Transporting your telescope

[Mellus123]

Hi all.

 

I have a Meade LX200 10" scope and I am struggling to find a case or padded bag to transport it in when out and about.

The JMI hard case is almost £1000.

Any cheaper suggestions?

Thanks

Mel

[Louis D]

Generally, if you wrap the OTA in several inches of bubble wrap and put it in a duffel bag, you should be okay for personal transport.  Just make sure the corrector end is sturdily capped.

The mount should be fine when taken down to pieces and transported similarly.  In fact, the tripod legs will be fine with a camping ground pad wrapped around them to prevent dings and scratches.

Transport by airline or common carrier is a whole 'nother matter.

Edited July 29, 2021 by Louis D

[Chefgage]

10 hours ago, Mellus123 said:

Hi all.

 

I have a Meade LX200 10" scope and I am struggling to find a case or padded bag to transport it in when out and about.

The JMI hard case is almost £1000.

Any cheaper suggestions?

Thanks

Mel

Would this one work? I you search on this site for Geoptik bags there are.some hard case and padded cases of different sizes up to12".

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/geoptik-padded-case-for-925-10-sctrc.html

Edited July 30, 2021 by Chefgage

[Mellus123]

1 hour ago, Chefgage said:

Would this one work? I you search on this site for Geoptik bags there are.some hard case and padded cases of different sizes up to12".

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/geoptik-padded-case-for-925-10-sctrc.html

Thanks for the reply. I have spoken to Rother Valley and they don't stock a case for 10 inch scopes. As far as i could gather they only had up to 8 inch.

 

But i will check again to see if they have a 13 inch bevause I could always add more packing. 

[Chefgage]

2 hours ago, Mellus123 said:

Thanks for the reply. I have spoken to Rother Valley and they don't stock a case for 10 inch scopes. As far as i could gather they only had up to 8 inch.

 

But i will check again to see if they have a 13 inch bevause I could always add more packing. 

I am not familiar with the size of your scope but would one of the biggest Geoptik bags fit your scope with a bit of padding?

[Shimrod]

20 hours ago, Mellus123 said:

Hi all.

 

I have a Meade LX200 10" scope and I am struggling to find a case or padded bag to transport it in when out and about.

The JMI hard case is almost £1000.

Any cheaper suggestions?

Thanks

Mel

I would think the fact it is mount and OTA would provide a challenge getting an appropriate sized bag. I have a Meade LX90 8" and I just wrap mine in an old duvet and fasten it in the back of the car with the seat belts.

Possibly you could look for a large storage box and use some foam to pad the inside-  the challenge may be finding one deep enough - this might be a starting point   large storage case

[Louis D]

12 hours ago, Chefgage said:

Would this one work? I you search on this site for Geoptik bags there are.some hard case and padded cases of different sizes up to12".

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/geoptik-padded-case-for-925-10-sctrc.html

Seems to be little more than a large soft sided cooler.

2 hours ago, Shimrod said:

I would think the fact it is mount and OTA would provide a challenge getting an appropriate sized bag. I have a Meade LX90 8" and I just wrap mine in an old duvet and fasten it in the back of the car with the seat belts.

Possibly you could look for a large storage box and use some foam to pad the inside-  the challenge may be finding one deep enough - this might be a starting point   large storage case

That's a good idea if it will be packed in with hard, shifting objects.  Again, wrap it in bubble wrap or a camping ground pad and place it in the case.  You don't want it bouncing around inside the hard sided case.

[Shimrod]

12 minutes ago, Louis D said:

Seems to be little more than a large soft sided cooler.

That's a good idea if it will be packed in with hard, shifting objects.  Again, wrap it in bubble wrap or a camping ground pad and place it in the case.  You don't want it bouncing around inside the hard sided case.

That's why you would use foam to make a snug fit. It will need to be shaped to the telescope.

[Giles_B]

There might be a cheap solution that is a step up from duffell bags and bubble wrap if you don't see a special advantage in spending £££ on a bespoke case. If any padded bag of the right dimensions should do the job - a quick google for "padded bag" using the dimensions of my scope (a Celestron 130mm admittedly much smaller than yours) showed this might just do the job: https://www.terralec.co.uk/padded_bags_and_covers/padded_equipment_bag_762_x_356_x_356mm/28075_p.html - I just wondered if there might be something similar that would suit you, that could be found with a bit of searching?

[Louis D]

4 hours ago, Giles_B said:

There might be a cheap solution that is a step up from duffell bags and bubble wrap

Are you dissing my travel solution? 😉😆

[Giles_B]

@Louis D It sounds like an advance on an Ikea bag and a couple of towels wrapped around the tube, which is what gets me by

[Kimboman]

Hi  I have 3 really useful boxes for my  6se and Meade etc and 80mm refractor these are lined with foam underlay 12mm thick.

They do various sizes and are reasonably priced might help regards 

[Tiny Clanger]

2 hours ago, Kimboman said:

Hi  I have 3 really useful boxes for my  6se and Meade etc and 80mm refractor these are lined with foam underlay 12mm thick.

They do various sizes and are reasonably priced might help regards 

I agree, the 'Really Useful' make of clip top boxes are pretty good, I've not used one for a telescope but have several for other purposes. The manufacturer's site has a handy table showing the dimensions of the range , and actually shows internal as well as external measurements https://www.reallyusefulproducts.co.uk/uk/html/boxdetails.php

Heather

[SMF]

Hi, I agree the ‘really useful’ boxes are excellent and I’ve found nothing better for my purposes but a word of warning.

I use them for work storing spare parts in them in the back of the truck and have noticed that when cold they get really brittle.

In the depths of winter working at night/early morning quite a few have broken and as a result I dropped them.

The last thing you want is them to break as you carry your pride and joy in them. 

And boy are the edges sharp.

Steve

[JeremyS]

Really useful info. Thank you 😊

[Louis D]

7 minutes ago, SMF said:

Hi, I agree the ‘really useful’ boxes are excellent and I’ve found nothing better for my purposes but a word of warning.

I use them for work storing spare parts in them in the back of the truck and have noticed that when cold they get really brittle.

In the depths of winter working at night/early morning quite a few have broken and as a result I dropped them.

The last thing you want is them to break as you carry your pride and joy in them. 

And boy are the edges sharp.

Steve

Not surprising since their website has the following spec right near the top of the page:

All items have a working temperature of -15°C to +80°C.

It regularly got down to -25°C where I grew up, so that would mean keeping this style storage box inside during the winter.