The call of dark skies is strong. We plan all our trips around the Bortle score. I bring my Dobsonian on all our trips. I travel with my dob multiple times a month.
Traveling with a Dobsonian telescope is simple, and possible even with a small car. Break down your scope as much as possible and secure the pieces in the trunk or passenger seat. When you arrive and assemble your scope you will need to collumiate the scope, but you will likely not cause any damage if the scope is secured and does not move too much in transit.
When planning to travel with your Dobsonian be sure you have a secure place to put the optical tube, so that it will not move during travel, and you should surround all the pieces with moving blankets or other protection.
Almost every time I use my scope, I travel with it. There is a gravel lot about a half a mile from my house, and this is where I set up most nights to observe. Traveling with a dob is easy.
I lock my collimation screws and pack it into its cases. I can fit most of the scope in the trunk, and I carry my observing chair in the back seat.
When traveling with your telescope, be sure to consider the extra time you will spend packing up, setting up, breaking it down and transporting it home.
There are times when weather will change quickly and you may need to pack up and get yourself and your stuff out of the rain in a hurry.
When you are packing up, it will be dark and you will be tired.
How to carry a Dobsonian telescope?
Depending on the size and design of your Dobsonian you may choose to buy or make cases with handles to carry your telescope.
When I had a solid tube 10 inch dob I did not use any cases or handles. I was able to carry it and load it into my Honda Civic or my wife’s Chevy Express without much trouble.
We did build a wood box that fit in the back of the van so we could pack things around it without worrying about damaging the telrad or eyepiece mount.
This keeps the optical tube from rolling around and allows us to put suitcases on top of the box. My wife built it following this tutorial and it was designed to be used as a bed, but we used it as cargo organization.
It worked very well for us on our long road trip to Missouri.
Since purchasing my XX16G I went ahead and got the cases. I felt like they were overpriced, but I could not travel without them and I rarely observe at home.
If your manufacturer offers cases, get them.
The cases make it much more convenient to travel with the scope, but more importantly they make it easier to pack it up in the dark and get it home.
How do you move a dobsonian telescope?
Every dobsonian I have ever seen comes apart to some extent.
When moving the dobsonian, take it apart and carry only one piece at a time. If you have a very large scope, that is too heavy to lift, move it with a dolly or wheelbarrow handles. Driving with a dob in the back is a safe way to transport the scope. It will just need to be collimated once you set it up.
If you plan to observe mostly at home, consider building a dolly, maybe with the wheelbarrow handles and then it can simply be moved out of the garage to observe.
This is an ideal set up, but not possible for many telescope owners who do not have a dedicated outdoor space to observe. I know I travel to observe 90% of the time, so I pack the scope into the car each time I take it out.
We ended up building a wooden crate for the back of the van to transport the optical tube. This was to make it easier to pack things on top of and around the scope, and it worked out really well.
I was so glad I brought it on this trip, as I was able to visit some very dark skies. I still hope to go back and visit again, it was amazing what a big difference the dark sky made.
Which telescope is best for traveling?
If you are traveling with a dobsonian telescope consider a truss tube dob. They come apart into more pieces and are easier to load and unload. The trade off with a truss tube is the longer set up.
Dobsonian telescopes, which are often recommended to beginners, are great telescopes for traveling or road trips, but smaller refractor telescopes are a good choice for overseas trips. The easiest choice for observing while traveling if you have to carry your gear is a good pair of binoculars.
There are a few refractor telescopes that I often see recommended for travel. While I have no direct experience with these scopes my friends who have them, love them.
Explore Scientific 127 is a compact refractor telescope that is great for travel. This scope in carbon fiber is only 14 pounds. This is a very well reviewed scope and this would be my choice for air travel.
Another great refractor option is the E Spirit 120. This is another refractor telescope that is lightweight and easy to carry.
These scopes are compact and light, but remember that you will need to travel with the scope and the mount. A tripod mount can be folded up to be compact, but is just another consideration.
If you are traveling seriously with a telescope, you are likely doing some astrophotography. A compact, lightweight equatorial mount is the Celectron Omni CG 4, it is pretty reasonably priced and comes with 2 counterweights, 4lbs and 7lbs.
Can you leave a dobsonian telescope outside?
If you are traveling with your dobsonian telescope you may be tempted to leave it outside so you do not have to break it down at the end of the night.
When leaving your Dobsonian outside be sure to cover it with a tarp. You will also want to make sure you have all your dust caps on. You may want to cover the back with a shower cap to keep dust, spiders and water away from the sensitive mirrors and electronics.
I tend to bring mine in each night because I rarely observe at home, but when I am at home I have left it out overnight plenty of times.
Just one night, in good weather is not a concern.
If you are storing your scope outside, you should invest in a quality waterproof solution as the water will cause damage to any wood components in your scope and mount.
Scopes stored outside will also require more frequent cleaning from dust and debris.
I like to use a shower cap when I am using my scope just to discourage dust from getting in my cooling fans and around the mirror. If you store the scope outside a more robust waterproof cover is a good idea.
