Spotting scope for packing in.

[sparky62]

Just wondering what you guys think the best size spotting scope would be best for packing into the back country?

 

[dirtytough]

Just wondering what you guys think the best size spotting scope would be best for packing into the back country?

I usually try to pack light on a backpack hunt. The one place I won't scrimp on weight though is my spotter. I packed an ATX/BTX 95 this year. Yep both eye pieces and the big lens. To me it is definitely worth the weight packing heavy optics. I will pick the spotter with the bigger objective every time if I can see better with it.

Regards, Branden

Regards, Branden

 

[AK Troutbum]

I’m admittedly an oz. counting weenie and I find myself constantly walking the tight rope of trying to shave wt. from my pack while maintaining the integrity of my gear. So, all that said, I can’t seem to ditch my heavy, 54 oz. Swaro for lighter glass. I can’t say that I’ve looked through every spotter out there but, I can say that I haven’t looked through a better piece of glass then the one I own, and I just can’t bring myself to sacrifice a quality spotter for a little weight savings.


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[idahohikker]

Lots of good 65mm options, which is normally what I'd recommend. A Kowa 50 whatever spotter would be excellent if you have the budget and are especially weight-conscious.

 

[Newtosavage]

As with most optics, there is no "best" - only best for you. Optics, like rifle calibers, are always a compromise.

For this past year's elk hunt, I purchased an itty bitty Nikon 50 ED scope body, from Japan. When it arrived, it felt like a toy it was so small and light, but the optics are no joke. At first I had some adapted 1.25" astronomy eyepieces, but I eventually found a second-hand 13-30X Nikon eyepiece at a very good price. That eyepiece is still very small and light and suits the scope really well. I give up some field of view vs. the astronomy eyepieces, but gain the zoom feature - a good trade-off IMO since I do my "searching" with tripod mounted binoculars and not the scope, and only use the scope to verify cow/bull/legal...

Along with a very lightweight tripod and ball head I picked up on Amazon for about $35, the unit disappears in my pack. Several times, I meant to take it out but forgot, and I never even noticed it was in my pack until I was searching for something else on a day hike. It's that light.

I think you need to give some real consideration to how you intend to use your scope. Are you using it for glassing or just verifying legal animals once you've located them? Are you just trying to determine if an animal is legal, or are you looking to score one on the hoof?

I can tell you that with decent late evening light, I was able to confirm that a group of bulls were all legal (4x or better) from a measured 2.4 miles away. That was with the Nikon 50 ED and a 17x astronomy eyepiece. That was all we needed for my buddy to kill his first elk the next day.

If you decide to go the 50 ED route, let me know. I have a spare astronomy eyepiece that will fit it.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

It depends a lot on how much detail you need to see. Finding game? Almost any good compact spotter should do. Counting points or rings? Train harder and save more for a big great one.

 

[Dioni A]

I pack a big 80mm swaro everywhere. I can't think of a situation where I need a spotting scope but not the best one I can carry.

 

[mcseal2]

I have the Kowa 55mm spotter and like it very much for what I do. I think it's a 554. It's expensive but the glass is good enough it runs with the good 65mm spotters. I thought it out performed the older STM65 Swaro I had, I sold the Swaro after getting the Kowa.

The field of view on the Kowa is small and the eye relief is much less forgiving than the Swaro. That isn't a big deal for me as I almost always use my binos off a tripod locating game. The spotter is to evaluate game already located, and the Kowa does a great job of that. Carrying the light Kowa actually makes me carry my heavy 15x Swaro binos more often, and with them I locate more game.

So much depends on how you use the spotter. Before the Kowa I had a Nikon ED50 and it was a heck of a little spotter too for the money. Its not nearly as good as the Kowa especially in low light, but its surprisingly good.

 

[pumatom]

Kowa 553 or 554
Great optics and very light

 

[Huntingpreacher]

I just went through this same decision. I tried the Nikon Ed50, Athlon Cronus 12-36x50, and finally the Kowa 554. The Athlon performed better than the Nikon, but neither one came close to the Kowa. Lot more money but I'm gonna plan to use it as an all around spotter.

 

[LaHunter]

If you are gonna be packing it in your pack with all your other gear, I would say a 65 mm spotter would be best, at least that is what I pack. I'm not willing to pack the extra wt and bulk of a larger spotter and my 65 mm spotter has performed great for me during my deer and elk hunts. Obviously, the larger spotter of the same model will provide better performance, if you are willing to haul it around. Maybe if I was sheep hunting I may have a different perspective.