FCO (Rome) Will NOT allow tripods in carry-on.

[jarrod connerty]

I suppose it makes sense for it could easily be used as a weapon, but for whatever it is worth as a warning...the screeners at Rome's FCO airport would not under any circumstances allow a tripod in carry-on luggage this Wednesday morning, 26.10.05.

Takes a lot of faith, or at least insurance, to place a premium carbon fiber legset and the Arca-Swiss C1 cube(which they also wouldn't allow upon its lonesome) in the unseen hands of baggage handlers.

[ronald moravec]

The world is getting nuts. Photography restrictions everywhere. Yet it is crazy. If I were a terrorist, I would snap a pic from handheld 35mm camera and be on my way in 3 sec. I would not be stting up a tripod, view camera, and making a big deal out of it.

Then there is the x-ray problem that has been beat to death.

[Ralph]

Ronald, I think that (as Jarrod surmised) the screeners' objection was to the prospect of using a tripod as a weapon, not a fear that someone would use the tripod to take photos.

I bought a long duffle specifically for this reason and wrap my tripod in the middle, inside a bundle of clothes, but of course "in the unseen hands of baggage handlers" even this approach has major shortcomings. Heck, even great insurance isn't particularly helpful if the tripod is damaged on your way TO the shoot (as opposed to on your way home).

I have found far more often than not that if my tripod is not in a case I'm allowed to take it onboard, but I'm always prepared to check it if forced to.

[David Roossien]

This seems to be more common in Europe than the USA. I had the same experience in Nuremberg, Germany a year ago. It doesn't seem to be an issue in the USA as long as you obey the 2 item and size limits.

[Frank Petronio]

Swinging a C-1 cube with my carbon legs - well I could do some serious carnage with that set-up. Maybe it could be the weapon of choice in the next Wes Craven movie?

The bigger question is, if I had a $2000 tripod, why I wouldn't have a padded case for it. That head alone needs a special carrying case lest any dirt gets into it. And carbon legs are certainly strong, but a nick can ruin them.

[Ugo]

It happened to me in the US too.

Anyway, consider that few months ago a tripod was trown against the Italian first minister Berlusconi!

Bye

[John_4185]

On Topic, really. To add an odd cultural point-of view: I was among the last occupying troops in France. In the Alsace Lorraine area, as many locals associated a tripod with a machine-gun as with a camera (machine guns were supported by tripods). Sure, they didn't take it as a weapon, but the psychological aspect was clear as there were still unexploded shells, small-weapons parts, helmets and soforth to be found by farmers' fields.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I always check mine in a Tenba TTP bag, head attached, handles loose or removed. Never had a problem with it.

[Matthew Cordery]

I solve this problem by having a hard sided suitcase and then I put my tripod in that with the ball head detached. Never had a problem.

[jarrod connerty]

Frank

Whom suggested I don't have a padded case for my tripod? Stick to being a professional cheapskate rather than extrapolating inaccurate inferences.

I have 6 tripod bags, 3 Tamrac unpadded versions and 3 Hakuba padded ones in differing lengths for my various legsets. The padded one gets me there & I prefer to leave its excessive weight in the hotel room while enjoying myself.

But that doesn't mean one would prefer to have a $2k device which they're entirely dependent upon out of their possession, for just because the item is physically unlikely to be damaged doesn't mean it cannot be lost or stolen-ruining a trip at least in the photographic sense.

The C1 isn't particularly fragile; I just cover the head with a neoprene sleeve, put the whole setup in my regular rolling case and worried not a second about it being damaged. That what insurance is for, but on the way TO a locale all the money in the world can't quickly procure that same setup.

[John_4185]

jarrod Whom suggested I don't have a padded case for my tripod?

Him suggested it.

[Frank Petronio]

Jarrod, I'm just jealous. We should all have such problems as sending our C-1s and carbon legsets to Rome. Excuse me now, I have to go turn off my Linocolor Tango once it's done making another 2 gigapixel scan from my 16x20 Ebony camera... I have to hurry or my Epson 9800 won't be done printing before dinner, then I have to board a plane to Sri Lanka to photograph peasants breaking up old cargo ships. Such hassles...

[John_4185]

Frank Sri Lanka to photograph peasants breaking up old cargo ships

Would you settle for Trinidad and Tobago? It's good in December. GREAT clients in the oil biz there. :)

[QT Luong]

It's never even occured to me to take a tripod as carry-on, until one day when I decided to do some photography in the airport while waiting for the flight. I just detach the ball head and wrap the legs in my camping mat.

OT: Gitzo, before manufacturing tripods for photographers, manufactured them for the army, indeed as machine gun support.

[Brian Ellis]

"I always check mine in a Tenba TTP bag, head attached, handles loose or removed. Never had a problem with it."

With a longer trip the problem I've had checking the tripod in a carrying case is that the airlines treat it as luggage for purposes of the two bag limit. They didn't used to do that (or maybe I was just lucky). I used to check two bags and my Gitzo carrying case (a very nice case if anyone is looking to buy one that can be checked with minimal risk of damage). But about two years ago I had to pay Delta $80 each way for the privilege of checking two suitcases and my Gitzo carrying case. Now I pack the tripod in a hard suitcase.

[David A. Goldfarb]

In general I travel light, so I haven't run into the excess baggage issue, but that is something to think about, if traveling light isn't an option or just isn't your style. Even if I'm going somewhere for a month, I only check one medium-sized rolling bag, plus the tripod bag, and I carry on my camera, lenses, laptop and film in one bag. If I were traveling for six months, I suppose, I would just check a larger suitcase, and if I were traveling for a year, I'd ship some things ahead or just pay the excess baggage fee.

[Nick_3536]

One of the reasons I went with the tripod I did was it folds small enough to fit inside a suitcase.

[Frank Petronio]

Lightware makes great cargo cases that at 12 x 12 x however long you need them. I use a short 34 inch one along with a suitcase. It's great for bringing big, bulky items like skateboards, pads, bicycling gear, tripods, 20 foot American flags, all the stuff I like to travel with... they aren't very expensive either, although they make fancier ones with wheels and doodads.

[Rick_6017]

I had the same experience in Rome earlier this year - not a fan of checking baggage. I removed the ballhead and handed my Gitzo legset over to Lufthansa / United, pretty much expecting to never see it (or at least have it be in the same shape) again. I was absolutely stunned when it arrived at SFO in a separate plastic container, marked with a priority tag.