NexStar 5 Cases

The perfect case for the N5 is a tough challenge. The round base of the unit is 9" which is one of the maximum dimensions for airline carry-ons. However, being able to travel with the N5 is one of the reasons I bought it so I want a carry-on solution. The JMI case might do:

The other thing I was thinking of was making one out of an inexpensive piece of roll-on luggage. The problem is that most roll-ons are 9" deep and 20" high, same as the N5. We really need about 10" deep and 23" high. However, some can stretch to 10" or have an expandable section. Then I would have to find and cut foam. I'd like to be able fit the power pack, dew control, instructions, etc. A roll-on could do this, the JMI case can't. However, no case, with the possible exception of the Skywatch Products case above, can truly meet the carry-on requirements because of the size of the N5 base. Hence, maybe the best thing to do is pack it in a duffel bag and baby it on the plane. One JMI case owner has said that he successfully carried the JMI case on 4 flights. In one case, it didn't fit through the shaped guard on the x-ray machine until the guard was lifted slightly but no one gave him any trouble.

A bunch of people are fans of putting the shipping foam in a large Rubbermaid tote and using that. I bought this tote but didn't find it sturdy enough. It is very awkward to carry too being bigger than the original Celestron box!

What I use right now is this tool chest ($40) I found at Home Depot. It has wheels and a handle so you can roll it around like luggage or you can just carry it by its center handle or the two on the sides. The really cool thing about it is that it has internal accessory trays:

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The case - all packed up.

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And with the handle extended.

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There is a top lid and two nested internal shelves. The gray shelf in the back (3rd from front) goes on the bottom and won't fit with the N5. The red shelf must be inserted for the lid latches to work.

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The lid has two storage compartments, the left one is big enough for eyepieces.

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The red shelf has tons of room for accessories.

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Here is the empty bottom...

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Here is the foam - I bought the green stuff (2" thick) for $4 at a fabric store (Joann's Fabrics) and the yellow stuff I picked up from a box at work. Both are pretty stiff foam like you would use in upholstery.
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And here is the N5 in there - its big for a little scope! It is a tight fit but I have turned the case on its ends with the scope in it and the scope doesn't touch at the top end.
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As a final protection against damage if the case becomes inverted, I lay this piece of 1" foam on top (also picked up at work).

The problem was getting the N5 to fit securely in it. The way I have it positioned in the picture above the base is opposite the wheels. This is because the base won't fit over the wheel wells. A downside to this is that if you used the handle to tow the case, the N5 is be headed down hill towards hitting its visual back (note that I have the skylight/dust seal installed which pushes the visual back out another 1/2"). However, when I tip the case up on its end (full weight of N5 on yellow foam), the visual back doesn't come close to hitting the case. Also note that the finder is mounted and has a piece of foam wedged between it and the case. To glue the foam together and to the case, I used a glue I got at Joann's Fabrics called "Hold The Foam". I tested 6 different glues (Elmers, "tacky craft glue", "sewing glue", etc.) and Hold the Foam was by far the best. No odor either.

I rather suspect that you could also buy the foam inserts JMI sells for their case ($40 I believe) and cut them down to fit. This would be superior for the scope though you would have to remove the finder.

Upon using this case for the first time in the "field" (literally), I found the wheels to be useless. Plus, there is a lot of other stuff to carry like the tripod and battery. The first night out, I used the hooks provided in the top surface to tie this stuff on. They broke that night. So more mods.

These are 7" lawnmower wheels from Home Depot. They are mounted on a 5/8" rod axle. To get that through the original axle holes I had to drill them out. The wood blocks serve to jack the wheels out and support the axles; they are screwed to the plastic case from the inside.

From the side - there are wood blocks up front to keep the thing level. Now it rolls across anything like a champ! You can stand on it too with no axle flex.

Then came cleats mounted on the sides of the lower compartment. These cleats allow me to tie stuff securly on the top plus tie the top itself on so it doesn't pop open accientally. The full rig, field ready with Nexstar tripod, battery, two camp stools, and computer table, looks like this:

Note my Jumper 1000 17ah battery hanging on the back. I can strap more stuff on top of this (e.g. laptop) when necessary.

Inside between the N5 and red tray there is room to squeeze in the Dewblocker dew shield, the tripod accessory tray, and an eyepiece tray I made: