Dear Group, When out on the Mississippi River Saturday it occurred to me it would be handy to have a set of binoculars, especially out there, in order to be able to judge the direction, speed, and size of approaching tugs and barges and other craft when they are as far away as possible, in order to have plenty of time to get the heck out of the way. I raised this question privately with another list member whom I know birdwatches, and she told me her binoculars cost several hundred dollars. I've got a new VCP Avocet and all gear, including carbon paddle, nice roof rack, GPS, etc, so I have spent a LOT of money lately. I am not a birdwatcher, not patient enough for it. (I have a theory that all you birdwatchers are just making up the bird names on the spot, "That's a Twit-nosed River Skimmer." but that's another thread.. <G>) Do many of you use binoculars? If so, what type, and how much? I need to spend $, or $$, but definitely not $$$$. Thanks, Marsanne *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Personally, I use a monocular. It's very *salty*, eh? (or RRRR) Anywho, it's a Brunton Eterna 6X30, it's slim and fits into my PFD pocket and is bomber waterproof. They're over a hundred and less than $150, depending on where you go. Handy and great for a number of things where detailed vision is king! steve *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Any of the Steiner Mil spec binos are more than adequate. Not cheap but you simply wont buy another pair of binos ever. I abused the hell out of Steiner binos as a forward observer. Even threw them around my APC a few times. I never, ever saw a pair break in 7 years of fun in the sun. eBay has great prices if you are patient. Jim et al ----- Original Message ----- From: "firefly" <firefly_at_eatel.net> To: <PaddleWise_at_paddlewise.net> Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2003 9:11 AM Subject: [Paddlewise] Binoculars? I raised this question privately with another list member whom I know > birdwatches, and she told me her binoculars cost several hundred dollars. > I've got a new VCP Avocet and all gear, including carbon paddle, nice roof > rack, GPS, etc, so I have spent a LOT of money lately. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I have a pair of binoculars that I am REALLY happy with for paddling and everything else (baseball games, basketball games). They are made by Fujinon, the "Mariner" model (7X50 WPC-XL). They are waterproof, have a built-in compass, are very light for their size, have a floating neck strap, and the objective lens diameter is 50 mm. For paddling or boating, a lens diameter of 50 mm is ideal because you can keep your target in view while the boat is bouncing around on swells & waves. The cost 2 years ago was $199 U.S., which may sound expensive, but this was the least expensive pair of binoculars I found with all these features. I purchased them at "West Marine" in California. In a message dated 1/9/03 6:03:06 AM Pacific Standard Time, firefly_at_eatel.net writes: > > > Dear Group, > When out on the Mississippi River Saturday it occurred to me it would > be handy to have a set of binoculars, especially out there, in order to be > able to judge the direction, speed, and size of approaching tugs and barges > and other craft when they are as far away as possible, in order to have > plenty of time to get the heck out of the way. > I raised this question privately with another list member whom I know > birdwatches, and she told me her binoculars cost several hundred dollars. > I've got a new VCP Avocet and all gear, including carbon paddle, nice roof > rack, GPS, etc, so I have spent a LOT of money lately. I am not a > birdwatcher, not patient enough for it. > (I have a theory that all you birdwatchers are just making up the bird > names on the spot, "That's a Twit-nosed River Skimmer." but that's another > thread.. <G>) Do many of you use binoculars? If so, what type, and how > much? I need to spend $, or $$, but definitely not $$$$. Thanks, Marsanne > > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Marsanne: In the same vein as the Minolta camera thread yesterday: I don't like to paddle with anything I can't afford to lose or destroy. My paddling binoculars are a rubberized, "waterproof" 8x26 West Marine "Bora Bora" model _at_ $69.99. They fit in a pocket on my PFD. They offer 80% of the quality of a top-line bino at 20% of the cost. 8x is about as strong as you can go for steadiness on a small boat. In fact, I'd prefer 7x. WM stock # is 2677771 . Go to http://www.westmarine.com/ and insert the model # in the search window. By the same token, my GPS is a basic $109 Garmin eTrex, and my VHF is a $79 Uniden 5-watt. Both are in tethered pouches, so they float and I don't have to take the manufacturer's word for their waterproofness. Dan Harrison Paddling season is NOW! Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 08:11:30 -0600 From: "firefly" <firefly_at_eatel.net> Subject: [Paddlewise] Binoculars? Dear Group, [snip] Do many of you use binoculars? If so, what type, and how much? I need to spend $, or $$, but definitely not $$$$. Thanks, Marsanne *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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