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Take Binoculars or Not?

We have some nice auto-focus binoculars that we are thinking about taking but don't want to pack the bulk unless we will use them. We will be visiting Venice, Cinque Terre, Tuscany, Sorrento and Rome. What do you more experienced travelers think?

Posted by
19636 posts

Unless you were going to a sporting event, birding, or big game hunting, I'd leave them at home. They come under the category of "things that you may occasionally like to have, but not really necessary". You would most likely lug them all over Italy and never have occasion to use them. When you get home, you'll say to yourself, "Well, that was 2 pounds of weight I certainly could have done without."

Posted by
1231 posts

Agree with Sam. You will probably never use them. Save the room for souvenirs.

Posted by
8375 posts

Think about how many minutes you will actually be looking through them, versus the days and hours you will be carrying them around. I don't think I've ever seen anyone scanning the scenery with binoculars unless they were specifically looking for something - too limiting.

Posted by
7277 posts

How much do you use the binoculars at home? I suspect, with the others above, that you'll not use them enough in Italy to justify lugging them around. If you need to see something distant up close, will you be bringing a camera or smart phone that has a zoom feature?

Posted by
7010 posts

This may just be that one question that all responders will agree on. As the other poster said, unless you're going to a sporting event or bird watching, you'll likely not need them. The only place you might wish you had them is if you're going to the Sistine Chapel but still nor worth lugging them around the whole trip for that one thing.

Posted by
7737 posts

My camera has a great built in zoom that I've used instead of taking binoculars.

Posted by
1077 posts

I took a pair of binoculars to Austria last year because I thought that we would use them in the mountains, churches and scenic overlooks but the truth is all we did was lug them around and rarely used them! It is one of those items that sounds like a good idea but it is not worth it.

Posted by
419 posts

My husband loves to travel with his "monocular." It's very small and light weight. He and the kids love it. I use to tease him about it. However when he handed it to me so I could see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Place I was sold. I also used it at the top of the Eiffel Tower, top of the leaning tower of Pisa, Cinque Terre, Loch Lomond in Scotland, and just random places throughout our trip. I still wouldn't bother to lug around full or a small set of binoculars, but my husbands small monocular was a lot of fun.

http://www.rei.com/product/808284/alpen-8-x-25-waterproof-monocular

Posted by
72 posts

Thanks for such quick replies, as we are in final packing for our departure on Saturday. Final decision - NO binoculars. Pam

Posted by
11613 posts

I agree with Michael, I use the zoom on my camera.

Posted by
1507 posts

If you plan to attend opera or theatre performances, a small pair of binoculars may be handy. Apart from this case, I have never taken binoculars with me.

Posted by
15560 posts

I have fairly small, lightweight binoculars that I take with me often. They are great for seeing the detail in church facades, stained glass, ceilings, etc. Also for the opera.

Posted by
32171 posts

pamela,

I packed Binoculars many years ago on trips but found that I never used them, so they were eliminated from the packing list a long time ago. As the others mentioned, I use the zoom on my camera if I want to see detail.