Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Best sized spotting scope for backpack hunts

A question for backpack mountain hunters. Given equal optical quality, what size/weight of spotting scope do you prefer?

Does a 50mm objective with excellent optics cut it? Or is it worth the weight/size penalty to take a 60/65mm scope? Anyone pack a 80mm + sized scope?

If Swaro, Zeiss or Leica made a 10-30×50mm in the 20-30oz range would you pack it over one of their, heavy but optically impressive full sized options?

The 50mm Razor is a very nice little scope, but after one sheep hunting trip where the 33x mag lead a buddy and I on a wild goose chase, I started to carry an 85mm Razor. It's worth it.

Read my mind Jordan. I was thinking of upgrading my spotting scope this year and going between the 50mm and 65mm Razor. Considering we probably hunt sheep within a couple hundred km of one another I'll definitely be considering your advice.

I've no issue packing my 65mm Swaro. I've played with various 50mm (ish) models and while they're fine most of the time I wouldn't trade the compactness for the performance of my 65.

I don't pack an 80mm but have thought about trying one.

Keep in mind that there are binoculars that go to high powers that are far easier to carry and more flexible than a spotting scope.

My Leupold 7 to 12X 32 mm binoculars are handy and always there.

The Nikon 7 to 15X binoculars are easy to pay for.

Here they are:

We have come to expect nothing less than your world class spotting scope analysis...

[bleep] Dumb Don...classic!

Would you guys agree that the Razor in general is the best offering in the price range?

I don't have extensive experience with enough different models to say that it's the best, but I have found that it is an extremely good value for the price, and competes very favorably with the higher-end offerings.

I have a bunch of alpha glass, but to carry and beat up, the Leupold 60mm HD is a valid choice. The military uses them for a good reason.

Ditto. If weight is a concern then a Nikon 50mm ED

My limited experience has indicated that even the best 50mm spotting scopes can't compete in optical quality to the same level of larger scope from the same company. That's because the larger scopes can give one a nice sharp image at higher magnification. Be warned that some smaller, cheap scopes really aren't any better than good, high quality binoculars.
As far as which ones give one the best deal, the only way to tell is to compare them before you buy. Or, if you can find a dealer that will allow it, buy two or more, make you comparison and send the other(s) back for a refund.
As to how much weight you will tolerate, that's your call. Many of the serious sheep hunters I've known insist on at least a high quality 60-65mm scope. E

I started with an old fixed leupold then moved to a 65mm zeiss, than to a 65mm swaro, great glass for sure,but in the end, the extra 9oz. over the 65mms was worth it and I settled on a swaro 80mm HD which I'm very happy with.

After using the 11-33x50 Vortex it would be tough to imagine carrying the monster spotter on a real mountain hunt again. I have used it enough to see it has limits, but they are offset by sheer weight differences.

I would consider that advice if I ever get to time travel back to the good old days and have to carry era-appropriate gear...

Specifically asking about best value in this weight and quality range. It must have a high degree of quality per unit of weight.

Alpha-glass isn't what I'm asking about here, and I know bigger lenses make better images. Not the issue.

Unless of course someone wants to carry it for me

Timing dependent I can loan you the 11-33 to play with under field conditions and see what your eyes say.

I'm going back and forth. I have two spots I go to, one is a full day from the road, another is almost two days. Both cross passes that are 3300' higher than the truck. Shaving 20-25 oz over a 65mm with a quality 50mm is sure tempting, but then I worry about not being able to tell if something is worth a closer look from a couple miles away and wasting a day (and a bunch of energy) going to find out.

In December of '14 in AZ looking at Coues deer at several miles under good lighting conditions I could make out the small racks well enough to judge them for a need to get closer. When it started to darken they fell off faster than the mega glass, for certain, but darkness is not usually a big issue in mountain hunting situations in AK...

Look at the minox md50. I have angled and don't care if I have to pack it and gets little beat up.