Tripods and carry on luggage Air Canada or Westjet.

Hi all,

I will be travelling to Vancouver in March for work but want to bring my gear which includes a 6 foot tall tripod that has pointed metal feet. I can cover the feet up with their rubber shoes.

Does Air Canada or Westjet allow these to be carry on? I do have a bag for it that it came in. I can also take the Gimbal head off and put it in my suitcase.

I will call them to verify and might even bring my tripod to the airport and ask but wanted to know if anyone has had an issues with this?

Thanks

Is that tripod collapsible? If not it's a snowball's chance in you know where that you will be able to do this. Air Canada has a size limitation for carry on and the largest dimension is 55 cm (21.5 inches). In addition, although they don't specifically address tripods with pointed feet, they don't allow something like an arrow in the cabin compartment. They have to be checked. A similar policy applies to skis and/or ski poles; they have to be packed in a rigid and/or hard shell case specifically designed for shipping and they have to travel as checked luggage.

Yes, its a wonderful new world we live in.

Mike

I have had experiences on both ends of the spectrum with both carriers. Sometimes it depends on who you fall upon at check-in, how full the flight is, what kind of aircraft you're flying, who is in charge of security and even who the pilot is. Oh, and if you call to find out you can't consider that information a guarantee either. I would say that your best course of action is to check it in as luggage.

With the gimbal on, it's 35cm collapsed. I'm going to see if it fits in my suitcase. And just carry on my camera backpack.

Thanks

CDN_Merlin wrote in post #18786771
With the gimbal on, it's 35cm collapsed. I'm going to see if it fits in my suitcase. And just carry on my camera backpack.

Thanks

Well you are well within the carry on size limitation of 55 cm but I would be concerned of the "pointed metal feet" in carry on. You should check carefully if the feet are removable, many are. As an engineer, I'm a firm believer that if someone assembled something, then it can be disassembled.

I have traveled within the US with a tripod but bought one to fit in my checked bag. I hope that you have rubber covers for the feet, I doubt that any airline would allow it otherwise. Hell, TSA took the flatware I use on food shoots and the table knives weren’t even sharp.

tcphoto1 wrote in post #18786882
I have traveled within the US with a tripod but bought one to fit in my checked bag. I hope that you have rubber covers for the feet, I doubt that any airline would allow it otherwise. Hell, TSA took the flatware I use on food shoots and the table knives weren’t even sharp.

Rubber covers will not help with pointed metal tips which will be clearly visible on x-ray. Heck, CATSA clearly says with respect to a hiking pole, Carry On Baggage: No and Checked Baggage: Yes and a hiking pole is not much more (or less) than a mono pod.

I do have rubbers to put on them and no the feet don't come off.


Thanks

My primary Food Stylist travels with a kit in a small Pelican case containing a knives, I'd have to ask if she checks it or carryon.

I have always put the tripod in the checked bag. Cameras and lenses stay with me as carry on.

I have traveled all over the world once on Air Canada (but, never again, but that's a different story), and lots of times on Westjet in North America and KLM elsewhere. I have a Gitzo GT3532LS, that goes in my checked luggage. I roll it up in a length of soft material that I have and it fits end to end in my medium sized Eagle Creek bag. My RRS BH-55 ball head is also rolled up in the same type of material and fits neatly in a corner of the Eagle Creek bag. I have never had any trouble with it being stolen (obviously), but I have had the bag inspected every once in a while. I can bet you that they will not allow anything that has pointed metal feet on it to be carried on board. Heck, it was only a few years ago that they wouldn't allow you to carry on a pair of those "nail clippers" that you can buy in the drug store. If the feet are not removable, then you will probably have to check it. I doubt that even putting rubber covers over the feet will work, although it might and it might also depend on who inspects the carry-on, how busy they are, etc. The worse that can happen is that you will be told at Security that you can't take it on board and the what do you do?

Good luck and let us know what you try and how it worked.

WesternGuy

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18787211
I have always put the tripod in the checked bag. Cameras and lenses stay with me as carry on.

This is what I did when I went to Europe, which required two flights with Westjet. Of course, the tripod contributed to the suitcase being over the weight allowance and I had to pay extra. There was no way the Manfrotto 055XPROB woulda fit in my carry on, though; making the Tenba Shootout fit was already a big challenge.

I will end up trying to see if it fits in my suitcase. I do have a soft material bag it came in for the tripod and my gimbal head. The Camera I am bring with me, that is no question.

My regular size tripod, 70 cm collapsed (27.6" in Good Christian Units), goes in the suitcase. I had a very long (and carefully subdued) argument with a gate agent insisting that I should check it in (I inflated wildly the price of the strange looking thing and eventually she gave in). So the suitcase it is...

The suitcase gets regularly inspected by the friendly folks that see the strange looking thing in the x-rays. Some are not so friendly, as they cut the TSA approved locks with bolt cutters. One tossed the TSA approved pieces in the interior of the suitcase...

For a photo safari in the Kruger, I bought an inexpensive (and somewhat flimsy) MeFoto measuring 10"+ which fit in the pocket of the medium size duffel bag approved for the trip (by the safari company). Same pocket contained all the things which might look weird in an x-ray screen... (chargers, headlamps, insect repellent, extra batteries (alkaline)).

Most airline regulations require to carry in the cabin laptops, cameras etc for the fear of Li-ion batteries catching fire in the hold. I've never been challenged, but my camera backpack with the 15.4" laptop weighs north of 17 lbs, somewhat more than some airlines allow. My line of defense will be '...but you require me to carry on cameras and laptops...'

Thankfully haven't been challenged yet.

Also, I am getting too old for carrying 18 lbs on my back , I need a Sherpa. In regular trips, most often I carry only the 60D w. EFS 18-200 and Sigma 8-16, a manageable weight.