Telescope Reviews: ETX As a portable scope

Hello, I live in the metro-dc area, and I have an Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic (the style before Orion started putting reflex sights on the Classics instead of the right angled correct-view 9X50 finders).

I do a lot of camping in Southern Virginia, about 6.5 hours away from my home, and it's a pain loading the XT8 into the backseat of my car. I end up having to disassemble the tube from the base, and doing this weird balancing act with the equipment. It's going to bust out my window one day, I swear. Anyway, more times than not when I get to the camp I'm tired, and it's dark, and I don't feel like getting the stuff out of the car, and then when I do get it out of the car and set up, for various reasons I dont get a lot of time with it.

Now, I love the XT8. It gets used almost every clear night at home, but as a portable scope for someone with a small car, it can be done, but it's not the greatest setup. So, I was wondering, which ETX scope would give me compareable views in a more portable package? Also, are the problems that have been reported with the ETX line not aligning consistantly, etc. really as big of a deal as I've read in some places? All comments and opinions are welcome!

Thanks in advance,
Shane

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