Transporting little Dob

[shartep]

Hi All

im trying to find a safe way how to carry my little Dob into the woods. Anyone have any experience with this?

What kind of bag/cover would you recommend please?

And would you separate the Tube from the mount or not?

Thanks very very much for advices.

Clear Skies

[acey]

One tip: don't observe in the woods.

But taking your dob to a dark and relatively unobstructed site is a great idea- it's what I do every time I observe.

I put the base in the back of my car (it won't fit in the boot), and the scope and all my other gear in the boot. I've done this with scopes of 8 and 12 inch aperture.

I don't cover the scope, just lie it in the boot. If your boot is absolutely filthy (even worse than mine) you might want to put a sheet underneath.

Only thing to make sure of is that the scope can't roll around. Pack gear around it and it should be fine. I have all my gear in plastic storage boxes for quick packing, and these hold the scope nicely in place.

My 8-inch used to endure bumpy rides without needing collimating at the end, with the 12-inch I've got into the habit of collimating every time I use it but could probably get away without.

For the drive home I likewise leave the scope uncovered - since it's usually wet with dew I consider this a good idea. Back home, I set it up in the garage with all covers off so that by morning the optics are all dew free.

[pvaz]

I only moved my 8" dob once. I separated the mount and used a commercial car with safety "chords" (can't find a decent work in English) to secure it to the floor of the trunk, so it wouldn't move around. The OTA was wrapped around some boxes I ripped to prevent scratches and absorb small bumps. I tried to have a smooth driving. The base was also secured. After transport it hold collimation.

Yours can probably go on a back seat with the seatbelt holding it. I would remove the ota from the base to prevent it shaking and bumping around.

[shartep]

Thanks for tips guys. Unfortunately i dont have a car at the moment (will buy one again in about a year) . So im trying to find a suitable bag/rucksack/shoulderbag. Seems to be harder than i thought.

Clear Skies

[Helen]

You could try stockist of music bags eg for drum kits and the like, they tend to have odd shaped bags

Helen

[pvaz]

Thanks for tips guys. Unfortunately i dont have a car at the moment (will buy one again in about a year) . So im trying to find a suitable bag/rucksack/shoulderbag. Seems to be harder than i thought.

Clear Skies

Oh sorry. Didn't understand you meant to transport it by hand.

You should contact the dealer where you got your scope from. Some brands, such as Orion (US one) have the custom made bags for each scope model. I didn't buy one for my scope since it was quite expensive and I wouldn't give it much use.

[Wobbly Bob]

Just a thought, because of my arthritis I found it quite a challange taking my fishing gear to the water, quite a treck somtimes. Then I found a converted GOLF trolly, it has a tray that flips down and has pneumatic tyres (nice and soft which absorbs most bumbs). It also has straps all over the place to secure the load.

Have a look at some tackle shops see what they have.

[shartep]

Thanks a lot guys. Usefull tips. will definitely follow them.

Thanks again

[Peter Drew]

Don't use a basket or the wolf might get you!