Does anyone else bring a monocular into the boundary waters? I'm thinking about buying one and looking for some advice. On the last trip we had some issues spotting portages and checking campsites from a distance, plus my tripping buddy went on another trip a couple weeks ago where he said a monocular/binocular would have been useful in seeing a moose. It would be nice to use for stargazing too, but that's not the main use.

The biggest issue I see is finding one that is compact/light and works well in a canoe. I'm afraid to go too powerful and be unable to use it in the canoe, but at the same time I might go too weak and not see enough.

What is recommended for magnification and lens diameter? Brand?

My recommendation is a small, waterproof binocular. Years ago I bought a Nikon Trailblazer 8x25. Its dimensions are 4.25" long by 2.7" wide by 2" thick when it is collapsed for storage. It is very light in weight. The small size means that it is not the best for star gazing, although I have used it for that purpose. An 8x40 would be better for star gazing, but it would be larger and heavier. Other optical companies have similar offerings (Canon, Pentax, etc).

I see that the 8-10x25's are common, but wouldn't a 40 give a wider view than a 25? Or is that not how it works? I was thinking that with less stable conditions, a wider view would make it easier to see what you are trying to look at.

The second number is the diameter of the forward lens (the one you don’t look through) and it gives you the light gathering ability (so bigger is good in the dark) and the limit of resolution (so bigger lets you resolve small details further away). For that reason, big binocs are used for astronomy but aren’t as necessary for a large animal not too far away. Serious birders do carry pretty big lenses. Field of vision is a more complicated result of the optical design of the eyepieces which include multiple lenses.

Really expensive, high quality binocs will get the most out of their size. My wife has a pair of Leicas and while small, people have been known to gasp when looking through them. At a much lower cost, we’ve found that Steiner makes very good binocs for the money.

Why is everything so focused on binoculars? It seems to me that a monocular would be easier to use, more compact, lighter and should be half the price. I've used both and every time you pass the binoculars, you have to adjust the width so you can see with both eyes. Then it never stays at the exact setting when you set them down. With a monocular, once you adjust the focus to a particular range then you can pass them around or set them down and pick up again without any other adjustments. This seems particularly important when hunting and looking for game or in a canoe when you have to put them away after every use.

I just don't get the fixation on binoculars to the point that most don't even make a monocular.

A1t2o: "Why is everything so focused on binoculars? It seems to me that a monocular would be easier to use, more compact, lighter and should be half the price. I've used both and every time you pass the binoculars, you have to adjust the width so you can see with both eyes. Then it never stays at the exact setting when you set them down. With a monocular, once you adjust the focus to a particular range then you can pass them around or set them down and pick up again without any other adjustments. This seems particularly important when hunting and looking for game or in a canoe when you have to put them away after every use.


I just don't get the fixation on binoculars to the point that most don't even make a monocular."

Whether you pass binoculars or a monocular around they will almost always have to be refocused as your vision is almost guaranteed to be different than mine.
I doubt that the focus is changing when you put your binoculars down, it is more likely that you are looking at a different distance so you have to refocus.

Having used both a monocular and binocular, I always bring the binocular now.

The Monocular I used was this one: Brunton Echo Scope It is a good quality one, lightweight, waterproof. I made a cord for it and hung it around my neck. It did the job of finding portages. But I just didn't find it comfortable enough when I had to close my other eye. The depth perception just wasn't there, as should be expected.

Now i bring this: Nikon Trailblazer 10x25
They are small enough that I wear them on my belt in its pouch, and 10x25 means I can see the red eye of the loon, or stern look from a bald eagle, or the pinpoint lights of the moons of Jupiter. Finding portages or if a campsite is occupied is a lot easier with two eyes, I can see details better.

I can't imagine using a monocular, as it seems to stress my open eye by keeping my closed eye shut, unless I had an eye patch. That would limit me on focusing across an entire lake. But monoculars have been used very successfully for hundreds of years, crossing larger bodies of water than you encounter in the backcountry.

I use a pair of Nikon 8x20 LX folding binoculars that fit perfectly in my Stohlquist Fisherman PFD breast pocket. They work great while wearing sunglasses without having to extend the eyecups, and it's easy enough to unfold them roughly to get a good view every time. I used them for spotting campsites and portages on my trip in June and I'll be bringing them again next month. Note that I picked up my pair used for about $250 - not cheap but they're some of the best mini binoculars you can get. Great optics, waterproof/fogproof, and very compact. I like mine a lot. A monocular could work, I just haven't tried one and don't intend to.

Vortex monocular this is the one I use. The 10 x 36 power solo monocular. I find it's great for checking out campsites have never really needed it to check out portage's


Tony

I can see a monocular being useful because it is so easy to keep it at hand. However, for quality viewing there is likely some advantage to the stereo effect and your brain's processing of the two images.

Everything I said about optics, earlier in the thread, applies equally to both.

Tony: " Vortex monocular this is the one I use. The 10 x 36 power solo monocular. I find it's great for checking out campsites have never really needed it to check out portage's



Tony"

Ditto

After using a pair of Brunton compact binocs for 20+ years, I was set on finding a Monoc to replace them with. The Vortex is what I finally decided on. It's not super compact, so it fits nicely in the hand with the top of it being curved. Gathers light well for a Monoc. It has both a lanyard and belt clip attached to it. The sheath is not fully enclosed, but that hasn't mattered so far. It gets more use than the old binocs did. I like it. I think Vortex hooked me with the name "Solo". :)

My wife got me a monocular, not even sure of the brand. I loved carrying it on my last trip. Not the greatest optics, but I used it for scanning for portages and campsites and the occasional bird. I've carried little binoculars before, but I liked the compactness of the monocular and my ability to carry it on my belt. The binoculars were either around my neck (irritating) or in a pack, also irritating. The monocular was right on my belt, so even if the optics aren't top notch, it's way better than the naked eye.

One big problem though: not waterproof! Unfortunately, I tripped on a portage landing and landed in the water. I still have to get it out and see if I can dry it.

my two cents.

We use a monocular by Wingspan which is a pretty decent bang for your buck. It also comes with a handy little tripod that I've actually used with our camera way more than with the monocular.

LINK

Personally, I prefer binoculars.

I tried Swarovski binoculars once. Wow!

Duff: "

Tony: " Vortex monocular this is the one I use. The 10 x 36 power solo monocular. I find it's great for checking out campsites have never really needed it to check out portage's



Tony"

Ditto


After using a pair of Brunton compact binocs for 20+ years, I was set on finding a Monoc to replace them with. The Vortex is what I finally decided on. It's not super compact, so it fits nicely in the hand with the top of it being curved. Gathers light well for a Monoc. It has both a lanyard and belt clip attached to it. The sheath is not fully enclosed, but that hasn't mattered so far. It gets more use than the old binocs did. I like it. I think Vortex hooked me with the name "Solo". :) "

Good choice and will be my next monocular. The company is located in Madison WI and have very good lifetime warranties. I do use their rifle scopes.

butthead

I carry a small monocular that I got with Marlboro miles. It works well to spot portages and campsites also for wildlife viewing.

After hauling binocs around the BWCA three straight trips and never once getting them out of the dry bag, I decided to stop bringing them and don't regret it. If I had a monoc, I'd probably be inclined to a) bring it more and 2) use it more.

+1 on the Vortex. I own a pair of their binoculars and several rifle scopes. A friend of mine used the range finding monocular and the image is fairly clear for the price point. They provide a good value and stand behind their products with great customer service.

Rs130754: "+1 on the Vortex. I own a pair of their binoculars and several rifle scopes. A friend of mine used the range finding monocular and the image is fairly clear for the price point. They provide a good value and stand behind their products with great customer service."

Ditto on their optics.. I think I'm running about 6 of their rifle scopes now.

I picked up one of THESE just for canoeing... Small light weight, quick and easy to use. With an added bonus of being able to use it as a range finder.

OldFingers57: "I carry a small monocular that I got with Marlboro miles. It works well to spot portages and campsites also for wildlife viewing. "

In have a little Zeiss 5x10 miniquick keep it in a shirt pocket. Use mine the same way.

I like binoculars but not toting them on a canoe trip. For zooming in on things I use my camera to take a photo and then I can really use the cameras features to blow up the picture to check something out. For regular bird watching it works great. Snap a few pics of the bird flitting up in the branches. This freezes the movement and allows studying to see what bird it was. This is all done with the digital display on the back of the camera.