Best travel scope bar none?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

My ultimate travel set, featuring the APM 80 mm F/6 triplet and EQ3-2 mount, here seen in action in Glendo, Wyoming, with Ca-K module, ASI178MM, a dual mount bar and Canon EOS 700D with 100-400 mm F/4.5-5.6 L IS USM zoom. Edit: the image was taken during set-up, with the Herschel wedge rather than Ca-K module. I later switched them out

Got me these images 

 

and a Best Eclipse Image award on SGL. That makes the APM 80 mm my ultimate travel scope. 

[Craney]

Another vote for the C90 ....

 

Alas, that Maksutov design did create a few artifacts at totality.

[Pixies]

3 hours ago, Craney said:

Another vote for the C90 ....

 

Alas, that Maksutov design did create a few artifacts at totality.

That's the internal reflection within the baffle tube.  I imaging the 'diamond ring' will test any scope's internal reflections!

[Marvin Jenkins]

15 hours ago, Ags said:

Isn't that the NASA motto?

I thought it was “Why have one, when you can have two at twice the price”.

Marv

[AKB]

55 minutes ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

I thought it was “Why have one, when you can have two at twice the price”.

…”first rule in government spending” (from the film Contact), IIRC.

[Andrew_B]

On 08/08/2021 at 18:01, Astro Noodles said:

What is the definition of a travel scope?

Are we talking about something you can fit in a car boot, or something you can fit in a backpack?

My personal definition would be something that can be easily transported in carry-on baggage on a plane without too much dismantling, which is a fairly restrictive requirement.

If you're travelling by car then obviously you've got a lot more flexibility in what you take, while someone wanting to carry their scope long distances in a backpack might be even more concerned about weight that size (within reason). The typical requirement for a travel scope does seem to be airline portability in most cases, unless otherwise stated.

[Alien 13]

18 hours ago, Pixies said:

That's the internal reflection within the baffle tube.  I imaging the 'diamond ring' will test any scope's internal reflections!

Some black 3.0 will fix that 😋

Alan

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

The Borg certainly looks 'the biz', but I'd have to sell my car to buy it... 🙄

The Skymax 102 has done the job for me when car camping, caravanning etc.

Although I'm starting to think the best travel 'scope' may be 10x50 binoculars...

 

[Andrew_B]

1 hour ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

The Borg certainly looks 'the biz', but I'd have to sell my car to buy it... 🙄

The Skymax 102 has done the job for me when car camping, caravanning etc.

Although I'm starting to think the best travel 'scope' may be 10x50 binoculars...

 

What's the Skymax like in terms of ruggedness? Do you end up having to re-collimate it after a journey or is it more like a refractor in terms of maintenance?

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

21 minutes ago, Andrew_B said:

What's the Skymax like in terms of ruggedness? Do you end up having to re-collimate it after a journey or is it more like a refractor in terms of maintenance?

I've owned the Skymax 102 for sixteen months and it has out lived two other telescopes.

As far as I could tell it arrived in perfect collimation and remains so despite a couple of camping trips, a couple of caravan holidays and extensive garden use when I couldn't be bothered setting up the other kit. It lives in a padded camera bag bought from Amazon and I'm considering selling it because the 10x50s get used a lot when I'm away. I just can't make my mind up though. For their size and price the Skymax does give a lot back in return and it's a handy scope for quickly plonking on a mount and getting going, including solar with a filter.

 

Edited August 9, 2021 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[Andrew_B]

39 minutes ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

I've owned the Skymax 102 for sixteen months and it has out lived two other telescopes.

As far as I could tell it arrived in perfect collimation and remains so despite a couple of camping trips, a couple of caravan holidays and extensive garden use when I couldn't be bothered setting up the other kit. It lives in a padded camera bag bought from Amazon and I'm considering selling it because the 10x50s get used a lot when I'm away. I just can't make my mind up though. For their size and price the Skymax does give a lot back in return and it's a handy scope for quickly plonking on a mount and getting going, including solar with a filter.

 

That's interesting. Sounds like a Mak is probably one of the better reflector/catadioptric designs if you need ruggedness and low maintenance.

Not in the market for one myself, especially since I've just bought a small travel scope but it looks like a practical option for someone with limited space who needs something portable with a decent FL and more light grasp than a similarly priced refractor.

[happycamper]

I'm a huge fan of the Baader Travel Companion. I bought it as my air-travel scope, so it had to fit into a daypack that could go in the overhead locker of (even) a light plane. Further, everything else for the scope needed to fit in that daypack (or pinned to the outside in the case of the tripod). Just a wonderful scope...

Edited August 10, 2021 by happycamper

[Louis D]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned suitcase or travel Dobsonians built by ATMs as among the best travel scopes.  Select "travel dobs" on the ninth line down on the left.  I can't get the direct link to work.

Edited August 10, 2021 by Louis D

[Deadlake]

An LZOS 105/F6.2 is also very good, but availabllty is jan 2023.

http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2014/01/01/the-apm-tmb-105-f6-2-triplet-apochromatic-refractor/

This scope and a TSA-102 in a CN shootout of over 40 scopes came out top…

Edited August 12, 2021 by Deadlake

[TakMan]

Thought I’d add to this thread as I’ve just loaded up an old LowePro backpack that was languishing in the loft with ‘travel’ gear ready for our usual jaunt down to the caravan in South Wales…

I wouldn’t necessarily call this a sensible travel set-up, but it is the lightest / smallest scope I own for such purposes (purchased s/h off SGL for the purpose). If I was nipping down to the ‘van sans wife, I might put the dob in the car or perhaps the TSA102 as that would sit on the intended Manfrotto 058B Triaut tripod/WO EZTouch mount combination (but the TSA wouldn’t be as stable as this ‘over-mounted’ Borg).

So, inside the ‘Flipside 300’ resides a Borg 90FL, 2” TV diagonal, red dot finder, head torch and a mix of eyepieces. I decided against the Ethos as the inherent field curvature is exacerbated by their huge FOV and the ‘travel’ idea makes a good excuse to mix up the range of what I normally use. This time then a right ole mix; TV 32 and 25mm Plossls, 20mm Pentax XW (my favourite eyepiece with the Borg - perhaps I should get the 10mm to add to it..?!), Tak 7.5 and 5mm LE’s and to top it off… just to keep it light… the 31mm Nagler T5!

I added that as it is my favourite ‘dob’ eyepiece but always gets left out by me reaching for the 21mm Ethos, so it’s coming along to allow use of the spare Lumicon 2” UHC filter.

To help with the switch between this hand grenade and the other eyepieces I remembered I had a TV brass ‘equaliser’ lump, so that’s in the bag…. and not forgetting the black shroud, Eyepatch, Pocket Sky Atlas (although the iPad will be out with SkySafari).

For size reference is the newly arrived ‘Solar Astronomy’ book - my daytime reading - well, we are going to Wales!

Damian

[mauzito]

On 10/08/2021 at 13:08, happycamper said:

I'm a huge fan of the Baader Travel Companion. I bought it as my air-travel scope, so it had to fit into a daypack that could go in the overhead locker of (even) a light plane. Further, everything else for the scope needed to fit in that daypack (or pinned to the outside in the case of the tripod). Just a wonderful scope...

I would second this. I have one (95/580) and love it. 

[mauzito]

On 10/08/2021 at 15:38, Louis D said:

I'm surprised no one has mentioned suitcase or travel Dobsonians built by ATMs as among the best travel scopes.  Select "travel dobs" on the ninth line down on the left.  I can't get the direct link to work.

The 7" Teleport is an excellent TS. http://www.teleporttelescopes.com. 

A friend of mine would take it with him to dark sites on the back of his bike.

[Andrew_B]

8 hours ago, mauzito said:

The 7" Teleport is an excellent TS. http://www.teleporttelescopes.com. 

A friend of mine would take it with him to dark sites on the back of his bike.

That's a clever design and looks far easier and quicker to set up than some of the travel dobs I've read about.

Does the bike journey not knock your friend's scope out of collimation, or is it rugged enough to cope with any bumps and vibration?

[mauzito]

7 hours ago, Andrew_B said:

That's a clever design and looks far easier and quicker to set up than some of the travel dobs I've read about.

Does the bike journey not knock your friend's scope out of collimation, or is it rugged enough to cope with any bumps and vibration?

He had no such problems and always raved about the design and sturdiness of the Teleport.

[mauzito]

Tom Noe with his Teleport.pdf

[mauzito]

Even Tom Noe of Teleport was known to do the same.

[mauzito]

There is an interesting background to these unique scopes in this link. 

http://www.teleporttelescopes.com/About.html

 

[mauzito]

At the end of the link is this image.

 

[Gonariu]

I think a travel telescope must have these characteristics:
1) ultra-portable;
2) handyman tool.
3) that it can be mounted on a photographic tripod.
So I can see well an 80/400 refractor (the focal length is more or less that), then it depends on how much one wants to spend, if one wants to spend a lot on a pure apochromat, if he doesn't want to bleed his wallet too much an ED apochromat, if wants to save more an achromat. I lean towards the latter being a visualist; taking a nice travel to Namibia (for example) I don't start looking at the planets or the Moon, I look at them here in Sardinia, I would aim above all at deep - sky objects, in particular those that do not arise here.

[Louis D]

1 hour ago, Gonariu said:

I think a travel telescope must have these characteristics:
3) that it can be mounted on a photographic tripod.

Why the  photographic tripod requirement?  A compact travel Dobsonian is it's own base: