Show us your travel kit

[Piero]

If I have to be very light, here we go: 

- TV60 (as usual..)

- Pan 24, Vixen 5mm SLV, and if I fancy my powermate 2.5x. The latter inside the tv60 bag or in a pocket.

- UHC/OIII filters, everbrite diagonal inside the bag. 

- that light tripod

Total weight is about 3kg. This could be taken to Everest!  

[DRT]

I think you might have just cracked the problem there, Piero

I have looked longingly at the TV60 for a few months and tried to persuade myself it is for looking at birds but this post and your recent review thread are making me week at the knees

[Piero]

6 minutes ago, DRT said:

I think you might have just cracked the problem there, Piero

I have looked longingly at the TV60 for a few months and tried to persuade myself it is for looking at birds but this post and your recent review thread are making me week at the knees

Thank you Derek! I am honoured by your kind words! It's a very high quality telescope, but apart from the wide fields views it can deliver and its portability - the TV60 key points -, many larger telescope of good quality would offer much more due to aperture.

[Highburymark]

4 hours ago, DRT said:

That's a fantastic set-up for holiday time, Mark - very nice

Thanks Derek. I'm still salivating over your eyepieces on the 'show me your eyepiece cases' thread.

[markthg]

My wife has told me that I am not allowed to take anything on holiday......

 

watch this space, i will work my magic on her

[L8-Nite]

Along with torch, Pocket Sky Atlas, guide, planisphere and log, our ultra light go anywhere travel kit consists of a 45 year old Mak and a 60+ year old Tripod.

We have a tiny caravan which doesn't get as much use as it deserves, but there will always be room for a larger kit; and my favourite mug of course.  

[Highburymark]

Very nice Mike, 

If I had a spare £4,000, I might have considered buying a Questar at Astrofest over the weekend. 

[L8-Nite]

2 hours ago, Highburymark said:

Very nice Mike, 

If I had a spare £4,000, I might have considered buying a Questar at Astrofest over the weekend. 

Maybe in dollars if its near new, but not in pounds. There are better deals out there.

Edited February 10, 2016 by L8-Nite

[Stu]

I must admit I'm quite chuffed with how this has come together. Just received the Pelicase 1510 which is airline portable though not for the likes of EasyJet or charters but ok for mainstream airlines. I would chose a different case for those occasions.

Anyway, fitting snuggly in the case is everything I need apart from the tripod which can go in hold baggage.

Burgess Optical  91mm EDT, fits nicely with the focuser removed

Giro-WR mount

Baader Zeiss T2 Prism

Televue 3 to 6 Nagler Zoom

Leica 8.9 to 17.8mm ASPH Zoom with Baader VIP Barlow

Zeiss 25mm Ortho

Docter 12.5mm 84 degree

Televue 24mm Panoptic

Televue x2.5 PowerMate

x0.5 Focal Reducer

Lumicon OIII and UHC filters

DGM NPB Filter

Televue Mars and Planetary filters

 

Finally, a Gitzo GT5542LS Tripod with trigger grip for use with binoculars if I chose.

 

Regardless of whether I'm going abroad or not, this is a very handy little kit that can go in the car at short notice and go anywhere with me.

I've checked, and the Tak FC-100 will also just fit in with the dewshield and focuser removed. Not so practical as not much room for anything else in the case, but nice to have as an option.

[nightfisher]

On 2/9/2016 at 21:56, L8-Nite said:

Along with torch, Pocket Sky Atlas, guide, planisphere and log, our ultra light go anywhere travel kit consists of a 45 year old Mak and a 60+ year old Tripod.

We have a tiny caravan which doesn't get as much use as it deserves, but there will always be room for a larger kit; and my favourite mug of course.  

I did not expect to see a Questar in the brown case, very nice

[nightfisher]

Near the start of this thread i said i would put some pics of my travel/grab an go scope so after a few weeks delay i have got round to it, this was brought about by finally getting the AZ 4 out to clean and sort out the altitude movement as it was really notchy, i have cleaned and carefully lubed with black Moly grease and now super sweet, any way i digress.

 

So we use the lovely Skywatcher AZ 4 mount, this is now my second one (regretted selling the last one so did a reverse move)

 

Then we have the TS 80mm 600mm focal length Achro refractor, this is mounted on a dovetail scavenged from an Astromaster 70 az, works lovely, i have to keep stealing the 1.25 diagonal from my Tal when i use this scope (not a bad thing) and the 9x50 finder is a little "overkill"

I keep thinking i should graft the finder from my Tal onto this lovely scope

My EP`s to use with this are 17mm Tal plossl plus 25mm, 20mm and 10mm silvertop plossl`s

 

future plans, make a white light filter for odd bit of Solar, and i rather fancy fitting a light weight crayford focuser, but no rush for that

[RikM]

I'll take a pic later but my travel kit is a TV Pronto in its case with 5, 7 & 14mm Pentax XW's a UHC filter and a Rigel QuickFinder. That sits okay on my Manfrotto photo tripod.

[scarp15]

Not quite as compact as some, here is my travel kit, which I currently carry to my obs a short walking distance from home and intend to take on family camping trips. 

The kit comprises in the case, TV76, 5mm Pentax XW, Lumicon UHC, Rigel Quikfinder ( I would like to include if TeleVue introduce one next year a 4mm Delite)

A 21mm and 8mm Ethos in the bolt cases, the vixen porta mount , tray, flexible handles are carried in an awnings bag.  

 

 

 

 

[Piero]

56 minutes ago, scarp15 said:

Not quite as compact as some, here is my travel kit, which I currently carry to my obs a short walking distance from home and intend to take on family camping trips. 

A 21mm and 8mm Ethos in the bolt cases, the vixen porta mount , tray, flexible handles are carried in an awnings bag.  

 

 

Awesome! Nice Nice!

[estwing]

the only scope I travel with...

[L8-Nite]

1 hour ago, estwing said:

the only scope I travel with...

You da' man Cal !   

[swamp thing]

@estwing Thats the only way to travel my friend  

[Paul73]

I'd like to see that into an overhead locker!!?

 

I've got eyepieces bigger than some of these travel set ups.....

Paul

[nightfisher]

8 hours ago, nightfisher said:

Near the start of this thread i said i would put some pics of my travel/grab an go scope so after a few weeks delay i have got round to it, this was brought about by finally getting the AZ 4 out to clean and sort out the altitude movement as it was really notchy, i have cleaned and carefully lubed with black Moly grease and now super sweet, any way i digress.

 

So we use the lovely Skywatcher AZ 4 mount, this is now my second one (regretted selling the last one so did a reverse move)

 

Then we have the TS 80mm 600mm focal length Achro refractor, this is mounted on a dovetail scavenged from an Astromaster 70 az, works lovely, i have to keep stealing the 1.25 diagonal from my Tal when i use this scope (not a bad thing) and the 9x50 finder is a little "overkill"

I keep thinking i should graft the finder from my Tal onto this lovely scope

My EP`s to use with this are 17mm Tal plossl plus 25mm, 20mm and 10mm silvertop plossl`s

 

future plans, make a white light filter for odd bit of Solar, and i rather fancy fitting a light weight crayford focuser, but no rush for that

Just quoting my own post to say i have added the Tal 6x30 finder, more in keeping with the size of main scope

[RikM]

9 hours ago, RikM said:

I'll take a pic later but my travel kit is a TV Pronto in its case with 5, 7 & 14mm Pentax XW's a UHC filter and a Rigel QuickFinder. That sits okay on my Manfrotto photo tripod.

As promised:

[Cjg]

What a great thread, I loved seeing the Questar, you get what you pay for and how old is it? I couldn't see my Celestron Nexstar mount lasting 45 years!!

Here's part of my travel friendly kit!

A Tamrac 5793 Telephoto case (since superseded) holding my Tak 76. The case has more than proved it's worth when I slipped over on ice whilst carrying my Tak inside at Seething.

Battered shoulder and bruised hip, but the scope was unscathed! It's just cabin friendly, though I've purchased a seat for it next month when I travel with Ryan Air.  The Manfrotto tripod and head are going in the hold though.

 

 

 

[BGazing]

interesting topic. so far i am managing with packing a number of diffuse objects in my estate (or caravan, as we on the continent would say). if space is at the premium (plane flight), once i have opted for binos, but only after checking the weather forecast. otherwise, tripod would go to the checked luggage, tube with tidbits with me and the motored az head would end up in my son's backpack LOL.

[skysculptor]

Here is mine C90 on Star adventuer, all fits in the c90 back back!

[Stu]

Forgive me a little excitement over this. I've just tried out the FC-100D in my airline portable travel case, and it fits! I have to remove the focuser and dew shield but they will fit in the case too. This gives me the chance for a premium 4" Apo under dark southern skies, excellent!!

 

[DRT]

That looks fantastic, Stu.

It is good to see that you are sticking to your new mantra of "minimalist observing" with that lovely little £x,000 case-full