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Backpacking binoculars are the ideal optical companions for hikers, travelers, and outdoor lovers who value portability and great handleability. With a quality pair of binoculars on hand, you can easily catch stunning views, beautiful animals, while on the move. They combine the functionality of high power models into compact, lightweight units small enough to fit into your traveling backpack.
Best Backpacking Binoculars
With a host of brands on the market, making the right choice can be a herculean task. Below, we save the effort as we take a look through a list of our top five backpacking binoculars that will serve you on your next trip.
1. Bushnell H2O Roof Prism Binocular
The Bushnell H2O boasts of impressive reviews thanks to quality HD optics and durability. It comes in an ergonomic rubberized armor for a waterproof seal, adjustable eyecups and focus knobs for user comfort, and is Nitrogen purged for fog-proof performance. Its BaK-4 prisms and multicoated optics yield the brightest images and its 8x magnification and 42mm aperture will ensure no movement escapes your eyes.
- Compact, lightweight, and portable.
- Ergonomic design, waterproof and fog-proof.
- Easy controls and great image quality.
2. Nikon 8245 ACULON A211 8×42
This mini-sized ACULON A211 binocular pair boasts of excellent ergonomics packed into a compact, lightweight unit. It comes with multicoated optics and large objective lenses ensure excellent low-light performance and grant a wide field of view. Adjustable eyecups, great focus control, and a durable non-slip and impact-absorbent rubberized armor are some of the other great features on it.
- Compact and lightweight.
- Great handleability and excellent image quality.
- Great ergonomics and user adaptability.
3. Vortex Optics Diamondback Roof Prism Binoculars
This compact binocular pair from Vortex is built for excellent image quality and durability. Its large lenses and multicoated optics yield a very wide field of view and the brightest images. Ergonomics emphasized, it comes with adjustable eyecups and a dioptre for great viewing flexibility and is both fog-proof and waterproof.
- Wide field of view and great image quality.
- Compact sleek design with excellent ergonomics.
- Fogproof and waterproof.
4. Nikon Prostaff 3S 10×42 Binocular
Another great gadget from Nikon the Prostaff 3S packs excellent image quality, eco-friendly materials, and high magnification into a compact, lightweight unit. It comes with a low-profile rubberized armor for a comfortable non-slip grip and is completely fog-proof and waterproof. It also boasts of excellent and adjustable eye relief to yield a clear vision for even people who wear glasses.
- Excellent image quality, eco-friendly materials, and high magnification.
- Compact and lightweight, and user-friendly.
- Highly ergonomic and weatherproof.
5. Celestron – Nature DX 8×42 Binoculars
This great binocular kit as the company describes is designed for adventure and boasts of durability, affordability, and great functionality. Its large lenses and multicoated optics yield a wide field of view and the crispiest images while standing against the odds the weather may bring with a fog-proof and waterproof performance. It also comes with value-added accessories that emphasize great value for money.
- Affordable, durable, and highly ergonomic.
- Compact and lightweight, and comes with extra accessories.
- Excellent optics, fog-proof and waterproof.
Backpacking Binoculars Buying Guide
Backpacking binoculars are valued for their compactness and portability and are ideal for outdoor lovers who want to move around without excess weight on their hands. Choosing the right pair of backpacking binoculars requires careful consideration of a number of factors.
Our buying guide reviews the best backpacking binoculars on the market and brings you to terms with qualities to look out for when searching for the ideal optical companion for your next hike, trip, or hunt.
Magnification and Aperture
The magnification and aperture of any binocular pair you’re choosing are essential factors to consider. The magnification places a measure on how close a distant object appears to be. The aperture is the diameter of the objective lens (front lens) in millimeters and determines how much light the binoculars can accommodate.
Binoculars are labeled as AxB, where A is the magnification or magnifying power, while B is the aperture. So a pair of binoculars marked 10×25 has a magnification of 10x, i.e. the object will appear ten times closer and the size of the objective lens is 25mm. The larger the aperture, the more light the binoculars can accommodate and thus the brighter the images and better low-light performance. A larger aperture also means a wider field of view.
Size and Weight
Backpacking binoculars are valued first of all, for their compactness and how low weight. They offer the traveler and adventurist a portable option for quality optics and should be small enough to fit into a backpack. When touring a new city, watching birds, or hunting, chances are you’ll be holding up your binoculars for extended periods at a time. They should be light enough so you don’t get fatigued.
Weights of a few tens to a few hundreds of grams are ideal. To improve portability, accessories like harnesses are good investments to make. They enable you to move around with your binoculars hands-free and distribute the weight evenly across your neck and shoulders.
Field of View
The field of view of whatever binoculars you’re getting is another essential consideration to make. It is the width of the viewing area available to your eyes through the eyepiece at a fixed position. It is measured as distance in feet or as an angle in degrees. In general, the field of view is inversely proportional to the magnification; as the magnification increases, the field of view decreases.
A large field of view is necessary to locate and track objects quickly. From the fastest birds to viewing objects while on the move, a wide field of view will ensure they don’t escape your sight.
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