Tripod Schlepping

[sepstein17]

Looking for a "hard case" for my woodie -- 42" x 7" diameter -- any suggestions? :cool:

[BrianShaw]

I've seen plumbing trucks with lengths of ABS that are capped on each end with removable plugs. I think the intent is to use them for equipment (or smaller pipe) storage/transporation. I don't know if they make sewer pipe in 7 inch diameter but htat's what I'd start looking at if I had your need. Cutting an dgluing htat stuff should be well within almost anyone's capabilities.

[Daniel Stone]

any major plumbing supply local to you should be able to help you out here w/ a pipe section and end caps.

I made one for a trip last year, I was traveling by air. I packed my Gitzo CF sticks in it, and the disassembled head wrapped in bubble wrap/foam at one end.
worked great, was able to handle the baggage handling system w/ ease over 4 separate flights
gave it to a friend who was traveling overseas on a job, he still hasn't returned it despite 2 more trips since that time ;)

cost me about $25 in materials(abs pipe, end caps, eyelet bolts(for the strap), nylon strap material(for said strap), etc. and ~1 hour to make. All sourced in one trip from Home Depot.

-Dan

[civich]

A tube form for concrete - made of waxed fiber board. Very tough and nowhere near as expensive as large diameter plastic. Make end caps out of wood, paint the outside for better water resistance and you're in business. Big-box hardware stores carry them but in limited choices of tube diameter. Any concrete form and accessory supplier would have whatever diameter you need (up to 8'!) I think a Ries A100 tripod w/A250 head needs an eight inch IIRC. The tubes make excellent shipping containers for long items also. -Chris

[Jim Andrada]

We used to call them Sonotubes and they came in sizes up to a couple of feet in diameter IIRC. When my wife and I built a large (2k sq ft) deck we bored about 35 footing holes with a Bobcat/earth augur and then set rebar inside the 12" tubes and poured concrete. It was a lot of work

[sepstein17]

Thanx all -- time to make a road-trip to my local plumbing supply house and/or Home Depot -- gotta love the Forum! ;)

[MrFujicaman]

PVC pipe is made in sizes up to 16" that I know of. I use a Tenba soft tripod case with a 8" sonotube inside it. I lined the inside of the sonotube with closed cell foam...AKA a sleeping pad from Walmart's camping department. So far, I've made 6 trips to Las Vegas with this setup and they haven't ruined my tripod yet.

[Otto Seaman]

A golf or snowboard bag on sale might be a good off the shelf possibility....

[MrFujicaman]

Uhhhhh...I priced 8" PVC.....20 bucks a foot and the end caps are $38 each. A sonotube (concrete form tube) @ Home Depot in 8" by 48" is $7.25. Plus the shipping on the 8" PVC was nearly $50 ! I only paid $69 for the Tenba tripod case and $6 for the sonotube and $4.99 for the foam pad from Walmart !

[Drew Bedo]

In maybe 1999 or 2K;


I had a bad experience with checking a tripod on a airplane. They broke it and much hassle followed (another story). Next time we traveled, I put together a hard case from a cut-off piece of PVC. It had end caps and hefty handles. Bought new it would have been pretty high. I got used pieces from the maintainance shop at a major hospital where I was working.

After bording a flight and after everyone was settled in, the cabin crew asked me (by name) to punch up my flight-attendent light . . .and so I did.

A baggage handler found me and asked what was in the big white tube? He was nervous and sweating (it wasn't hot). I told him about it and told him they could openit up if the needed to. that seemed to make him feel better and he assured me that everything was OK and we were good-to-go.

Soon after that the world changed. After 9/11 my family refused to trvel with me if I packed that rig along. I kinda miss it; It strapped down to a golf bag pull along cart and worked well.

[Drew Bedo]

What about a hard-shell Golf bag over case for airline shipping? Room for foam padding, handle everywhere you need them and wheels. Doesnt look odd and airport baggage equipment is set up for them.

[John Kasaian]

Leave the tripod at home and pack a handful of 1/4-20 bolts and a tube of super glue. Let the world be your tripod! :rolleyes:

[David A. Goldfarb]

I've been traveling for years with a Tenba TTP triangular tripod case (last I checked it came in three different lengths), which has corrugated plastic inserts in the sides. I've watched it go flying off a baggage truck onto the tarmac, and that time I had my light meter in the case as well. Everything's always come through without a problem. If I'm only bringing a smaller camera, I have a Feisol travel tripod, which fits in my regular luggage.

[gleaf]

Surveyors tripod travel boxes. Not cheap but rugged and somewhat expected by airlines.