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Why Range Finders are Perfect for the BackCountry
Chuck Fitzgerald ©2004. All Rights Reserved.
Outdoor enthusiasts love to guess about all sorts of things. We
guess how many stars are in the Milky Way, we guess how fast a
deer runs or we might even guess about how long it will be until
that big, dark cloud dumps rain us. But there are times when
guessing in the backcountry just doesn’t get the job done.
Specialty gear is available to help us determine how far we’ve
hiked - and in what direction - and other tools are available to
help take the guesswork out of purifying water. But there is a
another useful tool overlooked by many avid backcountry visitors
- the rangefinder.
Rangefinders are used in a number of commercial applications - surveying, mapping, mining, etc. - however for our purposes we
will be discussing the portable laser rangefinder used by outdoor
sportsmen and sportswomen. Laser rangefinders calculate the
distance to an object by bouncing a laser beam off of the object
and measuring the lapsed time until the beam returns. Since the
calculation is based upon the return of the beam, it stands to
reason that a more reflective object can be measured at a greater
distance than a less reflective object. Readily available models
are accurate to within one yard and have the ability to measure
distances to reflective targets up to 1500 yards away – that’s
nearly a mile - and they’re accurate under nearly any condition.
The past few years have seen a number of technology advances
across all rangefinder price ranges. Many models are lightweight,
are easily operated with one hand, can measure through rain or
snow, can see through nearby clutter, function well in low light,
contain integrated optical magnification and are 100% waterproof.
Additionally there have been vast improvements lately to lens
coatings, battery life and information display.
If distances are important to your activity, you need a
rangefinder. BackCountry features – rocks, trees, lakes,
mountains, ravines, cliffs – have a tendency to distort one’s
depth perception. It is easy to misjudge even short distances.
The most widely used application of rangefinders is in measuring
shot distances by hunters. Whether you are hunting waterfowl or
elk, distance to your game is the most critical factor in placing
an effective shot. Bow hunters would never hunt without their
rangefinder, the difference between 45 yards and 50 yards for a
bow hunter is the difference between success and failure.
Rangefinders are also used by golfers for determining club
selection, by hikers to determine the best route to travel and by
campers, boaters and wildlife observers for a wide variety of
distance measuring purposes.
The next time you plan to spend time in our wondrous backcountry
consider taking a rangefinder along with you. If you’ve never
looked through a rangefinder, you don’t know what you’re missing.
With a quality rangefinder, guessing distances just became old
news. Use this information and you’ll Get It Right The First
Time. Get Outdoors!
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About the author: Chuck Fitzgerald is Owner and President of
Arizona based BackCountry Toys, an online store providing
backcountry specialty gear and educational information for
outdoor enthusiasts. Visit www.BackCountryToys.com to receive the
free newsletter "FreshAir” or call (800) 316-9055.
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