Poor Mans Thermal Optics/Night Vision Goggles?

[nwwoodsman]

The Leupold Trackers at around $1,500 are way out of my price range. Being a working stiff with kids to feed, even the $500 Flir units are hard to justify. I'm looking for something with around a 100 yard range. Primary use will be during hunting season, but not for hunting as I have pretty strong ethics when it comes to fair chase. Sometimes the walk in before daylight or hike out at night can be a little unsettling, considering the areas I hunt tend to have high predator populations and my eye sight isn't what it used to be. I do strictly walk in hunting and I would like to be able to glance down logging roads and in the brush to know what may be licking its chops. Anyone have decent experience with cheaper units, even off brand Chinese stuff in the few hundred dollar range?

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[Mygrainman]

Sionyx aurora?

They have them Here ….about $300 for a refurbished unit. I've heard good thing about them.
Digital NV tech is still a long way off from a Gen 3 analog system, but I coulda bought 10 of these for what my PVS14 cost…it will do the trick, and record video while your at it.

 

[American123]

Seems like a red LED headlamp would be a good choice given the parameters supplied. It's not like you are trying to hide from humans, so you don't have to worry about light discipline.

A red LED will still pick up any eyes of anything looking at you in the dark. Most wildlife I've ever seen isn't just standing there in the open waiting to be seen so some really cheap night vision wouldn't be that helpful in my opinion compared to a basic red LED headlamp.

 

[308]

For thermal you will need to spend a minimum of $1200 to be able to identify an object for what it is rather than a mass of colors representing a heat signature.

Night Vision is going to be $2500 minimum for a Gen-3

It's like having a budget of $150 for a motorcycle helmet that will not fit well and rubs all the high points the wrong way and then trying on a $600 helmet that fits perfectly

By once cry once. Or not.

 

[Stomper]

For thermal you will need to spend a minimum of $1200 to be able to identify an object for what it is rather than a mass of colors representing a heat signature.

Night Vision is going to be $2500 minimum for a Gen-3

It's like having a budget of $150 for a motorcycle helmet that will not fit well and rubs all the high points the wrong way and then trying on a $600 helmet that fits perfectly

By once cry once. Or not.

A hard learned lesson by us "empty nesters".

 

[Mygrainman]

Seems like a red LED headlamp would be a good choice given the parameters supplied. It's not like you are trying to hide from humans, so you don't have to worry about light discipline.

A red LED will still pick up any eyes of anything looking at you in the dark. Most wildlife I've ever seen isn't just standing there in the open waiting to be seen so some really cheap night vision wouldn't be that helpful in my opinion compared to a basic red LED headlamp.

But night vision is a superpower you can buy…. Just looking at the night sky is almost worth the cost. So much more going on up there that you can only see with NODS…it's a trip!

 

[CRBMoA]

Drugs are cheaper

 

[Stomper]

Drugs are cheaper

I saw a war in heaven one time…. Strange trip, man!





OK, not really.

 

[CRBMoA]

I have been a semi-pro bass player since the mid eighties. I can't even remember half of what I saw!!!

 

[Stomper]

I have been a semi-pro bass player since the mid eighties. I can't even remember half of what I saw!!!

Or how you got home….

 

[Mygrainman]

For thermal you will need to spend a minimum of $1200 to be able to identify an object for what it is rather than a mass of colors representing a heat signature.

Night Vision is going to be $2500 minimum for a Gen-3

It's like having a budget of $150 for a motorcycle helmet that will not fit well and rubs all the high points the wrong way and then trying on a $600 helmet that fits perfectly

By once cry once. Or not.

… and that's just for the Optic. You'll need a helmet, mount, IR illuminator, cool moral patches, some cans…most helmet pads are like the previously mentioned cheap motorcycle helmet… so you'll have to get a set of 4D tactical zeroG pads(like sticking your head in a bowl full of boobies)
I was REALLY lucky, and a buddy gave me the helmet shell, but that just gave me an excuse to deck it out…
Plus I get to tell my wife I can never sell it because it was a gift. Sure there a ton of $$ in accessories etc. that weren't, but

 

[CRBMoA]

Or how you got home….

IF I got home

 

[titsonritz]

Or how you got home….

and what happen to your pants.

 

[CRBMoA]

and what happen to your pants.

We don't talk about Boise!

 

[Stomper]

We don't talk about Boise!

Still hurts to sit down, eh?

 

[baker3gun]

@nwwoodsman - 12 years ago i bought Gen 3 thin-film NV gear.

One of my intended uses was exactly what you are talking about: sneaking through bear and cat country in the dark.

I tried it several times: head mount, handheld, IR flashlights, etc.

I quit. I didn't like it or enjoy it.
It didn't serve the purpose well at all.
Slowed me down. Wasn't fun.

Now the only time I get that stuff out is to play around, show other people what real NV looks like, or to zero a PEQ on an AR.

Other comments from my experience:
Budget NV gear is useless.
Background: I'm a value-minded person. I like 1980's Tasco EuroClass scopes and Savage rifles and 1990's Pentax roof prism binocs and vintage manual focus camera lenses and other such stuff. High quality stuff at budget prices.
But I'll say this: I bought NV from Wilcox. I bought a Gen 2 and a Gen 3 tube. I immediately returned the Gen 2 and paid up for a 2nd Gen 3 tube, and I kind of gave him a hard time for not speaking the truth during the 1st purchase: Gen 3 thin-film tubes are spectacular and Gen 2 is really bad, a waste of money.

I've seen medium budget thermal gear in the fire service and in field monoculars. The resolution is bad. BUT, it would be better for your purpose than budget NV, because decent thermal gear will reliably show blobs of heat in an otherwise cold-black field of view. You may not be able to tell what the blob is, but at least you'll know it's there if you scan often enough.

I've never pursued military grade thermal gear because it is still way too expensive and also because of the lessons i learned with my NV gear.

2 cents.

I don't do dark walk-ins as often or as far as I used to.
But when I do, I wear a headlamp and carry my bow in my left hand and a pistol in my right.
My plan is go fast, never turn on the light, and whisper little prayers to God and John Browning.
If something bad happens, my plan is to not drop the gun.
After that, my plan is to not drop the gun, not drop the gun, shoot if necessary, do drop the bow, don't drop the gun, try to get the light on.
That's about the best i can do.
In 30 years, I've never been attacked in the dark, so I don't worry about it too much.
But as you know, it's still scary as hell sometimes.

 

[nwwoodsman]

@baker3gun Thanks for the straight answer. I have had 3 encounters over the past couple of years that rattled me a little bit. One was a pissed off bull elk screaming at me from the other opposite side of a slash pile I was setting up by. It was about 4:30am on the opening day of deer season. I couldn't tell if he wanted to mount me or stomp me and I didn't really want to find out either way. Had a cougar that could've pounced from above, but fortunately and as is the norm, he high tailed it in opposite direction.
It sounds like for the purposes, the price points had in mind and what's available, I may just stick with my head lamp, and pucker should any closer encounters occur.

 

[titsonritz]

The poor man's night vision.

 

[American123]

But night vision is a superpower you can buy…. Just looking at the night sky is almost worth the cost. So much more going on up there that you can only see with NODS…it's a trip!

The cheap amazon/chicom knock offs aren't worth it. Though, but yeah, if OP was going to put more money down to get something decent, most definitely.

 

[American123]

@baker3gun Thanks for the straight answer. I have had 3 encounters over the past couple of years that rattled me a little bit. One was a pissed off bull elk screaming at me from the other opposite side of a slash pile I was setting up by. It was about 4:30am on the opening day of deer season. I couldn't tell if he wanted to mount me or stomp me and I didn't really want to find out either way. Had a cougar that could've pounced from above, but fortunately and as is the norm, he high tailed it in opposite direction.
It sounds like for the purposes, the price points had in mind and what's available, I may just stick with my head lamp, and pucker should any closer encounters occur.

You could always get a 1000 lumen light for those times you really want to see everything.