FIELD & STREAM 2005 BEST OF THE BEST AWARDS
This year, seven of our field editors looked through the thousands of new products offered by the outdoor industry, tested hundreds of them, and finally came up with a list of the 22 best. These are Field & Stream's Best of the Best.
by Philip Bourjaily, Peter B. Mathiesen, Keith McCafferty, John Merwin, David E. Petzal, Bob Robb, and Dave Scroppo
BUSHNELL ELITE
In 1987 the Elite binocular was the first to break the $1,000 barrier, and it was thought that sales would be very limited, and only to birders. Wrong! When hunters got a look at how good these glasses were, they came up with the money plenty darn quick.
These Elites are new, and at 23 ounces for the 8X model, they are considerably lighter than their illustrious forebears. They are waterproof and incorporate every possible refinement in the way of lens and prism coatings for high light transmission and superior resolution. But what sets them apart for hunters is the Rainguard coating on the exterior lenses, which means they won’t fog, and you can use them in a downpour. It is a huge advantage. I’ve used Elites for years, and these are miles ahead of the originals. —D.E.P.
As Seen in Field & Stream® Magazine
