Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Budget Backpack worthy Binos

Looking to get a decent pair of Backpacking Binos. Nothing to expensive, to big or to heavy. Any suggestions?

I was looking at getting the Nikon Monarch 12x42, anyone have a pair?

These - http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/promaster.pl?page=promaster1194 . Compared them to a $1000 pair of european binoculars and they were crisper, lighter, and had the same low light performance. Took the european binos back and have been happy ever since. Give Doug a call and get the 24hourcampfire discount. A buddy has the Nikons you're looking at; he took one look at my Promasters and commented "damn, those are way better".

Leupold Yosemite 6x30 and Vortex Fury 6.5x come to mind.

Leupold Yosemite 6x30 or the Kowa 6x30.

Best values are already listed. It takes a pretty good price bump to get any better. All of the above are small, light and easy to carry.
One that doesn't get much mention because they are big and bulking is the Leupold Rogue series. Multicoated porros with a really nice view if you are looking for 12x.
I'm guessing there is a similar Vortex for a similar price point?

A bit of a drift, maybe. Does anybody know of a compact pair of 6x25s? All of the "compact" binos attempt to stuff too much magnification into too little objective. My main binos are a pair of 8x36 Nikons that I consider a good value, but they're ~26 ounces. REI sells a pair of nice light 8x32s that are pretty good if you can hand pick among several pair. I think the ideal backpacking binoculars would be a more realistic combination of magnification and objective on the lower end of magnification. Like the aforementioned 6x25s. Or even 4x20s. I'm thinking you should be able to get a pair of 6x25s with good brightness and clarity for 10-12 oz.

I like my 7x28 M 24 Apaches. I haven't figured out what to do with the artillery reticule, but its not to distracting.

I was looking for a nice set of 4xwhatever binoculars to look for deer though brush piles. The woods of central ME get a little crowded during deer season, and I think its its bad form to glass with a scope.

Another for the Leupold Yosemite here. I got the 8x30 though.

Evanhill, the latest Swift Eaglet 7x36 binoculars are tending to get lost in the sea of chinese products. They are small and well built. I had the earlier version which weren't phase coated. I haven't owned the newer ones but enough people have reported that with phase coating and another type of coating added to the prison they are a contender.

Thanks for the replies. Those M24s are pretty close to what I was imagining. I found something else in the same size range:

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars/bushnell/bushnell-elite-7x26-custom-compact-binocular

Bushnell 7x26s that weigh 12oz and are 3.5"x4.5". If I only had an extra $600, I'd buy them both and do a side by side.

For a little more you've got Minox's 7x28's @ 12oz

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/minox.pl?page=62039

Harvdog, you mentioned the Nikons. I've got a pair of the 10x's. I've always thought they were pretty dang good for the money. Not super lightweight, but the alignment is still good after 3-4 years of getting bounced around in a truck.

IMO the Bushnell 7x26 is about as good as it gets in that price range.

I have a pair of Nikon 8x25 that are pretty nice for backpacking and affordable at ~ $100.

Thanks for all the replies. I bought the new Nikon Monarch 7 8x42. Compared against the Vortex and Leupold. The Nikons are a lot smaller than the HD Vortex and seemed a bit easier on my eye than the Leupold. Took me a while to decide on the 8x or 10x but, ultimately went with the 8x because I noticed a lot less hand vibration and shake. Had a 15% off cabelas coupon and $200 from an old pair of Leo10x50s that I sold so it didnt stong to bad, Im happy!

Also looked at the leupold Yosemite. Now that's one hack of a glass for $100

Thanks again!