What spotting scope?

[Hunter&Huntress]

Im in the market for a spotting scope that is under the $1000 range. What do you guys think is the best one for backpacking?

 

[belly-deep]

If weight is a huge priority, 11-33x50 Vortex.

 

[AggieCowboy]

I love my new vortex viper 20-60x85. Sucks to pack it up, but I love having it on top!

 

[noharleyyet]

The Kowa 501 is under your budget & gets mixed light comments...KOWA 553 Prominar is over but were I in the market, it'd be the one.

https://www.kowaproducts.com/Kowa-TSN-550-Series-Spotting-Scope/Kowa-TSN-553-Spotting-Scope/

https://www.kowaproducts.com/Kowa-TSN-500-spotting-scope/Kowa-TSN-501-compact-spotting-scope/

 

[MThuntr]

If weight is a huge priority, 11-33x50 Vortex.

Pretty sure I just saw one for sale here for $500...

I've been told that Vanguard Spotters are good for the money. I made the mistake of selling my Theron Saker which was excellent.

 

[LuketheDog]

If saving ounces is your goal the Vortex Razor 11-33x50 is a great option, you can usually find a new one between $600-700.

 

[Hunter&Huntress]

Do you guys feel that 33 power is enough?

 

[wannakillabigbull]

Do you guys feel that 33 power is enough?

Eh? I had the 11-33x50 for a while then moved up to the 16-48x65. Sometimes I feel like the extra power is helpful, sometimes I don't. The thing is that if you're going to be backpacking it's often hard to justify the little extra power for the weight penalty. The 11-33x50 is 25 ounces whereas pretty much every 65mm or greater on the market is at least 48 ounces.

 

[brymoore]

You’re going to want a 65mm as a minimum. I had the Nikon 50ED and always wished I had a little more power.

Secondly, I bought a year-old Swaro ATS 65mm for $1,500. If you save a little more, you can have alpha glass for your spotter.

 

[6mm Remington]

I have a 15-30x50mm Leupold Gold Ring spotting scope that I sure like a lot. The glass is good and it is small and light.

https://www.leupold.com/spotting-scopes/hd-spotting-scopes/gr-15-30x50mm-compact

 

[TLowell02]

Im in the market for a spotting scope that is under the $1000 range. What do you guys think is the best one for backpacking?

Pretty sure I just saw one for sale here for $500...

I've been told that Vanguard Spotters are good for the money. /QUOTE]

If you're interested in the Vanguard I have a 15-45x60 that I don't use and would be willing to sell. It's a great scope that usually just hangs out in camp since I use binos almost exclusively now.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

50mm spotters are soooo light, but I'm happy backpacking with a 65. I can get close enough to the same amount of info with bino's on a tripod compared to a 50mm spotter that it was a tweener to me. Now I wouldn't turn down that new Kowa though...

 

[Bambistew]

Weight of the scope is secondary to performance. Light weight scopes are basically useless IMO. They are small objective, and do not perform well in low light unless they are the lowest power setting... which is usually the same as your binos... which will be better than the scope... crank it up to "high" power and it will be very dim, even during the day compared to a 65mm scope at the same power. Its night and day difference. They have low power potential to clarity ratio, and good 10x42binos will out perform them virtually every the time... Spend the money and get a good scope in the 65mm range, or the Kowa that NHY linked above. An extra pound of weight is worth it, save your weight somewhere else. IMO a spotting scope is one of the most important piece of hunting equipment I own. This topic comes up quite often, lots of info on past threads.

If you buy a small scope you will be disappointed. I would bet on it.

With a $1000 budget... look for used Alpha glass.

 

[MTGomer]

I take a 80mm Swarovski on backpack hunts. Like Bambi said, there’s other places to save weight.

You probably won’t find a used 80mm HD for a 1k but there should be some decent options out there.

 

[MN Public Hunter]

Vanguard...Find a used one for sale and IMO you can't beat if for the price/performance with ED/HD glass even if you pay full price.

 

[nhn2a]

I picked up a new Vortex Razor vortex viper 20-60x85 (Older grey model) for $900 last year. Its amazing for the money. Its heavy but I had no problem carrying it around as its worth every ounce.

 

[AZBridger]

meopta and kowa spotters are hard to beat for the price. Kowa also seems to be lighter than most. IMO they are both 2nd only to swarovski.

 

[Hunter&Huntress]

What do you guys think of the vortex razor 16-48x65?

 

[wannakillabigbull]

What do you guys think of the vortex razor 16-48x65?

I have one; got it for a good deal. It's serviceable. For the weight, price point, and ability to resell, it's a solid option. If you're looking for a decent piece of glass with a lifetime warranty from a company that's going to likely stick around then there aren't a ton of other great options in that price range. There's better glass out there for sure at higher price points. The truly great spotters exist north of $1500 new, IMO at least. The 16-48x65 Razor HD isn't sheep glass.

 

[CubsFan]

Just an FYI that the 16-48x65 Razor HD referenced above is on camofire for $799.99 today. I'm not even positive that is a good price just thought I would throw it out there since a few people seemed interested.