Rainguard for Bushnell Elite Custom (7x26) (1 Viewer)

I'm looking for an eyepiece rainguard that attaches to the strap. I've measured the eyepiece diameter @ 33 mm. 34 mm should be OK (masking tape).
I've seen several (Vortex, Eagle, Zeiss, Swarorski) online but only Opticron gives the inside diameter.
So... Does anyone know/use a rainguard (that attaches to the strap) that will
fit a Bushnell Elite Custom Compact (7x26) [latest model?]. Or that has an
inside diameter of 33 or 34 mm?

Thanks,
John

Make your own?

John

Here's a quick late night reply!

I attach photos of the simplest design of 'make-your-own' rainguard that I have come up with so far.

I apologise that the photos are poor quality.

The cups are made from milk bottle tops (or any other sort of plastic bottle tops) selected to fit. The bridge is made from a sheet of plastic cut from the side of a 6 pint milk bottle. The cups are temporarily held in place on the bridge by household glue. The whole is then covered and bound together with duct tape.

The attachment point is made with duct tape. I attach the rainguard to the strap with nylon cord. I pass the ends through the attachment point, then join them together to form a loop by melting each end with a lighter, and then fusing the two melted ends together.

Stephen

A worry about the lighter

Wow! Did you just take the photos? I've got the duct tape & cutting tools, but I'm a little concerned about the lighter. My brother & I are going to the Shetlands in late May & I've been thinking about rain (and sleet). One thing's for certain, I'd loose the single eye cups in less than a day. I'll go to the store with my ruler & start measuring!
Thanks for the quick reply.
John

'Make-your-own' rainguard

John

1. I stopped using matches some time ago. The ones that
I kept to use for lighting candles etc are now all soggy.
Matches are though a little more precise for joining
nylon cord than a cheapo throwaway lighter.

2. I use methylated spirits to keep the scissor blades
clean. There's a lot of fine cutting the duct tape to
get it to fit over curves. You'll go mad if you let the
blades get too dirty.

3. My first efforts at planning how best to cut the duct
tape to do the job were not economical of cutting. The
result was less tidy than it could have been. And the
job (Less time taken laying on hand the materials!) took
maybe 2-3 hours, instead of the hour the job took the
second time that I undertook it.

The photos show the first job!

4. The plastic they use for milk bottles in Asda (ie
Walmart) here cuts easily with scissors, and is stiff
enough for the bridge. For a tidy job of marking up the
circles for the ends of the bridge, I went up into the
loft, and dug out my old school compasses.

5. For the 'modern' Bushnell Elite Custom 7x26 in the
Shetlands, given the likelihood of stormy weather, and
the lack of waterproofing of the Bushnell, you'll need
either:
* A firm fit of the guard to the eyecups -- which may
require you to line the 'barrel' of the bottle tops
* A deeper 'collar' than is afforded by the depth of
bottle tops -- which may not be on for the Bushnell
as compact binoculars.

Hope this helps further!


Stephen

I forgot!

John

1. I forgot to warn!: I hope other Bushnell Elite
owners who have researched the matter will advise you,
if you don't know already, what areas a rainguard should
particularly protect against the ingress of water.

I concern myself in my design with protection against
light rain, food, and fingerprints from careless
handling. In serious rain I usually put the binoculars
away!

2. Apropos the sort of weather that you could well
encounter in the Shetlands, you have probably thought of
it already, but the case that Bushnell supplies has two
rings for fitting it with Carabiners to one's belt. Good
for quick stowage when the wind and rain suddenly get
up.

If you need a recommendation, I have bought MasterLock
Carabiners from a builder's store (Should really have
tried an outdoor store) for general use in hanging items
of kit off a leather belt.

MasterLock Carabiners are heavy, but importantly
the sharp edges where the latch meshes with the hook
have been filed off.

If you buy, still though do your own quality control on
(1) the alignment of latch and hook, and (2) the smooth
operation of the spring!


Stephen

Joining nylon cord

John

I've bought some matches; joined some cord; and attach macro photos.

The first photo shows the end of cord before joining. The melted end of nylon has solidified, but you'll get the idea. It takes a bit of practice to do a tidy job, but no special knack is required.

Expect the cord to shrivel back as it melts to form the blob of melt at the end.

The second photo shows the cord after joining. Again it takes a bit of practice to get a solid join. You have to be quick to marry the ends while they are still melted or plastic.

I can't remember how I did the job on the rainguard, but I probably joined the cord before I fitted the attachment point.

I used a lighter, but I learned the job using matches, so since you suggest that the job is new to you, and you hesitate at using a lighter, I went back for today's exercise to the same 'tool' that I used when I learned the job.

If the end of cord catches fire, just blow it out, and if need be start all over again. Its only the melt that catches fire, and it burns slowly with a small flame, so don't panic. Pay more attention to the match! Watch against dropping the match while it is still alight! By doing the exercise again, I reminded myself how quickly a match burns down to one's fingertips! Also how trying to blow a match out sometimes fails: rather instead the match burns faster!!

[I was more careful when I first started doing the job, and had a tin lid handy for placing, rather than attempting to blow out, the match should the melt catch fire. The tin lid also served to stub out the cord if I caught the burn early. I recommend that you do the same. DO NOT GET CAUGHT TRYING TO BLOW OUT MATCH AND CORD AT THE SAME TIME!]

I was taught the technique in 1963 (the year of the Nuclear test ban Treaty -- that's how I remember the year!). Nylon cord does not 'hold' a knot like ordinary string or cord. Hence the technique.

I don't like knots anyway except when they are under tension.


Stephen

My Attempt

I do so enjoy numbered paragraphs. Over the weekend I went to Walmart (see photo 1 - South Philadelphia - Delaware River) with an original lens cap. I tested 20 - 25 bottle caps and chose one that was 33 mm across (the bottle cap flares out).
This is the one I got (US - 16 oz):
http://www.pomwonderful.com/pomegranate-products/juice/
NOT this one (UK - 750 ml):
http://www.pomwonderful.co.uk/pomegranate-products/juice/

1) Lens Caps - I had to sand the inside of the caps (see photo 2) [I used 220 & 320 grit sandpaper - It's what I had on hand] to get them to fit. You'll know when you've sanded enough when:
a) The bottom of the cap comes within 2 mm of the diaopter adjustment (see photo 4).
b) The cap rotates freely in a clockwise direction.
c) I put the caps in the freezer overnight and they still rotated freely.
Note: The < 2 mm gap is a great improvement over the 4 mm gap the original lens caps give.

2) Mentholated Spirits (my spell check changed it): I don't drink and so am unfamiliar with this type of spirit (Creme de Menthe? Green or White?). I used alcohol swabs.

3) Duct Tape: I confess to being puzzled with the need for Duct tape. Since all the parts are plastic, the DT provides no waterproofing benefit. After some thought, I decided the benefit was mostly ornamental. Keeping this in mind, and taking into account that if the rain-guard got soaked it would also be very bad for the Elite, I went with orange masking tape (see photos 3&4 - I messed up the white balance in photo 4...It's really orange).

4) NO Flames! - I tied a double knot in the cord, dabbed on some Krazy (Crazy?) Glue, and snipped off the end (see the right-hand side of photos 3&4). It's a trade-off between flames & fumes (I also used contact cement).
Note: I've built a computer that involved sleeving the cables and I used the flame technique to bind the ends of the sleeve.

I really like my new rainguard...Much thanks!

John

Carabiners?

I know about carabiners (see attached photo) but I don't understand why they are needed. In addition to the two rings, my Elite case has a belt loop. But... I almost always wear my rain gear (pants & rain pants). If I attach the case to my belt (with or without carabiners) it's going to be underneath the rain pants and bulge. I usually carry a mid-size messenger bag and I could, I suppose, attach the case to it's strap. However, in the rain it seems much easier either to zip-up my rain jacket over the binoculars (that's why I got compact binos), or to put them in the messenger bag. Just what do carabiners bring to the party?

Cheers
John

Most glad you're happy!

John

1. 'Just what do carabiners bring to the party?'

Strength!

I've had belt loops tear off. Doesn't the Bushnell
(without case) weigh some 13oz?

I also 'feel' that stuff hangs better off a belt with
carabiners.

Plus in old age may one not weaken, and incline
conservatively towards the over-engineering solution?!

Maybe you call, what I call 'carabiners', 'hooks'.

I attach a photo of what I mean by carabiners.

The carabiner in the photo is used, in combination with
a split ring, as a 'quick release' to attach my bicycle
'belt binoculars' to my belt.

[If I was wearing a light duty belt, I would of course
use a smaller carabiner.]

2. Methylated spirits

Per Wikipedia: 'Denatured alcohol, also called
methylated spirits or spiritus, is ethanol that has
additives to make it poisonous, extremely bad tasting,
foul smelling or nauseating'.

Spoilsports!

I like the smell; haven't tried the taste. Here it's
dyed a tasteful purple colour. Hard cases living rough
on the streets are called 'meths drinkers' (although in
the past, and possibly still, they usually rather drink
cider).

3. Duct tape

I use duct tape as a binder over a stiff but still
flexible plastic former cut off a milk bottle etc to
make mudflaps etc for my bicycles. The main durability
of the item comes from the duct tape binder.

The mudflap on my 'keep up with the club' bike has so
far lasted five years (say 7500 miles).

I use the same method of construction for rainguards
because it is both proven and familiar.

4. 'Welding' versus Contact cement

I've never been able to get contact cement to work for
me. It's a jinx. Thus I manage Araldite perfectly well
for simple jobs.

5. Juice

I hope you enjoyed the juice!

Here there seems to be a new tradition starting for
occasional drinkers: Christmas drinks!

I am celebrating with a bottle of 'Made in Ulster' Irish
Cream.

6. New rainguard

And I am most pleased you like the new rainguard. I just
hope the birds aren't spooked by the orange.

But the birds are tough up there.

If it helps, a good defence against attack by terns is
an ice axe stowed point upwards in your rucksack.

It probably works against skuas too!


Good luck!


Stephen

A Third Rainguard - this horse is dead

I got these (see pics) from Mike M at Eagle Optics (Thanks!). The are the rainguard for the Vortex Vanquish (8x26) and have a diameter of 34mm. I used a double layer of polypropylene (a file folder) attached with contact cement. Note the two places the plastic is attached....more is too much (this thread for example). The eye caps slip on and off easily.

My favorite is the DIY suggested by Stephen.

So... Either 34mm rainguards (VV 8x26 or Opticron) + glue & plastic
OR - Bottle caps, plastic bridge, & covering.

John

Why this fixation with rainguards?
When birding in the wet, the problem most of the time is water drops on the objectives, which rainguards don't help solve.
Water on the eye pieces, that's what tongues were invented for. 8-P

Imho, a rainguard is just another bit of stuff that gets between me and the sighting. The Swaro 'Rainrag' idea makes some sense because it gets out of the way near automatically, but not for me at the price Swaro is asking.

Why this fixation with rainguards?

Etudiant

'Why this fixation with rainguards?'

1. That's why I hoped someone would advise John where
water might get into the Bushnell 7x26 if he used it in
the rain.

Your point goes the whole hog, but there's equally no
advantage from a particular design of rainguard,
if--Forgetting exposure to violent Shetland wind and
rain, which I suspect is as good as dropping the
Bushnell into water!--it doesn't prevent water from
penetrating through the relevant locations.

2. Someone could equally usefully advise John:
* What in practice is the chance of water getting in?
* If so, what is the chance of the water temporarily or
permanently rendering the binocular unusable?

3. John already has his non-waterproof Bushnells.

But if the answer to both questions is that the chance
is high, that would usefully supply an answer in precise
terms also to the new binocular purchaser's question:
* Why buy waterproof binoculars?

4. Hunters certainly, from what I read on the web, hunt
in heavy rain, and value waterproof binoculars.

Likewise people generally who use binoculars in dusty
conditions--Including that other, not just Shetlands,
but general seaside variant of the dust hazard: fine
wind-blown sand--value waterproof binoculars for their
seals.

Our imagination can tell us what dust or extensive water
inside a binocular will do.

But there are people who put their non-waterproof
binoculars away in heavy rain, or when caught in dusty
conditions.

How far should they do likewise in light rain, rather
than just, to get back to John's situation, put a
rainguard over the oculars?

Or to get back to your point, just lick the water off!

5. Etudiant, forgive me for rewarding your commendably
short post with a long post!

Stephen


I take advantage of posting again to apologise for
mistaking at a too hasty glance John's photo of a
carabiner for a locking link.

Also to acknowledge John's improvement of my design by
cutting his bridge to include an attachment point for
the loop to the binocular strap