Tripods are not specifically banned from airplanes in the US (you can
check the official list at the TSA website). However, when I tried to
travel with one in my carry-on at Christmas, the security staff made me
go back and check my luggage. Since I *knew* they weren't on the banned
list, I asked if this was a change because I didn't think they used to
be on the list. "No," the TSA guy said, "they aren't on the list. Its a
judgement call." So, Charlie, you may or may not be allowed to travel
with your tripod, and no one - not even officials at TSA-- can tell you
which it will be prior to your arrival at security and the guy screening
your luggage decides what sort of mood he's in with regard to tripods.
Good luck.
>On Thu, 4 Mar 2004 15:19:49 -0600
>Geilfuss Charles <Charles.Geilfuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>Greetings All,
> Since 9/11 I have not had much occasion to fly and my question is
>
>
>>this: have tripods and/or monopods been banned from the passenger
>>compartments of commercial flights?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Charlie
>>
>>
>>
>
>Greetings Charlie,
>
>A victim of "too much flying" since the early 90'es, I can ensure you
>that
>since 11/9, the airport paranoia has gone to excessive lengths. I will
>relay some of my experiences, then you can draw your own conclusions.
>
>Here's what I've recently have had arguments/fights with overly-eager
>airport
>security staff over:
>
> - a 60cm thread shutter release;
>
> - AA-type duracell batteries. Can't get them through security --
>can buy
> them in "duty free" after clearing security though (logic,
>anyone?);
> this happened to me less than 10h ago when departing (I am in
>the air
> as I write this) Seoul;
>
> - carrying more than 3 cameras (somehow, I was told, the limit
>for
> carry-on bodies were 2....never gotten it confirmed, and
>yelled quite a
> bit -- didn't become a repeat problem). This was in Washington
>Dulles;
>
> - my trusty (executive-style) fountain pen, which I've carried
>for the
> past decade -- in LAX, it was on one occation "prohibited in
>cabin" and
> had to be checked. Only once -- since (also LAX), I've never
>had any
> problems;
>
> - a monopod -- in *checked* baggage. Was called to "the secret
>room" to
> open suitcase and explain myself to some very seriously
>looking
> gentlemen with automatic weapons;
>
> - a laptop AND a PDA. Clearly, only terrorists carry both. I got
>a
> strip-search and full body cavity search for that combo --
>*outch*. I am
> still not entirely clear what the justification for that was,
>tho'....;
>
> - carrying cameras in general is in SFO reason to be questioned.
>They
> repeatedly xray it *carefully* multiple times, then
>hand-inspects
> the bag, including removing all lens caps, body caps (thanks
>for
> that thumbprint on the camera mirror, btw, I appreciated
>getting
> encouragement to sit down and clean the inside of my OM1...)
>and film
> chamber. Travel-tip: always carry your cameras UNLOADED --
>they do not
> rewind the films.
>
>Not to mention some countries immigration "services", which seems to be
>more and more intrusive: I was once (in 2003 in O'Hara) questioned for
>about an hour, where I was asked to account for my travels in and out of
>the US since '93, including where I'd been, why, who I'd seen, what I'd
>been doing, where I'd been accomodated etc. Did I mention that I used to
>spend about 200 days/year travelling for work, a lot of this in and out
>of
>the states? Missed my connection-flight too, and my suitcase got a nice
>round-trip to the other end of the world before I got it. I just watched
>"Welcome to Gattaca" again -- can't help wondering how many weeks into
>the
>future the "hand over a genetic sample at each counter" really is...?
>
>And I do not even match any of the usual "terrorist profiles", what
>being
>scandinavian, frequent traveller, always with round-trip tickets
>and with a clean record in all respects. It can actually get worse:
>I have a (very nice) colleague from Tunisia, who utterly refuses to
>travel for work, simply because "some countries" consider him as a
>"suspect" solely because of his origins. I've got another colleague
>who's got an European passport but has parents with a different
>ethnic origin. He now travels only with carry-on since *every* time he
>hits
>an US border, he's questioned for so long that airport security picks up
>and destroys his suitcase. I've been with him twice when it happened. Of
>course, they are not being nice about it, btw...
>
>I've cut my work-related travelling in half over the past year, and am
>being more selective where I actually go: some countries seem to make an
>effort in making air-travel even more stressfull. And the days where I'd
>bring 3-4 camera bodies to "interresting" photogenic spots are over.
>Explaining it to security is simply too troublesome. If I
>feel I will need to take pictures, it's a lil' consumer Pentax Optio S4
>digicam which comes with me in the air. Travelling by air for "vacation
>and
>fun"? Hah! If I am to travel somewhere for fun, I'll go by boat, train
>or
>car (or I'll walk...), but I'll fly only as absolute last resort:
>dealing
>with airports/immigration can ruin the best of vacations. And they
>wonder
>why the airline industry is experiencing problems? (And I wonder how the
>heck I'll get to burn all them freq. flyer miles...)
>
>So to answer your question, Charlie: don't be surprised if you're given
>heat for carrying <insert-unusual-device> into an aircraft. It depends
>on
>airport, country and whoever is manning the security counter you walk
>through. Best of luck, though -- I hope you're not running into
>complications.
>
>With disgruntled greetings,
>
>--thomas
>
>ps: Yeah, and this is actually written while in an Airbus 340-600. All
>said
>and done, neat aircraft...
>
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