Travel binocular's

[shipl0ver]

I am looking for a sm. pair of binocular's to use during our cruise in Alaska. Can anyone recommend a brand and type? Should I just invest in larger wide angle? Any suggestions would be great. :confused:

[bouhunter]

When it comes to optics, buy the best you can reasonably afford. Don't buy really cheap ones! A good pair of binoculars are a lifetime investment and make a LOT if difference.

 

Lood at Leupold, Nikon and Pentax among others. When it comes to binoculars it's really best to look through many at a good sporting goods store and get a pair that feels right for you. Be especially careful when looking at the "small" ones you mentioned (compacts). There are some very good ones out there, but they aren't cheap. The cheap ones will perform very poorly and are worthless when compared to quality optics.

 

Personally, for the outdoors I have Leupold Wind River 8X42's and love them. They're not compacts, but are the narrower roof prism models so they really aren't too big. They run about 240.00 at cabelas.com. The more classic "wide" models are called porro prisms, they are cheaper but bigger.

 

If you see a whale, eagle, moose, bear etc. from the ship, you'll want some binoc's that are a pleasure to use, not cheap ones you struggle with.

 

Of course, if money is no object, buy a pair of Swarovski's, Leica's or Zeiss................but be prepared to drop 1,000.00 or more :)

[mared1]

You can buy inexpensive ones at Walmart, around $20.00 - but I do agree that you get what you pay for. So it might be better to invest in a more expensive brand.

[hipquest]

West Marine has a nice selection of marine stabilized binoculars. We use them on our sailboat and they are much better for looking at water on a moving boat.

[bouhunter]

The cheapest stabilized binoc's on West Marine's website are 329.00 - and they're only 8X25's. The better ones are up to 1,300.00. Quite a lot if it's just to have a pair for a cruise:eek:

[hipquest]

The cheapest stabilized binoc's on West Marine's website are 329.00 - and they're only 8X25's. The better ones are up to 1,300.00. Quite a lot if it's just to have a pair for a cruise:eek:

 

You are so right, I try to locate what I want at West Marine and then look elsewhere. I can almost always find it cheaper somewhere else. Check Amazon for starters.:)

[ShelliRae]

I am looking for a sm. pair of binocular's to use during our cruise in Alaska. Can anyone recommend a brand and type? Should I just invest in larger wide angle? Any suggestions would be great. :confused:

 

Hi!

If you are looking for something small, I own a pair of Bushnell that are "pocketsize", and I really like them. They are 8X21 power and they fold to a small size that would easily fit in a pocket. They have a nylon neck strap also.

The Model # is 13-2514

 

I hope this helps!