Carp Barrow as telescope gear transporter

[Guest lunetta]

I was wondering what people use to cart all their telescope gear around, from car to observation site. If I don't make it easy for myself, I'm just not going to get the use out of my new scope, as I'm a bit of a weed! Having watched some anglers carting their plethora of gear around in a local park, I was considering buying a carp barrow e.g. http://www.fostersofbirmingham.co.uk/CPMK2

 

Can anybody think of why this would be a bad idea? I've considered whether my optics (a reflector) might get shaken out of alignment and if I don't load the barrow right and secure my kit down properly I could tip all my expensive kit all over the ground and damage it. Anybody got any more thoughts, or an alternative transport solution that might work for me? Thanks

 

[Daz Type-R]

Hi.

 

I just carry all my gear from the garage to the car (all of 15 foot of drive) and then at the dark sites you almost observe out the back of your car, furthest i have carried my gear is about 25-30 foot, in about 4-5 trips.

 

Belper darksite you can observe out the back of your car, hardly any distance at all.

Wymswold bit more of a distance but nothing to worry about, 30 foot most I would say.

 

All my gear goes in the boot apart from my OTA (the actual telescope), like you I have a reflector - I lay 2 old pillows across the back seat of the car and then use the center seat belt to strap it in, been carrying mine like that for over 2 years, never had an issue once.

 

I fear using a wheel barrow of sorts will just add more vibrations to your kit over rough ground and just increase the chance of mucking up your collimation, for all you other bags boxes etc it should be fine, but like I say, most of us it takes 4-5 trips to the car to get everything out.

[Guest CodnorPaul]

I just got a large heavy duty storage box from B&Q and packed it with foam for mine - cheap, strong and waterproof.  I suppose it would depend on what scope you have got - mines fairly easy to lift

[xanthic]

Could you make or buy some straps to help carry your gear? The army stores at Peasehill near Ripley is good for that sort of stuff cheap.

[Tweedledee]

I think that the carp barrow could be ok if the ground is not too rough and is pushed with care, and provided the scope is fastened on securely and preferably with some padding.

 

It is quite pricey though, and would also take up a lot of room in the car. You could buy a good eyepiece instead.

 

May be it would be simpler just asking for some help with carrying the scope and heavier bits. As Daz says, at Wymeswold and Belper, it is not necessary to move anything very far, and there are usually plenty of big tough astronomers around who would be happy to assist .

 

That fishing website could be quite useful to us astronomers. Plenty of cold weather clothing that would be just as good for us stood next to a scope all night, as for those stood by a river with a fishing rod. I bookmarked that site for future reference, cheers.

[T A WOW]

I would agree about the size of the barrow. It looks like it folds up, but it'd still take up alot of room. I'd say just ask one of us for some help with the heaviest bits of your setup.

[Guest]

I was an angler of some repute in the past and it was through angling magazines that I made my first break as a writer. I even remember early in my astronomical renaissance that I used to fish in Sarf Africa for carp and browsed the night sky though binoculars while waiting for the elusive bite. A bad back meant that I caught my last fish in 2003.

 

It is, perhaps, that lack of dark sites has encouraged me to take more of an interest in the solar system and I have no problems observing the Sun. Moon and brighter planets from my house. It is also back trouble and the "you're not having anything that big in the house" syndrome that led me to choose a 127mm Maksutov, rather than a large reflector. I once lugged it 50 yards from  my house to catch the transit of Venus and I understand I was one of the few people to see and photograph it from the UK.

 

A light pollution reduction filter makes deep sky observing from home much more rewarding and the use of one increased the apparent size of M101 by three times. Many observers (myself included) tend to have a 2nd 'scope or binoculars as a "grab and go" instrument and my binoculars have been around the globe a few times.

 

Unless you are really into catching the most elusive deep sky objects, a small short-tube refractor or binoculars are better at catching the more well-known ones, such as the Pleaides because the objects can fit into the whole field of view. Another well-known example, M31, is 6 times the apparent size of the full moon.

 

However, if you still prefer to carry a large reflector to remote sites, some sort of transport is probably a good idea but I would guess that a pair of bins would probably be cheaper.