I learned long ago that Astronomy is very weather dependant and highly unpredictable.  Good nights of seeing can come on very short notice  and still be weeks or months apart.     So I developed what I call my Go box.  In it are fall the small essential items that I will need and a few spare parts and simple tools.  The items in the box live in the box.  If I need them at home I always put them back in the box or get another copy of the item for around the house use.  The box sits next to my eyepiece case which has my eyepieces, the telrad (another often forgotten item) and a set of spare batteries.  When it's time to "GO" , I load the car with the large obvious pieces of the telescope and on the last trip I pick up the eyepiece case and the Go box and load them up.  Then I make one last sweep of the residence looking for anything the might have been left behind.  It may be star charts or even truss tubes but the final sweep before departure has saved my bacon more than once.   Oh and my eyepiece case has a spare set of Meade Plossls eyepieces and a 2" adapter to loan to those who left their eyepieces at home.  So I've saved other people's bacon too.   At the other end of the event.  I tend to stay until every one else is packed up and leaving and then I do a walk through of the site with a bright white light flashlight looking for anything shinny that was left on the ground.   I also pick up trash that was thoughtlessly left behind, though I do draw the line at used diposable diapers.   DT

Great idea, Daniel. I learned some years ago that a checklist is what works best for me. I discovered the power of a checklist during a family vacation to Island Park, ID. Brought the 16" dob along and after we got there, I discovered that I had left the truss poles at home, DOH!! At least I had the 8" along with nothing missing, so it wasn't all lost. From then on, I have a checklist that I run through every time I load the scopes up. Mat -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of daniel turner Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2012 7:30 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: [Utah-astronomy] The "GO" Box I learned long ago that Astronomy is very weather dependant and highly unpredictable. Good nights of seeing can come on very short notice and still be weeks or months apart. So I developed what I call my Go box. In it are fall the small essential items that I will need and a few spare parts and simple tools. The items in the box live in the box. If I need them at home I always put them back in the box or get another copy of the item for around the house use. The box sits next to my eyepiece case which has my eyepieces, the telrad (another often forgotten item) and a set of spare batteries. When it's time to "GO" , I load the car with the large obvious pieces of the telescope and on the last trip I pick up the eyepiece case and the Go box and load them up. Then I make one last sweep of the residence looking for anything the might have been left behind. It may be star charts or even truss tubes but the final sweep before departure has saved my bacon more than once. Oh and my eyepiece case has a spare set of Meade Plossls eyepieces and a 2" adapter to loan to those who left their eyepieces at home. So I've saved other people's bacon too. At the other end of the event. I tend to stay until every one else is packed up and leaving and then I do a walk through of the site with a bright white light flashlight looking for anything shinny that was left on the ground. I also pick up trash that was thoughtlessly left behind, though I do draw the line at used diposable diapers. DT _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". This message and any attachments are solely for the use of intended recipients. The information contained herein may include trade secrets, protected health or personal information, privileged or otherwise confidential information. Unauthorized review, forwarding, printing, copying, distributing, or using such information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you are not an intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you received this email in error, and that any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this email and any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please contact the sender and delete the message and any attachment from your system. Thank you for your cooperation