Just get him to look at the Celestron Spotting scopes, which are within his budget and easy to carry (They come with their own padded carry cast which has a shoulder strap). They come with a zoom eye piece (typically 20x to 60x), and a T-thread adaptor for eye piece projection photography with a DSLR. Can be used for nature or astro photos and casual observation. Yes it can see Saturn's rings. Comes in 80mm and 100mm apertures.
Check them out at Bintel website.
https://www.bintel.com.au/product-ca...v=322b26af01d5
I have the 80mm Trailseeker and it is great grab and go scope, stays setup on my standard camera pan head tripod.
Note a 6in or 8in Cass etc or anything with mirrors and Correctors are going to be heavy to carry, keep it simple and light and it will get used far more.