Am I allowed to carry on a tripod and tape on an airplane?

gerfoto

New member
Hello,
i am wondering if i am allowed to carry on a tripod inside an airplane and duct tape ?

I am planning to time lapse photography for a sunrise.

thanks,
 

fotojack

Senior Member
Hello,
i am wondering if i am allowed to carry on a tripod inside an airplane and duct tape ?

I am planning to time lapse photography for a sunrise.

thanks,

I believe that would be something you,d have to ask the airline you plan on using.
 

weebee

Senior Member
I've carried my tripod on as carry on before. It is only 14" folded up and attached under my pack. To avoid any questions just buy duct tape when you get where you are going.
 
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BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Check the TSA site about the Duct Tape. As for the tripod, I've done it before, but TSA can get weird with what they want to enforce on any given week and if it's a sturdy metal one then the "This could be used as a weapon" argument is easy to make. Heck, they confiscated a Turbo Blower because it looked like a bomb and could be filled with gun powder.
 

Whiskeyman

Senior Member
Are you going to check any luggage? I've taken mine in checked baggage before, after removing the head from the legs so that it would fit into my luggage.

WM
 

gerfoto

New member
Thank you guys..
My plan is to stand up my tripod with my D600 and somehow and strap it with duct tape. I will do the time lapse photography inside the airplane, :) i have a window seat.
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Thank you guys..
My plan is to stand up my tripod with my D600 and somehow and strap it with duct tape. I will do the time lapse photography inside the airplane, :) i have a window seat.

Uh, good luck with that. I've logged over a quarter million miles since 2001 and from all I've seen I'd put down good money on that never happening.
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
It's not that I don't know what you're talking about, but the video you referenced is not a time lapse but simply a video - you can see it go out and back in focus at one point. You can take a camera and shoot video, or even pictures. But the minute you try to duct tape anything to something else in that plane, let alone something near the window, you'll be told once to put it away, no matter what it is. You may also be spending some time in a little room with a guy wearing a glove and an attitude when you land, regardless of whether or not you protest when the flight attendant a asks you to put the tape away. And if there's an air marshall? Just plan on making a new best friend.
 

Jonathan

Senior Member
I could almost feel the talc when I took this on an "internal" flight from Dublin to London!

DSC00647.jpg
 

Steve B

Senior Member
Thank you guys..
My plan is to stand up my tripod with my D600 and somehow and strap it with duct tape. I will do the time lapse photography inside the airplane, :) i have a window seat.
Is this idea a side effect of the legalization of marijuana in your state? Because you would have to be on something to attempt this on a commercial flight not to mention that if I was in the seat next to you I would definitely be very pi$$ed if you attempted to set this up. I have 2 million miler status on AA so I have some experience with commercial flights.
 

WeeHector

Senior Member
To think that 35 years ago I got on a flight with a tape echo chamber in my bag. It was a wooden box, 10"x6"x4" and had 4 nobs, a light and a switch on the front. The guy asked what it was and accepted my reply. However, I had to take the lens off my 35mm camera.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Last time I traveled with photo gear taking my tripod on-board was no problem. Beating another passenger about the head and shoulders *with* my tripod was a different matter entirely, though.

That was a few years ago so things may have changed by now.

.....
 

Steve B

Senior Member
Seriously. Carrying the tripod on will probably not be a big issue on most airlines but setting it up between your seat and the one in front of you will be. I doubt very much that the flight attendants are going to allow it and what are you going to do if the person in front of you reclines their seats. The only way I would attempt something like this is to make sure I had a seat in business or first class and then clear it with the airline ahead of time. Crew members on most flights will error on the side of caution in most cases and it usually isn't a pretty sight if you argue with them. I have seen people get taken off of planes under police guard. Some things are just not worth the risk involved.
 
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