Am I going to get kilt in the streetz if I don't have NODs?

[Wake27]

Not to pick on you, I just want to point something out.

It wouldn't take very much right now to cause an extended blackout. We're getting into the middle of summer--local forecast for me in the NE is 90 degrees, every day for a week. And if you're in an "area of unrest" (srsly, we need a cool-sounding sarcastic name for this), it's not like infrastructure is super well-defended. It doesn't have to be planned or targeted, it just has to affect your AO. I also think it would be a mistake to think that all the utility workers haven't caught Riot Fever, or that there might not be a criminally- or radically-minded individual among them.

Cities get real dark during blackouts. Countryside can stay pretty light out, but cities get dark. And even if I had a generator, I'm not sure I'd want to turn it on. Yes, lighting the shit out of yourself is handy for countering NODs, and can be discouraging, but it places you at the distinct disadvantage of being That Place That's All Lit Up. Night vision would let you maintain some awareness of what's going on in your general area without raising your profile.

I’ve never been in a blacked out city, so you got me there. But I assume chances are rare that you’d have to go outside at night if the whole city has a blackout. What’re you doing that’s giving you awareness of what’s going on outside? If it’s just peeking out a window, sure NODs would help, but I still fail to see how they’d be of great significance unless you’re planning on running a whole bunch of patrols.


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[Totem Polar]

And if you're in an "area of unrest" (srsly, we need a cool-sounding sarcastic name for this)

How about ‘roadside unrest stop’ as in: “Capitol hill is Seattle’s best roadside unrest stop right now, but the ones in Minneapolis and the inner perimeter of Atlanta still have it beat.”

[Erick Gelhaus]

I've got both dual tubes along with IR designators & illuminators.

It's fun to take out in the dark.

And I've used the stuff professionally - with others. Not sure it's really a useable by one's self.

But it's fun to take out in the dark!

[shane45]

Do you have any idea how many stolen Truck / car guns I have recovered over the years ? A LOT. 3/4 of the stolen guns we recover locally are stolen out of vehicles. Unfortunately "truck guns" - cheap guns left in vehicles full time with the expectation they might be stolen are a thing here in TX. Hell, a "suspcious person" my guys encountered a few days prior, stole a vehicle left unlocked and running at a local gas station and then used the loaded gun left in said vehicle to shoot and kill a good smaritan who followed him while on the phone with 911. So I don't really find anything funny about truck guns.

HCM, it would seem you link irisponsible behaviour to the definition of truck gun. Not everyone subscribes to that definition. It matters little what type of gun it is if its owner is irresponsible, clearly they dont care. But that doesnt mean those in this forum that discuss and consider a truck gun suddenly become careless and irresponsible, quite counter to the type of people pf'rs seem to be. Im not sure how your arriving at "finding anything funny about truck guns". If your referencing tongue in cheek, then you are still missing the point which was, 6 montha ago truck guns/pdw = larp, today with daily use cases stacking up changing the consensus, perhaps its not. So maybe the same could be said about NV, todays larp is tomorrows real use case due to unfolding events.

For those that state "your money is better spent on x" consider that the people that can afford NV also likely already have or can afford those other things too. But if your stretching to obtain this catagory of kit and lack all the more basic things, then i would agree unless there is some circumstance that makes it a priority for that specific use case.

[joker581]

It depends on your personal circumstances. I can afford NV but I’d have to wait for a blackout or specifically seek out a place and reason to actually use it. I’m certainly not above inventing a reason to get something cool, but my real need for it seems pretty low.

[Darth_Uno]

For those that state "your money is better spent on x" consider that the people that can afford NV also likely already have or can afford those other things too. But if your stretching to obtain this catagory of kit and lack all the more basic things, then i would agree unless there is some circumstance that makes it a priority for that specific use case.

In my case, it’s just something I would never get to train with or use effectively. There’s not much I’d use night vision for around my property that a weapon light can’t do much more affordably. IOW I just don’t need it.

I have played around with other people’s hunting scopes and binoculars though. It’s pretty damn cool.

[benEzra]

5. Do you have basic relatively inexpensive (compared to optics) FLIR surveillance stuff?

Anyone have any guidance on something like this? Even just being able to look around in the dark and see any suspicious blobs nearby can be good for peace of mind when camping or hiking in low light.

[Rex G]

Anything left in an unattended motor vehicle is vulnerable to loss, be it firearms, tool, NV gear, or other stuff. Lord have mercy, I took enough BMV reports and stolen-vehicle reports, in 33+ years of policin’ Houston, at night, to know this. And, it is not just big cities; I have been in smaller cities, towns, and rural areas, and noticed the tell-tale broken auto glass, on the pavement/ground, in parking areas.

A safe or lock-box helps, but the whole vehicle can be stolen, and it is not always easy to have quick-access to an in-vehicle lock-box or safe, if something happens FAST. I am not preaching against these things, but saying we should think these these through. I will cite the example of felony vehicle stops, as done by LEOs, or cruising along, and being flagged-down, by someone in distress, as happens with LEOs, but could happen to John Q PrivateCitizen. (Most private citizens should not stop to help unknown folks, as it could be a trap, but imagine you are arriving at home, and a bloodied family member runs into the street.) If something cannot be readily grabbed, while seated, or as one bails out, and readily dragged out the door, it is probably not going to be useful, after one exits that driver’s door.

Again, I am not preaching against having these things, but we should evaluate whether we are collecting talismans, or getting things we really need.

For a while, during 2018-2019, I was very interested in decently high-end night vision, to help deal with night-time trespassing at some semi-rural land, owned by my wife’s family. This project was moved to a back burner, but it still being kept warm.

I am not certain that the current social unrest necessarily up-ticks the urgency of my adding NV gear, for my personal use case. Good white lights, both hand-held and WMLs, are already on-hand. The main things on my shopping list, when I get some money deposited at the end of the month, are more Aimpoints for a couple of more weapons, and a back-up T2 for at least one weapon. (My eyes are aging-out of BUIS, so, BUOS.)

[Tamara]

The number of situations where I could use NODs that don't simultaneously involve Indianapolis burning too brightly to make them useful are pretty slim.

[Erick Gelhaus]

The number of situations where I could use NODs that don't simultaneously involve Indianapolis burning too brightly to make them useful are pretty slim.

There ya go. Doing that "making sense" thing again.