Gear for transporting telescope(s) - Forums

Topic starter

Oct 2, 2023

Hi All,

I've got the chance to visit a dark sky site a few hours from where I live in the coming months. Essentially it's a camp site well away from populated areas.

But I'm wondering about what gear to use to transport my telescope(s) and associated gear. The largest scope I have is a Celestron NexStar 8SE - it's currently stored in its original packaging, though I'm looking at freeing it from those restraints in the near future. While the original box is great for storage, it doesn't make for an easy travel solution.

So I was wondering what others here might use for something of that size …. or even just in general …. if needing to transport their gear elsewhere. I was thinking a heavy duty plastic tub lined with foam or blankets or something of the like to protect the tube, but not sure how good that might be.

Happy to discuss.

Cheers,

Daniel J. Leahy

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Nick Grundy

Oct 2, 2023

daniel, I think celestron makes a pretty solid padded bag for the 8" OTA if that would work?

I have a lot of luck with these https://www.containerstore.com/s/Boxes/sterilite-black-stacker-totes/qd?productId=11007874 They pack and stack well and don't break the bank. The are pretty easy pad as well

andrea tasselli

Frequent contributor

Oct 2, 2023

The back of the car…

Daniel J. Leahy

Topic starter

Oct 2, 2023

andrea tasselli:
The back of the car...

Slow down, I'm taking copious notes. Thanks for the insight.

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andrea tasselli

Frequent contributor

Oct 2, 2023

Daniel J. Leahy:
andrea tasselli:
The back of the car...

Slow down, I'm taking copious notes. Thanks for the insight.

Glad to be of help. Passenger seats also work a treat.

HR_Maurer

IOTD Staff

Oct 2, 2023

Hi,
ive been using my back seat, with a lot of blankets so far. Buckled up, of coarse. But i have been thinking about a transport tool, like a styrofoam construction with something like a flexure bearing, made by cutting shapes into the styrofoam. To cancel out chuckholes and bad road surfaces and keep the telescope alignment if possible.
So far i didnt put it into practise yet. Looking forward to some patent pending solutions in this thread

CS Horst

Ian McIntyre

Oct 2, 2023

andrea tasselli:
The back of the car...

*This hobby is expensive enough as it is. Now we need a car too? Any suggestions more in line with say, pack mule?

Oscar

Oct 2, 2023

Just get a camel or a pair of horses with a chariot

Arun H

Frequent contributor

Oct 2, 2023 · Edited: Oct 2, 2023

Daniel J. Leahy:
1.51
Daniel J. Leahy#about 12 hours ago· 41 views· 2 likes
andrea tasselli:
The back of the car...

Slow down, I'm taking copious notes. Thanks for the insight.

Andrea's comment may seem facetious, but is aligned with my experience. I have, innumerable times, simply strapped my refractor and also my Epsilon E-130D reflector when I owned it to the backseat of my car simply using the seatbelt and no additional packaging and driven to multiple dark sky sites. They were none the worse for the trip. I was more concerned with the dovetail damaging the fabric or leather of the seat than damage to the scopes so would use some padding beneath it to protect the seat.

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SemiPro

IOTD Staff

Oct 2, 2023

Arun H:
Daniel J. Leahy:
1.51
Daniel J. Leahy#about 12 hours ago· 41 views· 2 likes
andrea tasselli:
The back of the car...

Slow down, I'm taking copious notes. Thanks for the insight.

Andrea's comment may seem facetious, but is aligned with my experience. I have, innumerable times, simply strapped my refractor and also my Epsilon E-130D reflector when I owned it to the backseat of my car simply using the seatbelt and no additional packaging and driven to multiple dark sky sites. They were none the worse for the trip. I was more concerned with the dovetail damaging the fabric or leather of the seat than damage to the scopes so would use some padding beneath it to protect the seat.

Yeah, it sounds absurd, but my RC8, C9.25 and FLT91 have taken many trips out to dark sites bundled up and strapped into the front passenger seat like it was my kid or something. The mount usually rides in the back where it lays across all the passenger seats. The clutches are not engaged and it's strapped in.

Telescopes are fragile, but not THAT fragile.

As an added bonus, I found that this method allows for a faster set up and break down. I don't need to yank all the equipment out of a bunch of secure cases and assemble it on spot, and then put it all back later.

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Brian Boerma

Oct 6, 2023

I am a mobile imager and all of my gear is transported in Pelican or Eyler hard cases. These cases come with foam that can be custom cut to fit each piece of gear. I even transport my EQ6-R Pro mount in a hard case. I also use Huskey contractor grade totes to store and transport some of the smaller cases. Gun cases, specifically, pistol cases make for a great way to store and transport filters, reducers, and other small delicate items. An additional plus, all these cases can be padlocked. Although the cases are not cheap, the alternative is running the risk of damaging your equipment because you had to slam on the breaks and swerve to miss a deer or some idiot driver and have your equipment fly around the car. I use the trunk for my card table, folding chair, warm clothes, tent etc.

Eylar Extra Large 24 Inch Protective Hard Camera and Gear Case Waterproof with Foam TSA Standards- this will accommodate the EQ6-R Pro mount head. It took me a while to track down a case with the right dimensions.

Clear skies

Brian

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Mariusz Henn

Oct 6, 2023

i put everything in place of spare wheel (dont have one anyway) and make sure nothing is wobbling. After 1300 km collimation of my rc was intact.

jewzaam

Oct 6, 2023

Just check collimation for scopes that need it and pad so your comfortable. I've done a mix of lots of suggestions here including plastic bins with blankets and towels to keep something from moving around too much. Much preferred to taking equipment off the scope since I set up mine as a self contained package. Just need a wire with power in, connect the scope's PC to the mount and off it goes. If I was flying somewhere it would be a different matter but don't expect to do that anytime soon.

Daniel J. Leahy

Topic starter

Oct 9, 2023

Thanks to everyone who has commented, it's greatly appreciated!

While I can understand the 'just stick it in the car' type attitude, I'd be travelling with others who may be throwing their gear around. We'd also possibly be stopping in a few places en route where I'd like to keep the gear 'out of sight; out of mind' for security reasons, if you get my meaning.

I've got a few ideas based on what people have mentioned here, as well as other things I've seen online, so I'll be sure to post photos once I get things sorted.

Cheers,

Daniel

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