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Best Survival Hunting Binoculars

The decision you make when buying the best survival hunting binoculars is an important decision for every hunter and outdoorsman. Why? As you become more advanced in hunting, you will find the higher quality optics will become more useful that you than those of lesser quality.

Here is a list of the Best Survival Hunting Binoculars

What are the best binoculars for hunting

Choosing the best quality optics should be viewed as a long term investment rather than an expensive one. Today, the best binoculars used for hunting are re-engineered to provide us with the brighter and clearer vision while out in the field.

Hunting binoculars are a must-have for any hunter because they open more views that aren’t possible with the naked eye. Binoculars with give you an edge on any competition because you have greater territory coverage with your enhanced vision: allowing you to be more strategic on your hunt.

Binoculars are a great tool to be used not only during hunting season but it may also be used for scouting, bird watching, stargazing, or anything that requires a zoomed in perspective. By making a wise investment on your binoculars, you will benefit with more successful hunting trips for many years to come.

With that being said, allow us to take a deeper dive on what our favorite binoculars are in the market.

Buying Survival Hunting Binoculars

Like all pieces of outdoor survival gear, there is an extensive amount of different binoculars with varying features and quality. The best hunting binoculars will have different features than those of bird watching or stargazing binoculars. You must understand these specific features to determine what fits you best.

A few of the primary features of binoculars are the prism design, magnification, field of view, exit pupil, lenses coatings, total weight and more. We will continue to go into more depth covering these binocular specifications.

The prices vary from under $100 to over $2000. To get the best optical for your hard earned money, try to look at the middle to middle upper range of binoculars for the best combination of performance and value.

In general, you should you pick the binoculars that fits within your budget and specific features that you want. While there are thousands of binoculars that are available to choose from, here is a guide for 5 of the best survival hunting binoculars that are out on the market now.

Best hunting binoculars for the money

One of the basic necessities a hunter needs in his survival gear is a good pair of hunting binoculars. There are those who are more advanced in hunting and know just how important good quality optics is while out in the field. Hunters should never underestimate how beneficial a high quality pair of hunting binoculars really are, which is why we suggest you should avoid searching for the cheap quality hunting binoculars and go with the best value for money instead.

Best binoculars under 500

**Alpen Apex XP 8x42 - Top Rated! **

Price: $287.24

Features

Dimensions

Design

 Power X Obj. Dia.: 8x42

 Magnification: 8

 Field of View: 341 ft. at 1000 yds.

 Exit Pupil: 5.25 mm

 Prism Material Phase-coated BaK-4

 Dimensions: 5.75 in.

 Close Focus: 5 ft.

 Product Weight (oz.): 22 oz.

 Waterproofing Waterproof/Nitrogen Purged

 Design Type Roof Prism

 Eye Cups Twist-up with Detents

 Lens Coatings Fully Multi-coated

 Armouring Rubber

 Eye Relief: 20 mm

We highly recommend the Alpen Apex XP 8x42. These binoculars are fairly low on cost, however the quality and performance is nowhere near low. If you compare the Apex binoculars to more expensive models, you will find they are close enough in quality and leave no reason to buy the more expensive ones again. Reviewers say they find the Alpen Apex 8x42 binoculars to be very comfortable to use.

The Apex is fairly lightweight at 24 ounces, but isn’t considered as a standout feature as there are many other binoculars that weigh less. The 8x42 version of Alpen’s Apex are made with fully multi-coated BaK-4 glass prisms for crisp, sharp images. The prisms have the PXA phase-coating for greater resolutions and HR metallic coating for enhance lighting feature. The 8x24 Apex binoculars focus to just 5 feet and have a 341 foot field view at 1000 yards. The fully sully 8x42 binoculars are nitrogen-filled to ensure complete waterproof and internally dust-proof as well as fog-proof. These Apex 8x42 binoculars are backed by the No-Fault, No-lifetime warranty.

Overall

When considering price-to-value, the Alpen Apex XP 8x42 is at the top of the list. It's just great for all around use, and can position you well for tight survival situations. It's a great option to start off with for beginner/intermediate survivalists. As needs grow, proceed to pick up the type of binoculars that optimize more on the feature you are looking for. All in all, the Alpen Apex XP 8x42 is  a personal favorite here at Authorized Boots. 

Buy your pair of Alpen Apex XP 8x42 here today

Eagle Optics Ranger ED 8x42 Binocular review

Price: $329.99

Features

Dimensions

Magnification 8x

Close Focus 5.2 feet

Weatherproofing Waterproof/Fog proof

Field of View 341 feet/1000 yards

Weight 23.6 ounces

Dimensions (H x W) 5.8 x 5.1 inches

Eye Relief 19.5 mm

Objective Lens Diameter 42 mm

With the high-tech features in the Eagle Optics Rage ED, it is guaranteed to be a crown favourite. Especially when offering great quality optical at a price you can afford. With the extra-low dispersion (ED) glass, the Ranger ED provides enhanced resolution, colour, and contrast. This is great for hunters who usually hunt during dusk through dawn. The fully multi-coated lenses increase light transmission with multiple anti-reflective coasting on all air-to-glass surfaces.

The dielectric prism coatings and BaK-4 prisms both provide optimized light transmission. The ED provides a great design feature with the streamlined shape and durability of the roof prisms, and lightweight polycarbonate body. What’s great about the rubber armouring is that it provides a secure, non-slip grip as well as adjustable eyecups to twist up and down for comfortable viewing. The centre focus wheel can also adjust both binocular barrels at the same time.

Other additional features

The locking right eye dioptre adjusts for differences in a hunter’s eyes, which is located by the right eyepiece. The ED is also able to use a tripod and can be mounted on, which many hunters’ look for. The waterproof optics is sealed with O-rings to prevent any moisture, dust and debris from entering inside the binoculars.

What’s great about the new Eagle Optics Ranger ED binoculars is that it seems to be completely different to the previous models. Not only with a new look, but also made of completely different materials. While the new ranger may seem a bit more traditional than the previous models, the Eagle optics now have positioned the bridge to be a bit closer to the eye pieces, which is great especially when you are not actually glassing, but carrying them with just one hand.

Here's a video of the Eagle Optics Ranger ED 8x42 Binocular for more information and review.

Best Survival Binoculars around $1000

Minox APO-HG 10x43 BR Binoculars review

Price: $1,699.00

Features

Dimensions

Magnification 10x

Close Focus 8.2 feet

Weatherproofing Waterproof/Fog proof

Weight 25.6 ounces

Field of View 355 feet/1000 yards

Anti-reflective coating on all air-to-glass surfaces

Eye Relief 16.5 mm

Dimensions (HxW) 6.5 x 5.2 inches

Objective Lens Diameter 43 mm

• Extra-low dispersion (ED)

Buy your pair of Minox APO-HG 10x43 here

The Minox APO-HG is clearly a high-performance, top-quality lightweight binocular. The APO-HG gives the quality of old-world craftsmanship with the modern technology we have available today. With the extra-low dispersion (ED) glass, it provides enhanced resolution, colour, and contrast. The fully multi-coated lenses increase light transmission with multiple anti-reflective coatings on all air-to-glass surfaces. Another great feature is the Phase Correction, as this enhances resolution and contrast through roof prisms, as well as the BaK-4 Prisms to optimize light transmission.

The roof prisms are appreciated for a streamlined shape and durability, while the magnesium body is sturdy and resistant to any corrosion. Another great feature is the rubber armouring, as it provides a secure, non-slip grip. With the multi-position eyecups, the APO-HG can twist up and down for comfortable viewing with or without eyeglasses. The centre focus wheel is able to adjust both binocular barrels at the same time, while the locking Right Eye Dioptre adjusts for differences in a user's eyes that are located by the right eyepiece.

What else can you tell me about it?

The tripod adaptable may be mounted using standard ¼-inch threading. The waterproof optics is sealed with O-rings to prevent moisture, dust, and debris from getting inside the binocular. The Fog proof barrels are filled with argon gas to inhibit any internal fogging. Also, the MINOTEC Coating repels any water and residue on outer glass surfaces.

To put it easily, the Apo-HGs are Minox’s highest bid to compete with the best binoculars that are available today. The extra lens actually refocuses the light that was prismatically separated when passing through the first lens. With the Apo-chromatic design, it eliminates any chromatic aberration, which results in sharper image quality with brighter, truer colours. This is great for hunters as you can really tell what is happening when you look through the optic.

Best Survival Binoculars around $2000

Swarovski EL Swarovision 8.5x42 review

Price: $2,279.00

Features

Dimensions

Magnification 8.5x

Close Focus 4.9 feet

Field of View 399 feet/1000 yards

Weight 28.0 ounces

 Razor-sharp clarity and edge

Eye Relief 20 mm

High-density (HD) glass​

anti-reflective coatings on an all air-to-glass surface

Dimensions (HxW) 6.3 x 4.8 inches

Objective Lens Diameter 42 mm

Weatherproofing Waterproof/Fog proof

Buy  your pair of Swarovski EL Swarovision 8.5x42 here

The Swarovski’s EL 42 Swarovision may have reached the generation’s new revolution to provide images with razor-sharp clarity and edge, which is exactly what hunters want. With improved technology, the EL Swarovision has set a new standard for image definition with guaranteed optimum contract in low light situations. The optimal features in high-density (HD) glass to enhance resolution, colour, and contract. With the fully multi-coated lenses, this will increase light transmission with multiple anti-reflective coatings on an all air-to-glass surface.

The roof prisms are appreciated for a streamlined shape and durability, with a magnesium body that is sturdy and resistant to corrosion. This is perfect for travelling around in the field. Another great feature is the rubber armouring that is secure, and non-slip grip. With the Multi-position eyecups, the EL is able to twist up and down for comfortable viewing with our without eyeglasses. The centre focus wheel can adjust both binocular barrels at the same time, with a locking right eye dioptre to adjust for differences in user’s eyes.

With a great waterproof design, this optics is sealed with O-rings to prevent any moisture, dust, and debris from entering inside the binocular, ensuring a long lasting relationship. The fog proof barrels are filled with nitrogen gas to inhibit any internal fogging. What we love about this is the Swaroclean Lens coating, as it repels oils on the outer glass surfaces.

The swarovision has a quality of sharpness and contrast that transfers, with a new clever flat design, and good resistance to any flare. It’s exciting to enjoy images with such high quality of clarity from the optics. The body is solid to perfection with definitely high quality finishing touches. The handling is great especially hunters who want binoculars that fit perfectly in their hands with good balance. Also the texture of the rubber will keep a hunter more secure as it feels durable enough not to slip, which is crucial when hunting.

Here's a video of the Swarovski EL Swarovision 8.5x42 for more information and review.

Important Key Features of Hunting Binoculars

Hunting binoculars come in a variety of sizes, magnifying powers, and price ranges. A great pair of binoculars can be a lifetime purchase. Here’s what you must know about what to look for in Survival Hunting Binoculars.

Magnification

The magnification is usually described as something like “8×25″ or “10x42”. The first number is the magnification: 8x, and the second number is the diameter of the objective lens in millimetres. The larger the lens is, the larger the field of view and the brighter the image will be.

Check this out. Understanding Binoculars: Magnification

Size Matters

While the bigger binoculars may seem like a chore to carry, their large size provides a larger objective lens opening which allows more light to filter to give you a sharper image. This is especially important for hunters who know first-hand what it’s like to try and spot their prey in less than perfect weather conditions.

Many compact binoculars are not compatible with a tripod. While a tripod is not necessary a lot of hunters do like having that option.

Internal prism

All binoculars use either a porro prism or a roof prism. The porro prisms provide a somewhat pure and more three-dimensional image along with better depth perception. They usually provide a wider view, which important when glassing in fields and open areas. You can recognize binoculars with porro prisms by the eyepiece being noticeably offset from the lens. This is because porro prisms appear to be a bit bulky, which generally calls for a larger binocular frame.

The elements of a roof prism overrun closely, allowing the objective lenses to line up directly with the eyepieces. This allows for a more streamlined, compact binocular design. You may often see roof prisms in compact pocket-sized binoculars.

Lens Coatings

Manufacturers apply chemical coatings to the lenses of binoculars to help reduce the glare, while making the viewed image as bright and clear as possible. The number, extent, and quality of the coatings will affect how well your binoculars will work, especially in dim-light conditions. Roughly 10% of light does not pass through the lens due to reflection. In order to counteract problem, manufacturers coat the lens surfaces with a solution that increases the amount of light transmitted and reduce the glare. The more coats there are, the better though it can be quite expensive.

The terms for lens coatings are as follows:

      Coated. A single layer is applied to at least one lens surface.

      Fully-coated. A single layer is applied to all air-to-glass surfaces.

      Multi-coated. Multiple layers are applied to at least one lens                                  surface.

      Fully multi-coated. Multiple layers are applied to all air-to-glass                            surfaces.

Eye Relief Cups

The eye relief cups are twist-up cups on the eyepiece of the binoculars that create an empty space between your eye and the glass. This creates a little darkness around the circle of light that you’re looking at, making it a bit easier on your eyes when looking through the binoculars. This makes it really useful if you wear glasses or shooting glasses while out in the field.

Buy  your pair of Swarovski EL Swarovision 8.5x42 here

Conclusion


Decide what binocular is best for your budget and fits your needs. It is important to understand that though certain hunting binoculars may cost a fortune, it does not necessarily mean they provide high quality or the best features designed for you. Do thorough research before purchasing any binoculars for your survival hunting gear.


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