Camping and hiking in the wilderness offer many opportunities to see the wonders of nature. However, the many different birds, animals, and even insects you find will often not cooperate in getting close enough for you to fully see. This is where having a Hawke Nature Trek spotting scope comes in handy.
A spotting scope is a telescope designed to be relatively small, lightweight, easy to carry, and have enough optical power to see objects at a distance. The best spotting scopes also have other useful features that makes them the best choice for many hikers and campers.
In this Hawke Nature Trek Spotting Scope review, we will go over the features, pros, cons, and whether this is the right scope for you. But what is the Hawke Nature Trek Spotting Scope and what features does it offer?
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- HAWKE Spotting Scopes Nature-Trek 20-60x80
Features
What you get with the Hawk Nature Trek Spotting Scope is a 20-60×80 lens, a carry strap, stay-on cover, and a lens cover. The breakdown of the technical aspects of the scope is as follows.
- Power: 20 – 60x
- Objective Diameter: 85mm
- Close Focus: 3.5mm/11’
- Eye Relief: 20mm/0.8”
- Weight: 46.2oz
- Length 398mm/15.7”
In addition to the technical aspects and additions to the scope, this Hawke Nature-Trek Spotting Scope review also reports the features that this device has to offer.
Fully Multi-Coated Optics: Designed to produce sharp images
Close Focus: See details from as little as 11.5’ away
Stay-On Soft Scope Cover: Provides protection from the elements, bumps, and scrapes
Body Rotation: Allows for 360-degree viewing
Digi-Scope Compatible: If you want to take pictures with your digital camera, this scope allows for you to do that.
Fold-Down Eye Cup: The eye cup along with the sunshade is designed to reduce glare so you can more comfortably see through the lens.
All these features are certainly acceptable on their own, but what advantages does the Hawke Nature Trek Spotting Scope offer?
Pros
Angled Viewing: Unlike standard telescopes where the viewing piece is aligned straight with the lens, this scope has an angled viewer so you can comfortably look down while seeing up to 80’ away. This makes it perfect to use with a tripod. You can set the tripod or monopod lower than your eye level with the scope on top for easier carrying and placing when needed.
Body Rotation Ring: One of the big issues when using a spotting scope is being able to move it quickly to follow fast moving birds and animals. The body rotation ring allows for smooth movement in all-directions. You can follow the subject for considerable distances with comfort when using the ring in association with a solid tripod.
Crisp Images: Because this scope uses the celebrated BAK-4 Porro prisms, you get vibrant colors and contrast that normally are not found in spotting scopes at this price range. Combined with the FMC optics and sunshade that reduces glare, and you will see sharp, clear images when the scope is focused in sunshine or under cloud cover.
Short Body: One issue with many spotting scopes is their length makes them difficult to carry, especially for hikers carrying backpacks and the like. The relatively short body of the Hawke Nature Trek Spotting Scope makes it easy to carry on your backpack or even your belt. Yet you still get a powerful lens that allows you to see considerable distances.
Warranty for Life: All scopes produced by Hawke are covered by a limited lifetime warranty. That means if this scope becomes damaged or is defective, you can have it repaired at no cost to you. This includes damage that you may be at fault for causing. This is one reason why Hawke has such a strong reputation in the industry.
In this Hawke Nature Trek Spotting Scope review, we do not leave out the issues that some may face when using this product.
Cons
There is very little that can be considered a detriment in terms of size, performance, and features as found in our Hawke Nature-Trek Spotting Scope review.
About the only downside is that for occasional hikers or campers, the price of the scope may be higher than needed for such a limited use. For those who want a cheap spotting scope for occasional use, then this is not the product for you.
In addition, if carrying a tripod or monopod is not desirable, then the angled viewing becomes more problematic compared to a straight viewer that allows for better hand-held use. But these are both minor nits in an otherwise outstanding product.
Verdict
If you can afford the price and hike regularly out in the wilderness, then purchase the Hawke Nature Trek Spotting Scope. It offers all the desirable features that those who love the outdoor want in a compact, durable product. The warranty alone ensures many years of use, although its robust nature and stellar reputation of the Hawke company means that such replacements may be few and far between.
- HAWKE Spotting Scopes Nature-Trek 20-60x80
Benefits
The advantages found in the Hawke Nature Trek Spotting Scope review reveal the benefits that this remarkable product has to offer. It is designed for those who want a robust, yet lightweight spotting scope for their frequent trips to the great outdoors.
Portability: Not only is this scope great for hiking, but you can keep it in your vehicle and use to spot objects when travelling. The small nature of the scope makes travel easy, so you can get even more use out of it.
Power: With a reach of 20 – 60’ and up to 80’ the Hawke Nature Trek Spotting Scope offers considerable reach that is beyond many similar scopes of the same size. The result is being able to spot objects at a distance that is not within the design of other, similar scopes. The lens clarity also provides additional viewing of details that are quite remarkable even under less-than-ideal conditions.
If you want to see more on your next hiking or camping adventure, then the Hawke Nature Trek Spotting Scope is a product to consider.