If you can afford Swaro 8x32s and don’t mind perhaps having them lost, stolen or damaged Of Course bring those
Something tough and compact. Leica 8x32 BNs come to mind. Tape over the Leica badge with black tape.
It sounds like you are implying the Travellers are so inferior
I agree fully with those who recommend bringing top quality optics if you can afford it. Why not have the best for what may be a once in a lifetime experience?
And as aptly noted above the concern about theft/damage on a trip like this is being overblown by some. Just don’t be dumb and leave your binoculars sitting around unattended, no different than any other valuable items while traveling anywhere (or even when not traveling, frankly).
So back to practical suggestions.... I think there are two main options:
Option 1: take a premium, fairly light 8x32. Leica Ultravid, Kowa Genesis, Swaro SV, whatever 500-600g flavor suits you. Wear it out the entire time (neck strap, harness, some kind of clip lock option on the backpack strap like Cotton Carrier or Peak Design, etc). Your premium optic is always at the ready but still light enough to not be a major bother.
Option 2: get a premium compact (Zeiss VP 8x25, Swaro CL 8x25, or to minimize size/weight the Ultravid 8x20) and carry it in a pouch (either affixed to the backpack strap or a belt loop) while you are hiking. This will allow for “emergency views” if you need to check something out while trekking, without having a big pair of binoculars bouncing around on a neck strap or obstructing in a harness. Carry a larger pair of your choice in the pack, pull it out for those slow afternoons when you can wander around the campsite birding.
Personally I would do option 2 on a serious trek; chances are while you are trekking you won’t be doing that much birding, just occasional looks which a premium compact will be perfectly adequate for. Worst case scenario (or if there’s a section where you think you’ll be birding more) you switch to the bigger bins for trekking and you’ve got a measly 200-300g extra stuffed in the pack.
We did 300km at birding pace with a daily average of 10-12km, depends where you are but it's unlikely to be fast paced as you say, apart from the altitute, there is very little, even ground, it's either steep up or steep down!There's no single answer to this question, really. You will be birding some of the time in dense forest when lower power might be optimal, and some of the time in open country when higher power might be preferable.
How much weight is an issue is entirely down to you: if it's something that concerns you generally, then it will probably concern you on a trek. If it's not, it probably won't. Obviously, all other things being equal, lighter is better, but I wouldn't buy a new pair of bins just to go trekking.
I've trekked a fair bit in Nepal with 10x40 Zeiss and 8.5x42 Swaros. I didn't have an issue with either.
When you say the group is fairly fast-paced, I would suggest that is unlikely to be the case in Nepal. The treks are typically broken into well-defined stages, and are generally paced to promote acclimatisation to altitude. A lot of these stages are quite short, and most groups are pretty slow, especially as you gain altitude. My advice would be to try and detach yourself from the main group and dawdle so that you can bird at your own pace. You will catch them up at the next stop.
I'd actually do BOTH. I'd take a small and light 8x30/8x32 (or 10x30/10x32) and a small compact as a backup in my backpack, something like the Leica 8x20. Just in case something happens to my main pair.Option 1: take a premium, fairly light 8x32. Leica Ultravid, Kowa Genesis, Swaro SV, whatever 500-600g flavor suits you. Wear it out the entire time (neck strap, harness, some kind of clip lock option on the backpack strap like Cotton Carrier or Peak Design, etc). Your premium optic is always at the ready but still light enough to not be a major bother.
Option 2: get a premium compact (Zeiss VP 8x25, Swaro CL 8x25, or to minimize size/weight the Ultravid 8x20) and carry it in a pouch (either affixed to the backpack strap or a belt loop) while you are hiking. This will allow for “emergency views” if you need to check something out while trekking, without having a big pair of binoculars bouncing around on a neck strap or obstructing in a harness. Carry a larger pair of your choice in the pack, pull it out for those slow afternoons when you can wander around the campsite birding.
other thought (wonder if you've tried or anyone else) is to use a harness? Not sure how it would work with rucsacs, needing to change layers regularly, duvet jackets etc?
Time of the day where predators are hunting.Do NOT go birdwatching at sunrise and sunset, especially in a forest.
Okay, I'll bite ............. why not?
Thank you .......... I had no clue.Time of the day where predators are hunting.
5 Nepalis died eaten by Big cats since the beginning of the year, because they have not respected this simple rule....
Just for my understanding (and to make sure I didn't do anything too stupid when I was in Nepal): is this recommended also in the mountains? I only thought about this for the lowlands. As far as I know there no tigers in the mountains and snow leopards are not known to attack humans (and too rare to be a risk which needs to be considered).Do NOT go birdwatching at sunrise and sunset, especially in a forest.
Hi David,Just for my understanding (and to make sure I didn't do anything too stupid when I was in Nepal): is this recommended also in the mountains? I only thought about this for the lowlands. As far as I know there no tigers in the mountains and snow leopards are not known to attack humans (and too rare to be a risk which needs to be considered).
Edit: Just researched for tigers in the mountains and found this article: Tiger sighted at a record altitude of 2,500 metres
No offence, but this is baseless fear-mongering. The risk to local villagers who live in the terai adjacent to national parks like Chitwan and Bardia and routinely cut elephant grass bears no resemblance to risks to trekkers in the Himalayas. The risk of fatality from driving in Nepal, from AMS and even from getting knocked off the trail by a mule is orders if magnitude higher than the risk of being attacked by a predator in the mountains.