Travel 4" scope

[Scosmico]

Just gathering your thoughts.

With carrying luggage limited at 56cm (length), is there any good 4 inch Refractor that can be categorised as travel scope?

I was thinking about the FC100DC, But not sure if you can make it fit inside the 56cm limit.

 

[Stu]

The FC-100DC works very well; it’s about the lightest full 4” scope around I think. To fit within the limits, you need to remove the dew shield and focuser. I normally put some protection around the scope OTA and then slide the dew shield over it to save space. I also used some LensCoat Hoodies of appropriate size to cover both ends.

https://www.lenscoat.com/hoodie-lens-caps-c-5.html

This is it in my case which is a ThinkTank Airport Accelerator case.

[Scosmico]

That is a great way of doing it. thanks

Edited September 13, 2023 by Scosmico

[bosun21]

39 minutes ago, Scosmico said:

Stu, do you have special caps to avoid dust going into it?

I believe that’s the lens cap hoodies that Stu provided a link to above.

[Oldfort]

There's the Borg 107FL.  The objective is in the large unit at the top.

 

[DirkSteele]

The two above would have been the scopes I recommended as well.  If you move into triplet land, they get much heavier so a far more robust tripod and mount solution is required.  My APM TMB LZOS 105mm  is airline portable but it is over 6kg so a very different beast to the above.  Here it is in a Pelican 1510 plus the other stuff I have taken abroad.

 

[Scosmico]

7 minutes ago, DirkSteele said:

The two above would have been the scopes I recommended as well.  If you move into triplet land, they get much heavier so a far more robust tripod and mount solution is required.  My APM TMB LZOS 105mm  is airline portable but it is over 6kg so a very different beast to the above.  Here it is in a Pelican 1510 plus the other stuff I have taken abroad.

 

Which tripod you use?

 

[DirkSteele]

31 minutes ago, Scosmico said:

Which tripod you use?

 

It is the carbon fibre Gitzo Series 5 GT5532S.  All the series 5 have a stated load capacity of 40kg but the 5532S is the most rigid of the whole offering as it only has three leg sections.  It weights 2.8kg and closed length is about 62cm so fits in a suitcase without blowing your luggage weight allowance.  I reviewed it years ago and am still very happy with it.  http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2014/05/15/gitzo-systematic-series-5-gt5532s-carbon-fibre-tripod-review/

 

For either the Tak or Borg, a smaller tripod such as the series 4 (which I use with my Tak FC-76) would be more than enough.  http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2016/03/07/gitzo-systematic-gt4552ts-carbon-fibre-tripod-review/

 

 

 

 

[Dark Raven]

If you manage to get one, AP 110 GTX. OTA literally made around Pelican Air carry on case. 

[Scosmico]

42 minutes ago, Dark Raven said:

If you manage to get one, AP 110 GTX. OTA literally made around Pelican Air carry on case. 

What is your travel mount?

 

[Ratlet]

This is basically the conundrum I'm in at the moment.  A 4" Scope would be a nice compliment to the 10" Dob, however I could also do with something that would be flight compatible as we tend to go on holiday to the med / gran canaria and there is plenty extra this would let me see from my 57 degrees latitude.  I think unfortunately the Tak is outside my budget (and I'm not a fan of the aesthetics) and the AP definitely is outside of my budget!  Would be nice if the Starfield 102 could be broken down small enough.

I think in terms of 'realistic chance of me getting one' I'll need to look at a 90mm and hold out for a used Megrez 90.  Or remove the mirror cell from the 130 pds, throw the rube in my case and take the primary/secondary on as carry on lol.

[AlcorAlly]

With the finder removed, Heritage 150 tube just about fits in my Ryanair hand luggage (55x40x20). It’s a tight squeeze but it fits without having to remove the mirror cell. It’s also relatively light.

[Dark Raven]

30 minutes ago, AlcorAlly said:

With the finder removed, Heritage 150 tube just about fits

True, I`ve done that. They`ve let me on a plane with this backpack. After that I took e-scooter to get to somewhat darker beach.

[Ceramus]

Took my Heritage 135 OTA plus a  AZ-GTi  in my backpack to Chile, no problem. Just a bit heavy...