I’m going to make a suggestion: own two sets of quality binos, keep one set in your home and the other in your vehicle. Quite often the focus is on weapons in vehicles, survival bags and various other items but binos are often overlooked. Unless you were born with the eyes of an actual eagle, here are a few reasons why I suggest owning some decent binos and keeping them within arm’s reach.
In the Home
- I live in the mountains, can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone out on my deck and done a quick survey of the surrounding area. Sometimes it’s general observation or because I thought I heard something during daylight hours.
- Wife has come home before and notified me of a few vehicles or personnel not local to our area, pull the binos out and scan.
- Threats in my area include fires, binos allow me to reach out beyond standard visual range in order to look for smoke signatures.
In the Vehicle
- There have been a few times where I thought I was being followed, one turned out to be a reality. In both instances i performed some standard procedures, made my way to a vantage point and was able to observe who I believed to be following me with detail because of the binos.
- Overwatch. There are several vantage points which allow me to overlook my property prior to entering the AO, sometimes I’ll pull off and scan with my binos just to make sure everything is good to go before driving down into the area.
Recommended Binos
I currently use the Nikon Trailblazer 10×25 variants from REI, I own 2 pair. These are fantastic and allow you to be a little more low key than pulling out a giant rifle with a scope on it in order to glass something. REI also has a great return policy, in case something goes wrong with them.
Bottom Line
I really hate the term combat multiplier, but binoculars are just that. They are relatively cheap and compact and allow one to see far beyond normal eyesight range in order to assist with situational awareness. I highly recommend picking up a pair or even two and keeping them in the home and vehicle.
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I agree with your post,but I recently bought two sets of binoculars from Harbor Freight and I find them both useful, the Gordon 10×50 mm are a good bino for the price,the smaller one is ok for 8.00 bucks.I use a Bushnell 10×42 for serious work and find the harness system the best for both larger bino’s,
Author
I have a set of Bushnell’s too, good glass at a nice price. I like small binos which can easily pack away so the Nikon’s have really done well.
I have multiple vision-assist devices, including a monocular in my BOB, two binoculars in my hunting/fishing gear, and a spotting scope along with a laser range finder for the house/BOL! And of course a scope on several rifles! I’ve even taken photographs of likely places for an intruder to use for an OP so I can compare if something looks different! The only time (so far) that this tactic has ‘paid off’ is when I noticed a difference between at the base of a small tree, a close inspection showed a ‘animal bed’, coyote by the near-by scat only about 50 yards from the house. GLAHP!
Nobody is following you. Don’t be an idiot.
Author
That’s right! You were there too, how could I forget. 🙂