I've checked in the past a RRS TVC-33 stuffed into a North face Rolling Thunder 30 inch bag along with my clothes. The last two or three trips to Utah I've packed a RRS TVC-23 replacing the TVC-33 to reduce weight. I always remove the ball head and place in carry-on just in case. TSA left me two notes on different occasions after checking my bag. My biggest problem, last year a guy grabbed my Rolling Thunder bag and I believe the intent to walk away with it. I arrived in time to "gently" take my bag and give him a LOOK.
This year I plan on shipping the TVC-23 along with some camera gear packed in a Pelican case to my hotel in Utah. Also, packing a RRS TVC-24 in the checked Rolling Thunder bag. I'm taking two cameras for astrophotography. I do carry a camera bag as carry-on with a couple of lenses, camera body and ball head(s). Yes, maybe overkill. However, I can take different photos with each camera.
My tripod always goes into the checked in baggage, wrapped around with clothes or towels. Never had an issue. Same with a tripod/gimbal/video head. As long as you pack it safely, nothing will happen to it. Bags are thrown around for sure, so anything in the corners can get damaged. Anything in the center of the bag should be safe.
Rajan Parrikar wrote:
The TSA staff aren't exactly velvet-gloved. They damaged the stand of my iMac Pro - fortunately the machine itself emerged unscathed. It was packed in a custom-made Pelican case (virtually indestructible). They opened it at SFO but were careless while putting it back in. Lesson here is, if you have to check in sensitive equipment like lenses, make sure the packing is TSA-friendly. Usually the hard Pelican cases are the best for this but even then there are no guarantees. There is often the odd brute on the staff.
One of the best solutions for on-board carry-on if you are going in fully armed is the Airport International (v3 is now available) made by ThinkTank. Combine it with a good shoulder bag and you can accommodate virtually any photographic situation abroad. This has been my standard configuration for years.
Fortunately my tripod was surrounded by clothing, and came through unscathed. I do use a ThinkTank Airport Advantage Plus for my cameras, lenses, batteries, and other accessories that I want to make sure I have available on arrival in Africa. The Advantage Plus isn't quite as beefy as the International, but it is lighter and a bit easier to hoist into an overhead bin.
I always check a bag when traveling and leave the tripod in the checked bag. I'll usually carry my ballhead on with the cameras and lenses in either a backpack or occasionally the ThinkTank International vII. So far so good, but anything can happen when TSA decides to rummage through your bag. I'm not worried about theft so much as them jamming it back into the bag in such a way it's damaged in transit.
One is a very small "travel tripod" that is solid enough but which only rises high enough that I still need to bend down a bit. I outfitted it with a very small head, too. This entire thing fits in the carry-on backpack-style Osprey bag that I use for most travel. (We travel light.)
Another is a taller Gitzo tripod that I often use for Sierra backpacking, outfitted with a solid but not-too-heavy Acratech "Ultimate" Ball Head. By removing the head and then extracting the center column, I can just barely get this one into carry-on luggage as well. It takes up more space than I would like, but it is workable.
In a few cases with that second option when I'm traveling a bit heavier, I use a camera gear backpack (either a large one from Think Tank or a somewhat smaller one from Lowe Pro) for the camera gear, which goes into the cabin with me, and then I check my non-camera luggage... except the tripod legs go in the checked luggage. (Again, the head stays with me.)
The third is a very large and bulky tripod with a big RRS head. Basically I avoid flying with this setup at all costs. :-)
I remove the head, and always use a padded tripod bag which goes into a larger gear case that gets checked as baggage. It needs to be well protected! I've had steel light stands bent as checked luggage and have seen carbon fiber tripod legs crushed if not packed properly. The head gets packed in it's own small padded case in the larger case.
I place my tripod with my checked luggage. One risk of placing it there is that it gets lost, stolen or damaged by a baggage handler with a bad attitude.
I've had luggage practically destroyed and the tripod was just fine.
In some cases the tripod is almost a structural component of flimsy luggage. I do use a well padded pouch for ball heads or gimbal heads.
EB-1 wrote:
... I do use a well padded pouch for ball heads or gimbal heads.
+1
I use a thick LowePro S&F lens case for my C1 Cube (it's probably a LC 1W), and a big Domke lens wrap for my Sidekick. Lighter heads go in their own case (e.g. RRS BH-30), or a 'normal' neoprene pouch.
In the past, I would just check a bag for clothes and just stick it in there with the head removed. Then TSA scratched the tripod adapter plate (and left a note stating so), at $100 no one wanted to pay to replace it however. Now, I've just broke down and bought a tripod specifically for travel, that I can fit in carry on... Induro's GIT305L. Like stated by others, I remove the head and then pack both in my carry on.
Having researched this a couple years ago, I concluded I'd rather check my tripod. While it's legal to fly with a tripod in your overhead, many TSA agents apparently did not realize it was legal and wouldn't bother or hassled so much that it seemed too much of a risk for me. So the ball head comes with me in my overhead and the tripod gets wrapped in clothes and checked.
TSA could care less about your carry-on baggage with regard to a tripod. What works for me 99% of the time is to have the tripod strapped to the side of my 32L size backpack which is in turn strapped to a collapsible luggage cart (Samsonite $25).
When I am getting ready to go through the gate and board the plane I will unstrap the tripod and carry it in one hand. Once I get to my seat I take my large backpack and place it in the overhead bin. Then I insert the tripod so it is perpendicular to the aisle and takes up less that 4" of bin space and put my coat on top of it. My small "personal item" 18L backpack goes under the seat in front of me.
If the tripod is less than 22 inches in length it will easily fit inside the overhead bin with the head removed. I put the head in my large backpack so I am guaranteed that I will have the head and the legs when I reach my final destination. On the return trip I may put the tripod and head in my checked case as if it is stolen by the TSA people or the baggage handlers it will not impact my trip.
I make it a point to be inconspicuous going onto the plane and making my way down the aisle. To that end I have the 18L backpack on my back and the tripod in one hand and I am carrying the larger backpack by its top handle (Bataflae 32L or 26L) so I am not hitting the seats or the other passengers as I make my way down the aisle.
I do use a well padded pouch for ball heads or gimbal heads.