hard case for tripod?

[Matthew de Jongh]

hello.

what does everyone use for transporting their tripod's on the airlines?

i used to put my old tripod in a hardigg case but the new one (525/503) is too big for even my largest hardigg case.

they have a bogen hard case on b&h for like $170 but i noticed there are hard cases for golf clubs that are like $100

matthew

[Don Bloom]

I have a few of the hardcases for golf clubs and only use 1 for the clubs. The others I padded with foam and my Bogen 3046/3246 legs with 501 heads fit very nicely. The cases also have wheels and carry handles on the top, side and a grip handle on the bottom to lift it with. PLUS, if someone should steal one thinking they're getting my clubs, HA! All they get is a tripod and you can't hit a golf ball with that! Course sometimes I can't hit a golfball with the clubs either but thats another story ;-)

Most decent golf shops have the cases and they really do work well.
Don

[Matthew de Jongh]

thanks for the reply.

i poked around some more and found some cases for as low as $49

is there a huge difference? i mean obviously there is a difference in the build and function, but not being a golfer, would the differences matter for what i want to use it for?

i figure i'll wrap the tripod in bubble wrap just in case so the case should be more than adequate as long as it doesn't rupture!

but again, i paid $700+ for the tripod/head so i don't want to cheap out by $40-50 and have it get trashed.

matthew

[Michel Brewer]

Matthew:

when you come to a choice if you wouldnt mind listing the ones you considered and price. The 49 caught my eye but you have obviously been looking at many between 175-50 dollars, I need to get one and would be interested in any information you can share when you finish the search.

M

[Mike Rehmus]

I have the $170 case. It is square and large enough to handle my largest tripod and head. I've probably shipped the tripod either via UPS or as hold luggage about 10 times. No appreciable wear and tear on the case. Never any damage to the tripod or head. But next time I think I would go for the golf case just because of the cost although it looks a bit hokey with the rest of the kit.

[Ken Tanaka]

<<<-- Originally posted by Mike Rehmus : ... But next time I think I would go for the golf case just because of the cost .... -->>>

I guess that would be a matter of fore-thought.

Sorry

[Don Bloom]

The differences can be in wheels,hinges,latches,straps and handles and even the thickness of the materials used to make the case. Franklly my golf clubs are more fragile than my tripods so I bought pretty good cases for everything a long time ago and have had both my clubs and tripods on lots of travel without damage. Now if I could find a case to put myself in and save the cost of a ticket...:-o
Don

[Alexey Ravichev]

Does anybody know of a good hard case for 3051/503? I tried ordering Bogen's 3285 for $160 but just got an email from the store that it's out of stock and discontinued. I am not sure what other case I can use to make sure my tripod serves me long enough. Any ideas are greatly appreciated as I am kind of lost now.

[Matthew de Jongh]

i haven't actually bought one yet as i haven't gone on a flight with my gear lately, but right after i bought my new tripod i started looking around and the only thing i could find that made sense is a cheap golf club bag.

they look like they are well made and just the right size, plus the airlines are accustomed to them and they don't seem like they charge extra according to their web pages.

i saw a decent looking one at dick's sporting goods for around $60

i figure just wrap some padding around the tripod to keep it from rattling around, probably bubble wrap.

matthew

[Alexey Ravichev]

Thanks Matthew! Would you recommend some specific model for 3051/503 with 3502 leveler setup? How do I know that it fits? I don't have a car at the moment, so I cannot go and check out different bags at retail stores, so I need to know exactly what to get from an online store.

Also, do you only need hard case when you travel? What about the local shoots and storage, will a softbag do?

[Matthew de Jongh]

i don't know, i just measured my tripod 325/503 and i looked at some mail order golf sites and all the cases seem to be the same size.

i have my tripods in the car more often than not and i have never worried about it except for air travel.

my old tripod 3130 with 3060? fit in a hardigg case that i always travel with. the new tripod is just too tall.

for local stuff if i was really worried i would probably just get a monster piece of pvc or similar pipe from home depot.

that is what i put together to hold the pvc pipe pieces for my doller track.

when it comes to air travel i'm shy of "do it yourself" looking pvc stuff. looks too much like a giant pipe bomb to me!

matthew

[Alexey Ravichev]

:) Thanks Matthew, I really appreciate the info