I've been meaning to mention this. Recently, I had to travel to TX for a shoot. I didn't want to trust my audio gear to checked-in luggage. The problem was, my K-tek carbon fiber boom pole is way to long to fit in my standard carry-on bag.
As it turns out, k-tek makes an aluminum pole that collapses down to around 20 inches and fits perfectly in my suitcase. It opens to 6' 9" and they make both an internal cable and external cable version. You may find yourself in need of a boom longer than 6' 9", of course, but for the locked down shots and run and gun we were doing, it was fine.
K-tek doesn't have the AVALON Traveler on their website, but you can find it at.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...=Google+Search
Regards,
Ty Ford