Do you do much hunting on foot or mostly from the truck?
I’m a mule deer outfitter, and hunt sheep for myself... i use a Leupold Golden Ring... the magnification (12-40x) isn’t quite as great as some of the other scopes out there, but it’s small, lightweight and compact... i have a client that brings up a Swarovski, and it’s so big, heavy and long that any movement in the truck when it’s on a window mount, or a windy day when it’s on the tripod, it shakes so much that it’s useless. I don’t have experience with the vortex spotters, so can’t really comment on them.
If i ever was in the market for another spotter, i wouldn’t hesitate to go with another Leupold - but would probably get the 20-60 instead.
I use a composite manfrotto tripod, and it’s without a doubt the best one I’ve ever had. The aluminum ones are loud if they bang on anything, and the steel ones are too heavy.
Just my $0.02
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