TrappedInBortle8

Thank you everyone for your very helpful responses. After considering all your advice and also looking at Youtube videos to get an idea of just how big the 25x 100 are, I've decided to stick with a 20x 80. In order to sooth my disappointment when I realized how impractical my initial ambition was, I've decided to pay up and go for the best 20x 80 I can afford. My view is that this is a lifetime purchase, and one that I will ultimately get more use out of than something larger. I have just now ordered the following from First Light Optics: Helios LightQuest HR 80 Horizon8115HD Tripod iOptron Ball Head a3305 The total weight of this set up is roughly 6.5kg, which I think is manageable in terms of portability. I will be able to take this to a local park and set up quickly if a decent opportunity arises. Alternatively I can take this on public transport for a more serious observing session. As an aside, I have booked a trip to Croatia for some R&R. I plan on taking this set up with me, (fingers crossed for dark skies) so I will shortly be able to report back on how this setup travels by air. The tripod is too large to fit in a typical holiday suitcase, and it looks like this is the case for the smaller, cheaper tripods too. I am flying with Lufthansa, and they allow sports baggage to be carried for free which I think is a great offering. Unfortunately, they have specific categories of sports equipment that are covered and photography/astronomy equipment isn't included. I'm going to reserve a slot for sports equipment and put the tripod in an old fishing rod bag (fishing is covered) and hope they don't notice. If that doesn't work it's €80 each way excess baggage so it will be an expense mistake! I shall report back and let you know how I get on. Thanks once again!

Greetings star gazers. I have some questions regarding the practicalities of owning and using large binoculars. I currently own a pair of Ultima 8 x 56 binoculars. A great pair that I get a lot of enjoyment from and frequently take on trips etc. After being in awe of a truly dark sky I saw whilst traveling in Turkey, I've decided to add a larger pair of mounted binoculars to my collection. I'm torn between 20x 80 or 25x 100, possibly from the Helios Stellar range. Whilst the size and weight of the 25x 100 doesn't seem like too big a jump up from 20x 80, (correct me if I'm wrong!), my concern here would be how to adequately mount the binoculars and have the overall weight and size of the complete set up manageable. As my name suggests, I live in a large city, so I will have to travel by public transport for at least an hour to get to some decent night skies. I would like to keep the overall set up under 10kg so it can be carried in a large rucksack after work. I would also like to take the binoculars on a plane for holidays. I think this rules out parallelogram mounts, because they are simply too big and heavy with counterweights etc to take as luggage. Are there mounts available that will work well with a 25x 100, and still be manageable in size and weight? Am I just being unrealistic? Thanks in advance!