Do you have binos for your non hunting spouse?

[2rocky]

I know a lot of use make scouting trips a family vacation. Does your non hunting spouse or S/O get in on glassing? Did you get them their own pair of binoculars? If so how good did you go?

When I upgraded, my previous pair went to my kids. Well they are grown and out of the house. Now this girlfriend comes along and likes the scouting trips. What's your suggestion on binos she would enjoy using but not break the bank?

 

[pirogue]

you better figure on getting her the equivalent to yours; just saying.

 

[Usmcff]

I’ve got vortex vipers for myself and I bought a pair of vanguard endeavors for my girlfriend. They aren’t quite as clear as the vipers but for the price, I don’t think you could beat them. However, I only have experience with lower end optics so take my input with a grain of salt.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

When my wife comes with me, she'll the next grade down. If I am glassing with my SLC 15s, she then uses my SLC 10s. If I am glassing with my SLC 10s, she then uses my Viper HD 8s.

I'd never buy her alpha glass as she'd never use it enough to justify the cost.

 

[TTT]

I would never hear the end of it if mine were handed anything less than what I am using.

 

[2rocky]

I would never hear the end of it if mine were handed anything less than what I am using.

Does she spot more and better bucks/bulls/bears to warrant it?

The other question is would most non hunting spouses notice the difference for the amount they use them?

 

[IdahoHntr]

Does she spot more and better bucks/bulls/bears to warrant it?

The other question is would most non hunting spouses notice the difference for the amount they use them?

Especially if your talking a non-hunting spouse that only tags along a few trips, I definitely wouldn't be going alpha glass. I have a pair of Redfield 10X42s that I've just kept as truck binoculars for a long time that do the job just fine for my wife. I know guys that have hunted for years and still only carry Vortex Diamondbacks, and somehow still kill stuff, so I think your spouse would be fine with a pair of those.

My wife doesn't care that they aren't as nice as my binos and would honestly be upset if I spent that much on binos for her when she doesn't even hunt. I think every hunter climbs the ladder of gear quality, and I see starting out a spouse in the same way. No reason to jump to the top when they don't even know the difference.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Y'all are thinking about this all wrong! Get her the Alphas, and teach her to glass right. She'll out spot you and decide she likes scouting/glassing so she'll go on the next trip. Then you just take her glass on the actual hunting trip.

 

[agtex42]

Yes and no, my wife loves backyard birding so she has her own set of glass but I tend to get myself in trouble when I “borrow” them and neglect to return them to their original location.

 

[Blockcaver]

Yes, our first pair of Swaro 10x42ELs were claimed by her. I got the new Swarovovision pair though! And she does
a good job glassing.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Unfortunatly yes.

 

[TTT]

Full spousal buy-in means higher glass budget.

 

[22lr]

Viper 10x42 for me and the wife, a Viper 10x mono for the 3yr who wants to do everything mom and dad do. You can get those monos for $60 and below, and they really are not bad for the price. Great for the kids or those that really value ounces over long glassing periods.

 

[Tony Trietch]

I made the mistake of not providing my GF her own optics on a three day backpack scouting trip a few years ago. She told me it was like playing Where's Waldo without the puzzle...... She stuck with me and is now my wife but she has her own binos now

 

[Brian Fahs]

My wife took over my swarovski 8x32 el sv to watch deer from our covered deck. She said she likes that she can use them with her glasses.
She has no idea what they cost and never has once said a word about my optics or gear purchases.
I did notice she has a lot of nice jewelry she wears that I never once questioned what it cost and truthfully have no clue. I always make it a point to tell her how nice it and she looks.
I guess it's a good compromise for both of us.

 

[Middleofnowhere]

I bought my wife some Compact Nikons years ago and she uses them daily in the yard to watch rabbits, quail, etc. She goes out with me to do conservation work (desert bighorn sheep) and is quite proficient at spotting animals with her little bins. The wife is also a hiker, she regularly gets out with a group of ladies and hike local peaks. She always has her binos with her and some of her lady friends have them now too.

This year hopefully saving up for some EL 8x32s for her. My 12x50s and 8x42s are too big for her liking, she won’t carry either. She made a comment the other day after she looked through the binos on the tripod...

 

[fatrascal]

When my wife and I were dating she asked me when I was going to marry her. I told her after I buy my optics. When we go out she uses the alpha glass and I use the lesser glass. She says that's my punishment for making her wait, lol. Thankfully she only goes out with me about twice a year because she doesn't like to get up early. But if she went more often I would have two sets of alpha. Fatrascal.

 

[Browninglover1]

My wife has shown interest in hunting but doesn’t actually hunt. She quickly learned that my optics were leaps and bounds better than anything she had used previously. She now has a pair of first gen 10x32 EL that I got for a great deal in the local classifieds.

 

[amack26]

I am actually going through this process right now. My fiancé has always come out to the duck blind once a year and with a recent move to AZ she wants to see why I like mule deer so much. I am running 10x42 and 15x56 SLC neu and just ordered another tripod set up. If she sticks with it I may upgrade my glass and have her use those. Fingers crossed!


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[slatty]

Good enough binos that are better than your corner store ones but still cheap: Hawke Endurance ED

If there's ever an ounce of interest in really getting into it (mostly I remind her to bring the binos on our trips), I would drop the money for great glass in a second