Spy on Your Neighbors With Night-Vision Gear

But feeding my see-all-things-at-all-times fantasies are the companies that make portable night optics systems. These are the low-light gadgets that can be worn or carried like binoculars. The players to know here are Night Optics USA, Sensor Technology Systems and iGen. If you've seen any movie featuring the U.S. military doing its thing in some dark jungle or another, these are the thingies hanging off their helmets.

"Basic" night vision scopes in this class, like the D-300M from Night Optics USA, start at $1,049. But prices rise dramatically depending on features.

And the gear you really want to own -- trust me on this one -- combines different types of low-light imaging technologies to create more lifelike images. One I like, the NO-PVS 14 M-3A from Night Optics, starts at $3,289 and gets very expensive fast.

I particularly like the AN/PVS-21 from Sensor Technology Systems (price depends on configuration). The system combines high-quality stereo optics with very good night vision.

The unit both enhances existing light and uses some impressive signal processing to see through flash and fog. Images on this unit are crisp; detail is sharp. And what is most important in optics used in action, depth of field is much, much deeper. I don't get the night-vision headache I often get trying to use these units for hours on end, while sailing offshore or hiking after dark.

And then there's this truly remarkable feature: The unit has a second, concurrent video feed that runs off an outboard small video camera, which in my test I could carry and point where I wanted. So say I needed to look forward and monitor my back at the same time, I could do it.

Now, price is not the only issue with these scopes. They can be ruthlessly finicky to use. Let's just say it is abundantly clear that soldiers do not do the buying of better night vision scopes. Details can be truly absurd.

The AN/PVS-21, for example, has buttons both on the top and the bottom of the unit that require a black-belt degree in gadget jujitsu to even turn on.

And, certainly, sales and support are going to be an issue.

After all, you will be buying from a company that sells hundreds of $8,000 scopes to the Marines. It is a near-certainty that you will be in uncharted territory if something goes wrong.

But you know what, all that is really beside the point. To me, having a unit like the AN/PVS-21-300 on hand completely changes the process of managing risk in outdoor sports at night.

And considering that you are probably into your own personal outdoor jones for something close to six figures -- that cool boat, plane or climbing trip to Mt. Everest ain't free -- spending $8,000 for optics that give you a better chance of surviving to laugh at your mistakes is not such a crazy investment after all.

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