9 replies to this topic

[diver66]

Hello all
I just received my c925 and CGEM II mount and after putting it together inside the house it occurred to me that I need to figure out how to transport this thing to my observing site safely. Does anyone have suggestions or better yet pics of what you use to transport yours safely? Many thanks in advance.

[rhart426]

When in doubt, manufacturer's packaging works just fine.

 

If you want a non-cardboard option, you can size a case for it, which would probably be rather expensive for that scope.  My solution with a 10" astrograph was to buy an oversized scope bag from Orion, then cut the styrofoam from the packaging and put it in the bag to brace the scope.  It worked well enough for me transporting it, although it would require recollimation and wouldn't deflect a direct hit like a hard case would.

 

For the mount, you can probably find a Pelican (expensive) or Harbor Freight (cheap) hard case to use.  Get one with pick foam.

 

For the tripod, you can spend as much or as little as you want on a standard camera tripod bag.  Manfrotto is a tad expensive but good quality.

[weis14]

For large OTAs, I've found some success in finding a large plastic tote that will fit the shipping foam inside it.  I also heard of someone who would wrap a C11 in a blanket/towel and put it on the seat focuser down and belt it in.  I've never tried that myself, but it might be an option.

[sevenofnine]

Rubbermaid makes a very sturdy tote called the "Action Packer." Available on Amazon in many sizes. Good luck! 

[skybsd]

Hello, 

 

Hello all
I just received my c925 and CGEM II mount and after putting it together inside the house it occurred to me that I need to figure out how to transport this thing to my observing site safely. Does anyone have suggestions or better yet pics of what you use to transport yours safely? Many thanks in advance.

Have a look at Cases and Covers who carry a padded bag specifically for your OTA. 

 

Lots of options for the mount case and to be honest, you cannot go wrong from the selection of Pelican cases. One of my favourites for astronomy and mount gear is the Peli-1650 - but there are lots of options for you to choose. 

 

Unless you really want to get into needing to collimate your scope every-single-time-you-go-out, be very cautious when considering suggestions of sticking your SCT into anything that rolls - especially if what you are looking at was not designed for the purpose of securely transporting an optical instrument like an SCT. 

 

I speak from years of experience travelling (land and air travel) with my C6, C-9.25 & C-14 scopes.., 

 

Hope that helps.., 

 

Best.., 

 

skybsd 

[radiofm74]

I had to take it on a car trip recently.

For my tube (a Newt, more delicate than your SCT) I invested in a dedicated bag by Geoptik (about 80€). My box with accessories, suitably padded, goes in there too.

For the mount, I just disassemble it as much as necessary and put

-- counterweights and head in a small bag with a lot of padding. Some tools go there too. This goes to the bottom of the trunk

-- Tripod and counterweight shaft in abundant bubble wrap and rubberbands, also below other luggage.

Of course, I take care to place the OTA case above anything else and in a place where it is securely held in place. 

Edited by radiofm74, 03 March 2021 - 01:27 AM.

[aeajr]

What sort of transport are you doing?

Airplane?
Cruise ship?

The boxes it came in work very well.

Long car trip?

Or just to the backyard?

Define transport.

Edited by aeajr, 06 March 2021 - 04:26 AM.

[AstroDog77]

I have a C8 and have been using a foam lined Igloo marine cooler. I got 2" thick car upholstery foam off of eBay. The cooler has wheels but they're solid plastic so I don't wheel it around because it seems like it will mess up the collimation but I plan to replace them with small tractor tires and I think it'll be ok to roll after that but that speculation at this point.

[SloMoe]

I bought a class B camper van to transport my scopes, if it's a distant dark site I'll use my class A .

[radiofm74]

I think that Ed has it – define "transport" and more relevant advice will come along.