Joined
·
2,207 Posts
Hey all
I've seen a couple comments recently where people thought binoculars were a waste of space/weight in their bug out preps. I'm here to suggest that is a big mistake.
First let me dispel some misconceptions
A rifle scope is NOT a good substitute for binoculars.
This is true for 2 reasons, it is not a good idea to use your rifle to identify unknown objects as that could be a person, and may consider your pointing a weapon at them as a threat. If you don't want to get shot at, start pointing your rifle around and see how that goes. Second binoculars can be focused to see through dense cover and help you identify what is behind the cover in front of you. I once shot a elk at 25 yards in dense willows, I could not see him with my naked eye but by focusing through the brush with my binoculars his head and antlers were very easy to pick out. It took over a minute of searching with my rifle scope before I found him and put him down as I had to find him through the clutter of branches, very hard to do.
The ability to focus your binoculars through dense brush and cover takes a little practice but you will be amazed what you can see that is not discernible to the naked eye. Trust me I shoot elk every year and they rarely know I'm there, and if they do know they are usually patient enough to wait for me to move before they do.
For this reason a monocular is also a poor substitute.
If I'm moving SHTF it will most likely be at night, but if I do have to move in the day it will be in good cover, using this one trick will allow you to see what is ahead of you. If you are holed up for the day, binoculars will help you over watch your position far easier, with less movement than throwing your scoped rifle around, a larger field of view and the ability to use both eyes which is far less fatiguing. The human eye is conditioned to notice movement, but you will need the ability to discern if that is a coyote or a person crawling towards you and in any kind of cover binoculars make that easy.
Because I use them so much in heavy cover (which is where elk tend to spend their days) I prefer 8x30 binoculars, this gives me a good balance in field of view vs. magnification. It also keeps them compact so they are not a boat anchor around your neck, my current set is 4.25 inches long and 4.5" wide and weights 1.4 pounds.
I prefer to use a binocular harness rather than a around the neck strap:
OP/TECH USA Bino/Cam Harness
And a pouch which is neoprene which is very water resistant, cushioning, keeps the lenses clean, and holds them next to my chest if I run or bend over.
OP/TECH USA Soft Pouch - Bino
Opinions?
I've seen a couple comments recently where people thought binoculars were a waste of space/weight in their bug out preps. I'm here to suggest that is a big mistake.
First let me dispel some misconceptions
A rifle scope is NOT a good substitute for binoculars.
This is true for 2 reasons, it is not a good idea to use your rifle to identify unknown objects as that could be a person, and may consider your pointing a weapon at them as a threat. If you don't want to get shot at, start pointing your rifle around and see how that goes. Second binoculars can be focused to see through dense cover and help you identify what is behind the cover in front of you. I once shot a elk at 25 yards in dense willows, I could not see him with my naked eye but by focusing through the brush with my binoculars his head and antlers were very easy to pick out. It took over a minute of searching with my rifle scope before I found him and put him down as I had to find him through the clutter of branches, very hard to do.
The ability to focus your binoculars through dense brush and cover takes a little practice but you will be amazed what you can see that is not discernible to the naked eye. Trust me I shoot elk every year and they rarely know I'm there, and if they do know they are usually patient enough to wait for me to move before they do.
For this reason a monocular is also a poor substitute.
If I'm moving SHTF it will most likely be at night, but if I do have to move in the day it will be in good cover, using this one trick will allow you to see what is ahead of you. If you are holed up for the day, binoculars will help you over watch your position far easier, with less movement than throwing your scoped rifle around, a larger field of view and the ability to use both eyes which is far less fatiguing. The human eye is conditioned to notice movement, but you will need the ability to discern if that is a coyote or a person crawling towards you and in any kind of cover binoculars make that easy.
Because I use them so much in heavy cover (which is where elk tend to spend their days) I prefer 8x30 binoculars, this gives me a good balance in field of view vs. magnification. It also keeps them compact so they are not a boat anchor around your neck, my current set is 4.25 inches long and 4.5" wide and weights 1.4 pounds.
I prefer to use a binocular harness rather than a around the neck strap:
OP/TECH USA Bino/Cam Harness
And a pouch which is neoprene which is very water resistant, cushioning, keeps the lenses clean, and holds them next to my chest if I run or bend over.
OP/TECH USA Soft Pouch - Bino
Opinions?