Entered the night hunting world with an InfiRay Bolt TL35. I can see the need for non weapon mounted NV.
Best to save up for a helmet set up or just find a suitable handheld?

Thoughts?

Needs to be on your head.

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Another vote for helmet. I used a monocular for a couple years which worked fine but when I went to the helmet setup I started seeing a lot more animals.

For navigation, yes helmet mount is the way to go with traditional night vision whether PVS14 or dual tube goggle. The strength of traditional Night Vision is in the navigation end more than for scanning for animals. Thermal is much better at detection and that is what scanning is often about. If you are scanning with traditional night vision and shooting with thermal, you will miss a lot of animals that you didn't know are there, but you will navigate well getting there. Some will run a helmet with thermal on one side and a PVS14 on the other. Most will say they won't run them at the same time while there are those that say they can and it doesn't bother them as far as headaches, etc. A person could also run fusion with something like an e-COTI or TAD along with their night vision. Super cool, but thermal detection is still very limited. Great for close range stuff, but not if you need to detect a hog or coyote at 1000 yards, etc.

As for thermal scanners, many like to go hands-free. I personally like a handheld thermal scanner, but it really depends on how it will be used.

So can someone recommend a budget helmet mounted system.

I've got a wedding to pay for , I'm in the poor's.

If it’s just for hunting and you already have a nice thermal scope I don’t see the need for a helmet and stuff. Depends if you’re stationary or moving around a lot, but even if on the move, if you’re in the woods it’s just more stuff to get caught in bushes and trees and stuff. I would just try and find a good deal on a pvs14 and one of those crye nightcaps if you really wanted to go hands free, otherwise just keep the pvs14 around the neck on the lanyard.

1: Cancel the wedding.
2: get duals
3: forever alone???