[Gargoyle_Steve (Steve)]

"it will travel Australia’s outback, in conditions less than ideal..."

Since you've mentioned this aspect I will mention something that I also said to my brother who lives outside Alice Springs: you need to be aware of the implications of dust, and physical "bumps" affecting collimation (think alignment, so that all mirrors reflect EXACTLY where they need to in order to obtain a clear image).

While I agree that a dob is a great way to go (check my byline - I have one :-D ) you need to keep those factors in mind. You will need to learn to collimate, and you will probably need to do it frequently as you travel, and dust WILL BE a major issue. You cannot "wipe" the mirrors clean as you will scratch the soft aluminised surfaces, the only thing you can do when dust gets too bad is to carefully rinse the primary (and perhaps secondary) mirrors. You need clean distilled water referably, definitely do not use bore water as the chemicals may damage the mirror surface.

While a truss tube dob like the Lightbridge will be much more compact than a solid tube type I think it may be more difficult to try and "dust seal" the mirror during travel. On a solid tube type you can "cap" each end with shower cap, platic bag, etc, and seal with tape if necessary, which will keep almost all dust out of the tube and away from your mirrors.

I am not saying don't get a dob, I am saying be aware of what it will entail - this applies to any reflector type scope, be it on a dob base or tripod mounted, etc.

I hope this information is of some value to you - enjoy your purchase and your travels!