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Cases and Bags

Cases and bags protect your optics during transport and storage, guarding against knocks, dust and moisture. The right choice matches the instrument: a soft-sided case for a telescope tube, a padded case for eyepieces, or a backpack for hands-free carry to a dark site.

We stock soft-sided telescope and eyepiece cases plus a backpack carrying case from Explore Scientific, sized for popular tubes like the ED80. Check your tube length and accessory load, then size the case to your kit, not loosely.

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Which case fits

Each case here is built for a particular load:

  • The Soft-Sided Telescope Case, 44 by 8 by 15 inches and 4 lb, is made for Explore Scientific's ED127, ED127CF, DAR127 and DAR152 refractors. Adjustable dividers inside take the tube and accessories, and a padded shell with a reinforced back and sides hangs from a shoulder strap.
  • The ED80 Telescope Case is hard-sided, 18 by 13 by 8 inches, with molded foam cut to hold an ED80 and its accessories, reinforced edges and a clamping lock.
  • The Backpack Carrying Case takes a small refractor to observing sites a car cannot reach, whether a few yards off the road or miles away. Its padded interior, 18 by 15 inches, sets up with hook-and-loop panels.
  • The Soft-Sided Eyepiece Case, 8.5 by 7.5 by 3 inches, layers EVA foam with rigid board in its walls and dividers to keep eyepieces in their compartments, and it is made to go inside any bag.

Sizing a case

Measure the telescope as you carry it, with its dew shield, focuser and finder base on, and compare that with the case. Then add the diagonal and eyepieces you take with it: the soft telescope case and the backpack both rearrange their compartments around your kit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my telescope fit the soft-sided case?

It is made for the ED127, ED127CF, DAR127 and DAR152 refractors. For another tube, compare its length and diameter with the case's 44 by 8 by 15 inches.

Hard case or soft?

The ED80's hard case cradles the telescope in molded foam behind a clamping lock. The soft case and the backpack weigh less and adjust their dividers to different loads.

Where do the eyepieces go?

The telescope case and the backpack have room for accessories, and the eyepiece case keeps them in padded compartments inside any bag.

For more to carry, browse our eyepieces and accessories.

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