McCoppin...I had this same dilemma. I really liked the capabilities of the Ute...ended up finding a popup 28 on cyber Monday for 209.00 brand new. The Ute looks like a sweet set up though.
I totally get what your saying...But the name of the thread is "Binos on a Budget"...Maybe I should have stated a bit different. I have put the legend M's head to head with those two bino's specifically. In both cases the owners of said optics could not believe the quality for the price point...
The problem with my danner's...is that they seem to leak like crazy in short order...I loved my last couple pairs of GTX 453's comfort wise...just not on rainy days!
May have been said already...but if I was on a tight budget I'd prob get an LL Bean Carryall for 70.00 bucks and a dry bag and go hunting at under 5lbs for the ounce counters. If your gonna go cheap...go filthy nasty cheap and save even more money for a quality pack next year!!
Hunter's...