I'll have to improvise something. All tips are welcome.
 
I use hard plastic, wheeled golf club cases (sweet spot) for tripods/stands. Gets a lot of enviable stares at airports, but no one knows what's really in there.
 
I travel globally all the time. I usually do 2 or 3 round trips per year.
One time after some particularly nasty baggage damage I decided to find a deterrent.
I thoroughly photograph and catalogue the entire contents of my checked baggage.
I attach the photos and inventory inside a sealed postal invoice-style plastic pouch onto the outside of my baggage - letting the baggage handlers and airport security know in very clear terms that the contents and their *condition* at the time of packing have been carefully documented. It seemed to work.
 
I keep photos of case contents for insur. purposes and to remind others how I like things packed. I'm not sure I want the rest of the world to easily view the expensive contents by leaving the photo on the outside of the case.
I leave the photos INSIDE the case.
 
I have the same tripod. When I travelled overseas last year I took the head off and stored it in my carry-on luggage. The sticks I just put in the nylon bag that came with the tripod and checked it. No problems. Will be doing the same thing in December.
 
Packing in anything but a hard case is asking for trouble. You might be lucky with a soft case, but EVERYTHING gets thrown around and buried under other luggage. The airlines don't care and their liability is limited to $3000/bag and something like $9/ pound for international. Making a claim is a nightmare, so make sure you have amazing documentation. The golf bag case is a good suggestion--they're a lot cheaper than regular gear cases.
 
Just flew to Ireland with a tripod & two light stands in a Bogen soft bag and everything was fine. TSA even inspected it, but they didn't bother the contents too much.
 
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