Paul Barrett wrote: > I just bought a spotting scope and tripod and am wondering about > taking them on an airplane. > > Can the tripod be a "carry-on"; if so does it "count" against the 1 > bag plus a briefcase limit? > Can the telescope be safely packed in suitcase (damage, theft)? > Do you recommend a carrying case (hard vs. soft sided)? Paul, I carry large photo gear (500 mm f/4 lens plus others lenses) all over the world. No problem taking the scope on board as long as it meets the length limit (22 inches on most US airlines). Tripods with spiked feet will not be allowed but otherwise I have never encountered nor head of any problems. I also encountered one guy in Frankfurt who was carrying a huge tripod (for professional video equipment) and he said he carries it all over the work and has never had a problem. When I carry my carbon fiber tripod I usually put the ball head in the checked luggage as the ball head could be considered a club.
You could get a bag where you can strap the tripod to the bag, then it can be considered one piece, just in case. Roger in Lakewood (bird images on my non-commercial web site: clarkvision.com) -- Colorado Field Ornithologists: http://www.cfo-link.org/ Colorado County Birding: http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.as/group/cobirds?hl=en