My Monopod Airport Experience (Page 3): Since TSA is a United States agency, does their standard apply internationally? Or, does each country have its own rules regarding what’s...

MarkSki

Since TSA is a United States agency, does their standard apply internationally? Or, does each country have its own rules regarding what’s allowed on aircraft?

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

dpullum wrote:

Excellent book title: "The Monopod Murder Case" The brutal beating with a lead filled monopod....

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

MarkSki wrote:

Since TSA is a United States agency, does their standard apply internationally? Or, does each country have its own rules regarding what’s allowed on aircraft?

Each country’s TSA equiv has their own rules. Water, other liquids, and small pocket knives are prime examples.

https://reason.com/2021/09/09/why-dont-more-countries-enforce-the-airport-security-rules-that-the-tsa-says-are-essential/

Carl S

I have traveled to all seven continents, and my tripod/monopod lives inside my suitcase when it isn't in the field to avoid questions and damage.

photoman43

Longshadow wrote:

I would have stuck in a suitcase to begin with.

I agree with this too.

Years ago a TSA agent told me that a ballhead for a tripod could not be in hand held luggage, like my camera bag , as it could be used as a weapon and weapons are not allowed to be in carry on luggage. This was about 15 years ago. I always put a monopod and/or tripod and anything else that is questionable into my checked baggage, with a note on top telling the checker exactly what is in the checked bag. This too was another tip from a TSA agent.

On another point, in Europe, some airport checkers may deem all cameras to be electronic devices, and therefore need to be taken out of carry on luggage just like laptops. I doubt if this is followed all the time. I would tell the agent that my bag has cameras in it and ask him what I need to do.

Mike D. Loc: Crowley County, CO.

ClarkJohnson wrote:

I agree that we didn’t need to know about the massive number of enhanced breasts in the air, but I don’t begrudge tight security at the airport. These folks are serious about their jobs, with the memories of 9/11 top of mind. If you were anywhere in the area when the towers fell, you would feel the same way. Anyway, now with TSA precheck, you can avoid most of the lines and the annoying screening.

I get the need for security Clark, I work in a prison. However, in that report there was not ONE item that was security related. It just seemed to me that it was a colossal waste of time and money.

As for 9/11, one didn't need to be there. My wife shut off our satellite service because our oldest son would flip through the channels and watch the towers fall over and over again. The TSA security wouldn't have affected that outcome one iota, but it did give rise to a whole bunch of jobs in the form of Homeland Security whose sole purpose was to restrict personal freedoms under the guise of keeping us safe.

It is what it is...

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The Day #2 team is coming in HOT!

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

John Matthews wrote:

If people bother to read this has nothing to do with the TSA. The event occurred in another country and they make their own rules.

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

[quote=rwoodvira]

KerryF wrote:

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/camera-monopod They are allowed.

By Argentina? That is the government that has jurisdiction over the airport where this drama played out.

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

CHG_CANON wrote:

The Day #2 team is coming in HOT!

That's how it goes here. Long after the question at hand is settled, the curmudgeons come out and blabber on for pages and pages. This site is barely relevant for photography questions anymore.

Judy795

In France for several flights this past May. All cameras had to come out of bags. No sign saying this. Pelican case was locked. They were ready to break the lock but let me open it finally.

SteveFranz Loc: Durham, NC

KerryF wrote:

Everyone so often I see questions about carrying a monopod (with the rest of the camera gear) on to a plane and the typical response is that you can and it is allowed as stated on the TSA website. So here is my ACTUAL experience with my monopod.

A little back story first. I got my monopod for my Nikon 7200 with a Tamron 150-600 lens as I don't do enough upper body excercises to be able to hold it steady for long periods of time. I have taken my monopod strapped to my camera bag from San Francisco through a layover in London on our way to India and Nepal and back home without issues. I took it again from San Francisco, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and finally up to Churchill and back home again without issues.

Now it starts getting interesting on our trip to Antarctica. We flew from San Francisco to JFK (in case you are wondering why we went to JFK, it was because, for some reason, it was a lot cheaper than flying to Dallas), to Buenos Aires. Again, no problems. Now we fly from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia and it makes it through the scanner without a problem, but instead of just picking up my camera bag and walking away unnoticed, I swung it around on to my back (it's a backpack) and that is when a security agent took notice and stopped me! After checking it out he told me I would have to check it in because we wouldn't let me carry it on board the airplane. When I explained that monopods are allowed on planes, he basically said leave it behind or check it in. So I had run all the way back to the checkin counter to say goodbye to my monopod since I probably wouldn't be seeing it again and then run all the way back to security to go through security again and then to our gate. So since I have a picture of my monopod with all the stickers, it did make it through to Ushuaia (since our suitcases were already checked in, this is how my monopod was checked in, naked!) without any problems...I guess monopods are not a high value item worth taking.

Now I am the first to admit that this big and could be used as a weapon, especially for the little tripod feets, but there are no stipulations in the rules of what kind, what size of monopods are or are not allowed and I hadn't had any trouble before this trip.

So the bottom line is, no matter what the rules say (about anything), the security agents have the final word on what is and what is not allowed for carryon. For the trip home, it went into the suitcase!

Everyone so often I see questions about carrying a... (show quote)

My my tripod/monopod goes in my suitcase. Easy Peazy.

Aldla Loc: Central NJ

lamiaceae wrote:

I guess it could be thought of as a (delicate) police baton.

How about a cheer leader baton? Not surprised coming from CA

Bullet

KerryF wrote:

Everyone so often I see questions about carrying a monopod (with the rest of the camera gear) on to a plane and the typical response is that you can and it is allowed as stated on the TSA website. So here is my ACTUAL experience with my monopod.

A little back story first. I got my monopod for my Nikon 7200 with a Tamron 150-600 lens as I don't do enough upper body excercises to be able to hold it steady for long periods of time. I have taken my monopod strapped to my camera bag from San Francisco through a layover in London on our way to India and Nepal and back home without issues. I took it again from San Francisco, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and finally up to Churchill and back home again without issues.

Now it starts getting interesting on our trip to Antarctica. We flew from San Francisco to JFK (in case you are wondering why we went to JFK, it was because, for some reason, it was a lot cheaper than flying to Dallas), to Buenos Aires. Again, no problems. Now we fly from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia and it makes it through the scanner without a problem, but instead of just picking up my camera bag and walking away unnoticed, I swung it around on to my back (it's a backpack) and that is when a security agent took notice and stopped me! After checking it out he told me I would have to check it in because we wouldn't let me carry it on board the airplane. When I explained that monopods are allowed on planes, he basically said leave it behind or check it in. So I had run all the way back to the checkin counter to say goodbye to my monopod since I probably wouldn't be seeing it again and then run all the way back to security to go through security again and then to our gate. So since I have a picture of my monopod with all the stickers, it did make it through to Ushuaia (since our suitcases were already checked in, this is how my monopod was checked in, naked!) without any problems...I guess monopods are not a high value item worth taking.

Now I am the first to admit that this big and could be used as a weapon, especially for the little tripod feets, but there are no stipulations in the rules of what kind, what size of monopods are or are not allowed and I hadn't had any trouble before this trip.

So the bottom line is, no matter what the rules say (about anything), the security agents have the final word on what is and what is not allowed for carryon. For the trip home, it went into the suitcase!

Everyone so often I see questions about carrying a... (show quote)

You can take a tripod in your carry-on to Mexico but you can not take one leaving Mexico, go figure.

Carl S

In Nairobi two years ago, we had to take all of the cameras out of the bags, and their security had to look through the lens. In Spain, we were told that we could only take two batteries/camera with us, and in Indonesia, the Allen wrench for my tripod was taken away. These all occurred within the past two years after covid. Obviously, the rules change from year to year, but was has been universal is not to pack lithium batteries in your bags. Oh, the perils of international travel.