Being a city boy by heart one of the strangest experiences for me is the absolute darkness you find when the sun goes down in the valley. Even in rural America you have the pole light attached to the side of the barn or the ambient glow from a nearby town, there is always some light. Not at the cabin, occasionally four distant lights make dots by the lake roughly six miles away, otherwise complete blackness. Great star viewing but there is the uneasiness of the unknown in the shadows.
I have grown accustom to the singing coyotes and foraging deer that come out after sunset and the occasional thud against the cabin wall no longer gets me out of bed at night. Still you always wounder what is out there...you want to see.
A few years ago I bought this night vision monocular from Harbor Freight for about a hundred bucks. It was fun but horrible quality and had focal problems. Difficult to steady, more of a toy than a true survival tool. Anyway it was stolen during the breaking last year.
I was doing some research on night vision technologies the other day cause I really want to replace the monocular before I move down. I wanted goggles...very expensive. The more I looked the more a certain model kept popping up. These were not high end military night vision goggles as a matter of fact they are a toy...but everyone loved them.
EyeClops Night Vision Infrared Stealth Goggles
$58 On Clearance!
Only one eye has a monitor so they are not true binocular vision but they strap to your head leaving the hands free. The field of vision is somewhat limited but the picture is crystal clear, in focus and static free. Very bright, very sharp image. If you are looking for a cheap night vision rig this works. Saturday night I will try it out on a hike and let you know.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Night Vision
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14 comments:
Cool - my buddy Spec ops had Gen 4 and they were amazing - but unavailable to guys like us...looks great - I need to pick up a pair!
Jeff
I just check your link - They're over a hundred dollars now and out of stock. :o(
try walmart
I just put link up there so people could see them.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00153F5QA
here ya go - Good ole Amazon and in stock cheap!
Aaah, uses an infrared illuminator. Kinda like an IR flashlight with a receptor.
OK for searching around the edge of a pond, and usable where a unit that relies solely on ambient IR wouldn't work (in a cave fer instance), but tactically you are carrying a billboard around visible to anyone with true ambient IR vision.
Get used to seeing at night. Use a red light for getting out of bed at night, going to the bathroom etc. Saves your night vision. Don't look directly at the object you want to see, Look out of the side of your eyes. Practice going out in the dark. A good binocular with a large ocular lens helps to gather extra light.
I don't know anything about this setuo but it being a monacle isn't a bad thing. The stuff we use in the Army (PVS14's) are monacles. Monacles are good because you have one eye free (non dominant eye) so there is depth perception. The old goggles had a big problem because you had zero depth perception. You don't see how important that is until it isn't there. Hard to walk, drive, etc without it.
SWEET, I love those things man. Been needing a pair, thanks for the info. Can't wait to see how they work for ya.
Check out whatacountry.com Great refurbished mil spec NV
While the benefits of night vision gear can't be denied, In a way I look at that kinda stuff as technological crutch that might leave one vulnerable come a complete grid down, bye bye technology scenario. One thing you learn being at sea at night is that light is your enemy. Your own night vision is enhanced by absence of light. Starlight alone will illuminate a surprising amount once your eyes are adjusted to darkness, which in my experience takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. But then again, on a moonless, overcast night, you can't see your hand in front of your face.....
There's nothing wrong with having things around for convenience and luxury as long as they're available. Just don't get so used to having them that you can't live without them.
http://www.tacticalnightvision.com/binoculars.htm
On the other end of the spectrum...
Just went to Wal-Mart. The everyday low price was less than $70. They weren't on clearance.
When I was 12 I hurt my eye, not seriously but the doctor had me wear an eye patch that looked like a pirates patch. After a couple of days I could take the patch off in pitch black darkness and I could see! I mean I could see well enough to run along a trail in the darness of a moonless night. Try it. It takes a few days and the patch must be light proof. Admittedly this is an awkward method to acquire night vision but with planning it could be very usefull.
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