My wife and I are heading to the Hawaiian island of Kauai next month. We are traveling light on this trip... carry-on luggage only.
I will have one of my small camera bags with my K5 and only a 18-135mm on the trip. I want to go lightweight to be on vacation and not on a "photo assignment". My most relaxing vacation was about five years ago when we rented a cabin way up in the mountains of far Eastern Oregon. We had electricity (with a well for water/septic) and propane. That was it. No tv, satellite/cable, phone, cell service, internet, etc. It was wonderful!
Since my main tripod is large and heavy (
Slik U212 Deluxe), I don't want to travel with it. Now the questions.
- Is it better to ship my tripod there, use it, and ship it home?
- Is is better to buy a cheap one while I am there and pass it to somebody else before I leave, or leave it at the VRBO property for others?
- Is it better to buy and take a light weight travel tripod, and if I do, are there any TSA security issues at the airport?
- I would have an item in here about renting a tripod on the island, but I haven't located a place that does that yet.
Thank you for any advice/experience.
Update:
I did find out that "Kauai Photo Tours" does rent "Vista" tripods, $15 per day (or $12 for the duration of their guided tours).
I can get a decent Targus tripod retail there for $54. Cheapies down to less than $17. It only needs to last a week, but needs to be strong enough to be stable/not move.
Now I'll check with the airline on taking a lightweight carbon fiber type travel tripod
Update 2:
I checked with the airline, they don't have a problem with it. They gave me contact info for the TSA.
Before calling I checked their website.
Quote: "Search Results For: tripod"
"You may transport this items in carry-on or checked baggage. For items you wish to carry on, you should check with the airline to ensure that the item will fit in the overhead bin or underneath the seat of the airplane."
I called the TSA and they confirmed that tripods are allowed, however the security agent(s) reviewing my luggage may decide to not allow it.
Last edited by FarmerJim; 02-16-2016 at 03:32 PM.
Reason: Updates to details/questions