Talk me out of bringing binoculars on the Wonderland trail

I carried a under 2 oz monocular on part of the PCT and the JMT and do not regret the extra weight. There were multiple times where I was able to either look ahead or look back at people on the trail and distance. Along with animal spotting and some unique long distance views. I usually don’t carry it on the the AT, but anywhere out west I’m pretty sure I will always pack it.

my phone takes better pictures than I can see through binoculars.  10X zoom.  I’ll take a picture of something, like mountain goats far away I can’t resolve visually, then zoom in on the picture and they’re quite clear

the phone is subsuming everything

my phone takes better pictures than I can see through binoculars. 10X zoom. I’ll take a picture of something, like mountain goats far away I can’t resolve visually, then zoom in on the picture and they’re quite clear

the phone is subsuming everything

I suppose it depends what you use binoculars for, and the quality of the binoculars you use. If you’re just trying to see ahead for route finding, sure a phone might be the lighter alternative. But for nature observation there is nothing a phone can do that a quality binocular will do better in terms of pure viewing pleasure. And at the end of the day finding pleasure in the natural world is what backpacking is mostly about.

I have some binoculars that are pretty good.  I can resolve details with my phone better.

Perhaps the experience of looking through binoculars real time is better

Of course there are telescopes that are much better but they are heavier

I have some binoculars that are pretty good.  I can resolve details with my phone better.

Perhaps the experience of looking through binoculars real time is better

Of course there are telescopes that are much better but they are heavier

Telescope? I think you’re referring to a spotting scope – a different animal entirely.

I have a new iphone. In no way does it resolve detail as well as my binoculars, but I don’t own cheap binoculars so there is that.

Again, you have only yourself to please. But the ability to sit and watch, for instance, a nanny mountain goat with its kid feeding on a cliff in real time isn’t an experience a cell phone can replicate.

But the caveat HYOH always applies…

With the binoculars you can continuously watch wildlife.  If you take a picture with phone and look at it there’s a delay – you might miss some action.

I frequently see some white dots and wonder if it’s a mountain goat or something.  Picture with 10x zoom allows me to determine whether it is or not.

I was with someone and they wondered where there kid was.  There were some dots way away but no way you could tell.  10x zoom picture easily resolved that it was their kid.

I just like replacing an object that weighs something with my phone I’m taking anyway.

Yeah, HYOH for sure.

+1 for a monocular. I carry mine in a front pocket and am able to quickly pop it out and focus.

I don’t think there will be much sit and watching, but I bought an inexpensive monocular, 3 ounces with the case. I’ll just have to see if I miss my actual good binoculars, and wish I’d carried another 7 ounces instead! Thanks for the suggestions.

If you like having binoculars, take binoculars.  Ten ounces is a lot for something you don’t need and rarely use, but “worth it” for something you use (even for fun) a lot.  Maybe you don’t need to be talked out of your binocs, but need ideas of how to keep them at the ready while you hike.  Is there a binocular analogue of the Peak Design clip that keeps my camera ready for a quick draw?

I think binoculars have to be fairly heavy to be very good optically

I got mine from someone that designs binoculars.  They are supposedly fairly good.  They weigh 25 ounces.  When I look across a distance at some detail, like the mortar on bricks on a chimney, I can see it with the binoculars.  With unaided eyes I can only see that it’s a chimney.

With 10x lens I can see details on the mortar I can’t see with binoculars.

But, each person and equipment is different.  Try it yourself.  Look at some detail far away.

I would think 3 ounce binoculars would be no better than unaided eye.

Bushnell.

I think binoculars have to be fairly heavy to be very good optically

Or very expensive.  My Swarovski CL Pocket 8x25s are fantastic, and only weight about 12 ounces.  But I paid about $850 for them.  I’m a lifelong birder, so they’re worth every penny to me.

my binoculars say 8 x 42 WO field 7.0 degrees.  I wonder if that’s good.  The lenses are 1 5/8 inches – I think that’s important

I think binoculars have to be fairly heavy to be very good optically

Not true.

I don’t think there will be much sit and watching, but I bought an inexpensive monocular, 3 ounces with the case. I’ll just have to see if I miss my actual good binoculars, and wish I’d carried another 7 ounces instead! Thanks for the suggestions.

Ms. Granola, please report back your monocular experience. I’ve contemplated getting one and will be interested in your thoughts.

Have a great trip!

I carry a Brunton Echo monocular. Very light (1.6 oz) and reasonable optical quality. 7×18.

I’ve never met a backpacker who regularly carries binoculars. To me this seems odd, because a compact binocular can be such a useful tool. Back around 2008, I stopped taking binoculars on most trips for about five years, because I was too focused on the weight of my gear. On most trips, binoculars were not a critical “keep me alive” piece of equipment. After realizing my mistake, I, again, now carry compact binoculars on almost every trip.

But I am still in the infinitesimal minority. If you never, or infrequently take binoculars backpacking, perhaps this might be a good time to re-consider. How is it that we can’t find time to stop and explore our environment from a distance? How is it that 10 or 12 ounces is too much weight for something that can provide hours of enjoyment on a multi-day trip?

A few years ago I spent a few hours observing the Pleiades with a 6.9 oz. 8×24 binocular while lying in my sleeping bag. The next morning I enjoyed my breakfast while observing a colony of ants. On another trip I was able to pick out a big horn ram and then move in much closer for a great picture. On a couple of occasions they have helped me find water in the desert. The list goes on and on.

I haven’t been without binoculars in my pack for decades. Were I doing a long thru hike I wouldn’t take them, but for normal trips they always come. My wife also carries her own.

8.95 oz’s of joy…

Thanks y’all for your ideas and experience. I ended up buying a cheap monocular for this trip, figuring it would at least let me identify a bird, if not see it clearly as with my binocs. It was junk. Then when our group spotted brown animals moving down a hillside and wondering if they were bears, the monocular was next to useless, but my friend’s iPhone 17 Pro was amazing!! Clear view of bears, sow with cubs, two bears brown and one blond – all black bears! We could see the aquiline noses, bigger ears, lack of hump etc. Of course we knew they were black bears, but the color was striking. In Alaska I’d have assumed they were grizzlies, but we were in Mt Rainier.  Since I’d have a phone regardless, I’m going to upgrade to a new iPhone (before they raise prices this fall) and use that instead of binocs for longer trips. It was so much better than the monocular – which admittedly was a cheap piece of junk. Not better than binocs, but no extra weight to carry and still ID and see wildlife and birds.

• Robot

Yeah AK, new phones are amazingly good

It’s at least worth evaluating whether something else is enough better to justify

When I use my binoculars, they are real time rather than taking a picture, then looking at picture.  You can see stuff moving around.  Looking with both eyes let’s you see when things are close or further away – paralax.

I was just looking at someone far away.  I could see the stripes on the person’s shirt but not with my phone.  There were other examples where I thought the phone was actually better.

Binoculars vary in quality as well as design. Here is a good overview of the numbers and what they mean: https://gearjunkie.com/technology/gadgets/how-to-choose-binoculars. I carry a Zeiss monocular. I believe I have the Mon0 10 X 25 T. The magnification is a bit much. My hand is a bit wobbly. I added a small mount to it, which allows me to put it on a tripod. Even with that (and the duct tape) it weighs three ounces (or 84 grams). That is including the strap but no case (I just put it in a ziplock baggie — 3 grams). If I had to do it over again I would probably just go with the 8X magnification (Mono 8 X 20 T). The image is steadier, it has a wider field of view and is a tad lighter.

More to the point, it is very high quality. I appreciate the tip on using a camera. That is quite clever. Some of the optics on cameras are of course outstanding. That being said, I took a picture on 8X zoom and then amplified the picture. It was nowhere near as nice as looking through the monocular. I also need glasses to look at things up close and not when I’m looking far away. That doesn’t apply to everyone but I thus find the monocular easier to use. I don’t use it that often but at 3 ounces it doesn’t way much either.

Another thing about binoculars is whether you can use glasses.  The point where it’s in focus has to be a little further away from the eyepiece.

I don’t know what spec that would be to look for.

I have no problem with judging distance. If I see it with my right eye, it’s close. If I see it with my left eye, it’s further away. It’s a skill I acquired in my mid 60’s