Why I Love Monoculars

And wish more companies made them

While I always have a pair of binoculars in my truck at any given moment, I don't always have my truck nearby. When I'm out for a run, fishing or on the mountain bike, I often come across things that I want to take a closer look at. That's the beauty of monoculars. They are small and light. They are great to throw in a pocket, bike bag, ski pack, or glove compartment.

There are a lot of situations where I prefer monoculars to compact binos. You get a lot of glass in a small, light package and since the design is simpler, they're generally way cheaper for similar quality optics.

Another key benefit, they are easy for kids to use. The low magnification and light weight make them easy to hold and the view less shaky. They are pretty cheap, so I feel a lot better handing over my monocular to the kids than I do my high-end binos.

I have found a few that fit the bill and that I really like. The Vortex Recon is good, decent optics, good hand feel, it's fun to play with and the kids think it’s cool. Maven CM.1 has a bit better optics in a sleek package. The Zeiss Miniquick is tiny, the size of a medium cigar, and for what it is, has great glass.

There are a few high end monoculars I would love to try out. Leica's Monovid and some of the larger Zeiss monoculars. The sticking point for me is price. For a couple hundred bucks for a Vortex or Maven, I can throw it on the bike, let my kids use it without fear or keep it in my ski pack.

My monocular has become an EDC staple I never leave home without.