Tube and mount separated, each restrained so it cannot slide, and the optics facing up or padded. Expect to check collimation afterwards on a reflector — the journey is the reason it drifts, and a five-minute check on arrival saves the evening.
Nearly every collimation complaint begins with a car journey, and the journey is preventable damage rather than a fault.
Separate the pieces
A tube in its rings on a mount is a lever with a heavy weight at the end of it. Separate the tube, the head and the tripod, and carry the counterweights loose.
Restrain each piece
Something that can slide will slide, and a tube rolling against a counterweight in a boot is how dents and misalignment happen. A case, a strap or a blanket wedge all work.
Measure before you buy a case
Internal dimensions, with the dew shield and the finder in place, because that is how the tube will be put away. Internal is always smaller than external by the thickness of the shell and the foam.
On arrival
Check collimation on a reflector before setting up properly. It takes five minutes with a tool and explains an otherwise disappointing evening.
The questions that keep arriving
Does the case need to be hard?
For a tube travelling in a boot with other things, yes. For a tube travelling alone on a back seat, a padded soft case is often enough. The protruding finder bracket is what most cases are returned over.
Should I remove the finder?
If it sticks out enough to catch, yes, and it is the single most commonly damaged part on a journey. Removing it also usually means realigning it, so a bracket that returns to the same position is worth having.
Last reviewed 17 September 2026