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Hi Darren, sounds like you've reached a stage familiar with many here, where a big lightbucket dob is too inconvenient for things a smaller scope can do perfectly well.
Typically you're looking at an ED refractor around f/7, perhaps 80-100 mm aperture, or a small SCT or maksutov, say 150mm aperture - thee give a brighter image.
As one who has both a 100mm f/7 refractor and 180mm f/15 Mak, I can say my refractor doesn't get much use - if I only have room for 1 scope (eg a weekend away) the Mak is the pick every time.
The other question is whether you want it to track or have goto capabilities, if yes then perhaps look at the smaller Meade lightswitch (15 cm f10) or a similar Celestron. These are fairly comparable to a good 100mm ED refractor with respect to what they can show, compact and easily portable.
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