KeystoneCarry: A Journey to Night Vision

• November 14, 2023
• By Jared Daub

KeystoneCarry: A Journey to Night Vision

This is KeystoneCarry: A Journey to Night Vision.

Night Vision can be a very complex, overwhelming topic. I don’t want to add to the noise with this article, so I’m going to keep it as short as possible. I guess what I really want to get across to you is that I think we are being misled. Let me explain myself.

Night Vision is NOT the Superpower We Were Told It Is..

“What the heck do you mean, Jared? How can you say that? Don’t YOU own night vision?” Yes! I do! And I love Night Vision, AND I think it IS a superpower! Confused yet? Don’t be. I have said MANY times the following phrase:

“What is Camouflage in the daylight will be camo at night, only better.”

In the video at the bottom of this blog, I stated that it is almost criminal how “night vision” companies push EVERYONE to nods as if they are the end all, be all solution. The reality is: Night vision is old tech and, frankly, it SUCKS at finding targets that have even one ounce of Camouflage. Now, I want to be clear: That does NOT mean that night vision doesn’t have a place. It sure does, but it’s only a piece of the equation.

Thermal is the equalizer of the playing field.

When I think about the most effective way to find targets, prey, or threats in the darkness, thermal is ALWAYS a piece of that equation. I love getting onto the range with my binos. I love shooting and driving with them too. But drop me into the wilderness or even urban settings and I want thermal on tap. Heck, I’ll take a CBL19 that I hold in my hand, no problem. To me: it isn’t really an option. Someone in your crew should have thermal.

How my opinion on night vision has changed over time.

I think the best way to summarize where I am at right now is that we all should have access to some form of thermal. Ideally, we’d all be running fusion devices, like the Jerry FB. In reality, the JFB is out of budget for most, for now. So in the meantime, what do we do? Well, I’d recommend at LEAST considering a thermal unit of some flavor in your crew. Even if you have to split the purchase among your buddies. Sure, that could cause some drama, but you’re big boys and girls. Work it out.

If you descend into the darkness without thermal, you’re missing a piece of kit that many ops have. So to me, I’m moving towards fusion and away from dedicated night vision. That doesn’t mean I’m tossing my binos, because they still have PLENTY of application. But I might just reserve them for more driving or land nav tasks and save the scanning, hunting, and evasion for fusion devices or dedicated thermal.

One thing I want to make clear: Thermal has Downsides too.

Downsides of Thermal Vision

There certainly are situations where NV might be the best option. Inclement weather conditions can make thermal nearly useless in worst case scenarios. In fact, you should check out the video below where Ethan dives DEEP into this topic:

The real solution: Running Both Thermal AND NV:

My biggest gripe in the “industry” is there aren’t enough companies pushing the truth. We’re stuck in the rut of “same old, same old” pushing the next new housing, new glass, new blah blah blah. Frankly, it’s somewhat exhausting. Look: WE GET IT. Y’all have 3D printers. But you don’t have to make another housing. Just saying. Especially one that won’t even last a drop in a creek. But I digress.

We’ve taken it upon ourselves to explore merging thermal and NV and pushing manufacturers to get up to speed.

So I’m curious: Which do you prefer? Are you more into NV, or are you heavily considering some thermal? The good news is: We can help regardless of where you are at. Shoot us an Email and let’s start the no pressure conversation. We are here to help answer your questions and understand your unique situation so we can help you as best as possible.

Give my video below a watch as well. I think you’ll find it helpful. See you all next time.