Travelling with tripod

[Calson]

TSA has no issues with a tripod. It is more a matter of getting it inside the overhead bin on the plane. I stick with tripods that when collapsed are 22 inches or shorter as they can fit crossways in the overhead bin and take up only 4" of space. I put my coat on top of the tripod and not issues about it fitting in the bin.

 

[John Woodworth]

I'm not experienced with supertelephotos, so I defer to many here that are, but I travel with a Gitzo Series 2 Traveler tripod and don't hesitate to use it with my Z100-400 and 1.4 TC.

Given the image stabilization on modern cameras, this might be plenty for your purposes.

 

[TurtleCat]

The main reason I wouldn’t try to get a tripod through the checkpoint is that its ultimate in TSA’s benevolence and if they choose to be ridiculous on the point it may not be possible to easily check it.

 

[MMoretti]

When flying out of my home base at IAD (Washington DC), I’ll go up to the TSA point of entry and ask an agent directly about any questionable items I’m bringing, before I check in. TSA is pretty close to the airline counters at this airport. That said, I always pack my Gitzo series 3 tripod in my largest checked suitcase, as without the head and leveler it’s 27”.