Tripod Bag- Padded or No

[fcortese]

I am very close to getting a carbon fiber tripod. I recently traveled with my Manfrotto travel tripod which comes with a simple, non-padded case. I put this in my large duffle bag and checked it in as my luggage. It survived a three leg trip w/o any problems. I do not own any hard case luggage. All of my luggage is either duffle bag or soft fabric roller baggage. I was wondering since I am going to commit to some significant bucks for a carbon fiber tripod with ball head, should I spend the extra bucks for a padded tripod case which is 2-3x the price? I know many of you on this site have done extensive travel to Europe, etc so I am curious as to what your thoughts/recommendations are. Thanks.

PS I MRoogle'd this but came up dry.

 

[telecomm]

I probably wouldn't bother with a padded bag if your concern is extra protection for the tripod itself, but I find my current, unpadded tripod bag uncomfortable to carry around. When I carry the tripod in its bag the legs always manage to press uncomfortably against my ribs, so at some point I plan on getting a padded bag.

 

[Phrasikleia]

I probably wouldn't bother with a padded bag if your concern is extra protection for the tripod itself, but I find my current, unpadded tripod bag uncomfortable to carry around. When I carry the tripod in its bag the legs always manage to press uncomfortably against my ribs, so at some point I plan on getting a padded bag.

I agree with telecomm. The amount of padding you get in a tripod bag is not going to make a major difference if your luggage suffers some bag handling abuse, but it will make a big difference when you're hiking around with the thing.

I travel with typical wheelie bags that are not hard-shelled, but they're not as soft as duffel bags either. I pack the tripod in the center with a bunch of stuff around it, and that does a fine job of protecting against damage. Theft is still a concern, of course, but that's another matter. I usually put my ballhead still attached to the center column in a separate suitcase; that way I spread out my risk over two bags.

 

[stevendphoto]

I have a $500 dollar Gitzo and the Gitzo padded bag. A bag is like insurance, how much do you want to pay? And how likely is the Tripod to be banged around?

 

[alembic]

I used to pack my tripod in the smallest capacity North Face duffel which I took on-board. But getting a bit lazier these days, I swapped the duffel bag with a Rimowa carry-on roller. I wrap the tripod with clothing and, although small enough as carry-on luggage, I check-in the roller (it has TSA-approved locks and the hard shell offers solid protection). I always remove the tripod head and take it on-board however. I don't use a carrying case for the tripod at the destination.