Binoculars Are they Necessary for Bugout & If So Is this Light Compact Model Sufficient?

My ARs use the same concept -

 

Vortex makes a nice monocular with MRAD reticle for not too much money. 8x and good glass.

 

Whats out there for lets say NV capabilities for those walking in the dark?

 

Viewing the areas I mast pass getting home from either direction I bought a spotting scope.
Planes hunters and those needing the details of things far away find them most practical .
I have small monoculars and little scopes for camera applications for you phone , and they are OK for 100 yards or so , but real detail is best observed with a spotting scope. Generally they are used for reading the target at long distances .
Monoculars do not have the range of a spotting scope though the area they absorb in the pack is about the same.
It is advised that one have a tripod for it being that one has such distant range.
The other advantage is the large optics letting more light in for dim lighted events that and star gazing.

I have night vision optics but they are very limited in range and cannot be used during the day or in bright light.
Their range of view largely depend on the infrared light it shines on the subject.
Good for the yard and hunting in close quarters but not for long distance. IMO.
My binoculars get rarely used since I had experienced the strength of the spotting scope.
Only one other thing might be more appealing is a camera that provides both optic and electronic zoom capabilities .
My son has one I am envious of . when he took pictures of the moon he could focus on particular areas of the moon as though he were only a few miles away. Of course this would be lost in and EMP.

 

I wonder how dragonfly https://www.survivalmonkey.com/members/dragonfly.853/ is going? His optics always intrigued me.

 

An old thread but worth reviving I believe because there are many reasons to include a small pair in the BOB if you plan on traveling any distance. Scouting ahead; choosing a path before you commit to a long walk or climb, identifying people, signs, terrain features, observing animal trails. People or armies for that matter don't go into stealth mode until they are close to their target typically. They walk in the open, or stand in the open, carefree of detection. 8x22, 8x25 or 10x25 would be the order of the day I'd suggest, you could go monocular but then you lose the depth of field perception you get from two eyes. You lose that natural feel.

Lets be clear. Anything under a couple of hundred $ will be junk. I have a beautiful old Tasco set from the 1970's. Probably $50 back then. Now add inflation and you'll see that you wont get that quality for $50 today. Tasco was actually classed as a cheap brand back then but they were made in japan, still clear as a bell, and waterproof! 8x is standard and probably the correct choice for most applications. We tend to think bigger is better but the higher the mag the less definition and the narrower the field of view unless you go into the $1000 range. And when you lose field of view you lose information. Just try looking outside, you see with your peripheral vision way off to the sides. Now make a circle with your hands, as though you were actually looking through a pair of binos, the field is reduced to just what's in front. now close the circle tighter, you see even less and something could be moving out there and you wouldn't even know it.

8x means you are 8 times closer in real terms so if you're looking across a valley at a road 8km away it will seem only 1 km away and you will easily be able to see a car moving along it. All else being equal of course. Imagine you see a car ahead on the side of the road, it's a long way off, 2 or 3 km, you can just make it out. You pull over as well, get out the binos, sit somewhere stable and observe for a few minutes. If it's abandoned there will be no movement, if it's something else you will probably detect movement and if you see people moving around nearby you can probably discern what the gig is. Are there four people, one by the car and 3 others loitering a little ways off near the long grass? Now that would set off alarm bells! Of course that's an ideal setup for you and your binoculars, don't expect it, but there are many situations where they would come in useful. Soldiers on the move carry them as a matter of course, they are an important tool, as important an an entrenching tool I'd say.

 

I love good binoculars!! Really hard to beat for assessing your surrounds well. It’s well known I do lots of hunting and a good set of binos really can be the make or break of you. I have had a set of Steiner 8x30s since 1997 and could not me happier. In later 2022 I returned them to Steiner via the agent here to have them re-gassed, cleaned and a new rubber cover applied. Honestly it was only that a patch of the rubber where the palm of my right hand grips them had started to perish that got me to send them back. They make a few grades and the modern version of mine is the M830r and well over 1k to purchase. Still worth it ! I also have a pair of Steiner 8x22 compacts I got to use while the others were away that perform really well for what they are and I have a Vortex 10x monocular that serves its purpose. Optics are one of those things that you get what you pay for. There are a few good value options to be had but you never really know till you can look through them at dusk !!

 

Those Steiner have good optics, I bought a second set, Japanese built Zeiss 8x25 terra ed. These are clearer than the old Tasco set but they rarely get used I'm afraid.
file pic

 

I don’t carry binoculars, but I do have a good quality 8x lrf. I get to see things closer and know how far away they are. For really long distance, I use a high end rifle scope (nightforce 8-32 x 56).

 

after educating myself on this topic my wife and I watch out for them at estate sales, I always have to remind her we want the ones that say both FULLY and MULTI COATED not either or.