Young hunter binoculars and harness

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Looking to get my boy a set of binoculars, been looking at Vortex Diamondbacks either 10x42 or 10x32. Any suggestions on a good pair of starter binos for a young hunter, along with a youth harness? He is 7.
 
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That's what I picked for my boys, the harness is too big for their bodies but the warranty is good and they like the binos
 

ODB

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Those are good starter binos. Two things to consider from my point of view…the more magnification the harder they are to keep steady, the smaller the exit pupil the harder it will be to keep a full vision, I.e. easier for one eye to blackout etc. might consider the 8x42.
 

Ditt44

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I would lean toward the 8x32 for handling size and weight. As he ages, those will still be great for the woods. If you can visit any of the major box stores and try on mid-tier harnesses, I'd try that. See what fits him and leaves room to grow for a few years. Don't need anything too fancy right now, maybe even find a good set of each in the classifieds here.
 

mxgsfmdpx

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My 7 year old uses and carries the Meopta Meosport 8x25 binos, and they are THE ticket for small hands and are very light weight.

My wife made and then sewed on some padded shoulder straps for the factory soft flip open soft case. They are elastic blend so he can just pull it over without having to worry about buckles.
 

hunt1up

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My kids both have Maven 8x30s and they're awesome. I love using them as an adult.

Rick Young harness for adjustability and price. Marsupial with their compact shoulder straps add-on if you want fully enclosed and don't mind the price.
 

Marshfly

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For a 7yo go with the Vortex Bantam. Designed for the ocular distance of kids and the 6.5x is significantly easier for them than 8-10x. Much lighter and smaller also.

10x will be extremely hard for a child to find animals in. Perhaps impossible. And then he won't use them.
 

ODB

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My kids both have Maven 8x30s and they're awesome. I love using them as an adult.

Rick Young harness for adjustability and price. Marsupial with their compact shoulder straps add-on if you want fully enclosed and don't mind the price.

I have a set of these as well and they are damn nice.
 

mxgsfmdpx

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BANTAM HD

6.5X32 YOUTH BINOCULAR​

I got these for my daughter who is 7 and she loves them.
Glad these work for her, but these are heavier than the Meosports with a worse image, just FYI to the OP. The Bantams are a fine option especially at the cheaper price.
 

mxgsfmdpx

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For a 7yo go with the Vortex Bantam. Designed for the ocular distance of kids and the 6.5x is significantly easier for them than 8-10x. Much lighter and smaller also.

10x will be extremely hard for a child to find animals in. Perhaps impossible. And then he won't use them.
The 8x25 meosports are lighter than the Vortex bantam 6.5x32. The image is also a large step up in clarity and quality. My 7 year old has zero issues with them.

The vortex bantam is a good option, though especially at that price.
 

nobody

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The other option is the vortex Triumph for $100. It depends on their hand size and how fast they’re growing. I’ve looked through the Triumphs and for less money, they’re an optical upgrade over even the crossfires. If I ended up traveling for a hunt and got there without binos I would pick up a pair of Triumphs and not be mad about it.

For baby hands the bantams or even the raptors are great, but if you’ve got growing kiddos a pair of the triumphs (for the same money as the other options) will probably serve them well for longer.
 

jzeblaz

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Marshfly

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The 8x25 meosports are lighter than the Vortex bantam 6.5x32. The image is also a large step up in clarity and quality. My 7 year old has zero issues with them.

The vortex bantam is a good option, though especially at that price.
Yeah I bet. Kids break and lose stuff. They also forget to put the lens caps back on and just hang them around their neck to get knocked around. Realistically they really just want to be able to see what you tell them you see. It's rare they are actually finding animals. They just want to be part of the fun. He can get nice binos when he is 13 or so like his older brother.
 

mxgsfmdpx

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Yeah I bet. Kids break and lose stuff. They also forget to put the lens caps back on and just hang them around their neck to get knocked around. Realistically they really just want to be able to see what you tell them you see. It's rare they are actually finding animals. They just want to be part of the fun. He can get nice binos when he is 13 or so like his older brother.
When they're 13 they better have RF binos and be calling the shots! haha.
 
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Rick young harness for sure. Several vortex options if you see the no-fault warranty as a must - otherwise the Kowa 6x30 porro is a great choice with optics that are better than the Bantam. FWIW I think the bantam is hard to beat for a little guy, especially if there are younger siblings who it can get passed down to.
 
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