eclipse trip query

Hi guys
I'm off to china in a couple of weeks, to see the total eclipse of
1/8/08, weather permitting! I was thinking of making a solar filter
for my 10x50 binos from Baader reflective filter material that's
available very cheaply. The binos are a very old pair that have always
served me well for astronomy, but I had wondered about trying to pick
up a short focus refractor as an alternative. Anybody know anything
about Nipon telecopes? There seem to be regular versions of a 70mm
"rich field" 70x300 refractor available on eBay for around £35. The
advantage of this scope is it will fit on a camera tripod, which I
will be taking anyway, and it only weighs 650g. It's a terrestrial/
astro scope naturally at that price, but I guess that isnt a problem.

Any thoughts? There are loads of nice starter scopes of 60 or 70mm of
course, but they are usually about 700mm or more focal length, and so
too long for packing in a normal suitcase!

Should I stick to my binos, or go with eBay?

Paul
Lancs