I need a large plastic tube suitable to carry several rolled posters on a flight. Something like one of these, except that would take too long to ship before a deadline, so I need a local connection. I tried Michael’s and Office Max, no dice. There are plenty of cardboard shipping tubes, but we’d need a more permanent solution. Has anyone seen these floating around in stores?
Do you have a local Staples where you could have this delivery-only item shipped in (presumably) 1 business day?
Or, have you tried a local liberal arts’ college’s bookstore? I went to a school with a large art department and they had quite the artists’ spread.
Yeah, I’m thinking a serious art store like Dick Blick. Or somewhere that architects hang out or maybe builders?
The Post Office.
Staples looks like it would work. Thanks. I checked the university, but nothing suitable there.
The Post Office should have cardboard tubes, but not travel ones with straps, unless I’m mistaken.
Another vote for an art supply store. They shold have nice plastic ones with a shoulder strap.
I’ve seen home made ones; made out of a piece of PVC pipe with end caps. One end has to be screw-on, obviously. The strap was made of leather - wrapped around in two places with a connecting piece which you pick it up with.
Here’s a page which tells how to make one sans carrying handle.
Does the tube need to be specially-designed to carry *travel *posters? Or is it OK if it can carry any old kind of poster? 
You could just send the posters over the internet. I mean after all, the internet is a series of tubes.
(sorry, couldn’t resist)
If I didn’t find one in a standard office supply store, my first stop a drafting supply store. If I couldn’t locate one on my own, I’d call a couple of local architects or surveyors for recommendations.
The UPS store has them.
Any graphic/artist supplies store, the sort of place designers and art students buy portfolios from.
Another vote for PVC. Cheap and always available at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
The cardboard tubes are pretty thick and sturdy. If you definitely need a carrying strap, you could probably rig something up with duct tape or rope.
And if it doesn’t fit in the overhead bin or under your seat, are you really going to trust it below in baggage?
If you leave near a Container Store, they might have it. Call first.