>>57163638There are distinct advantages to monoculars beyond just the cost savings. With that being said, $3-4k on a mono, $200 for mounting hardware/bracket, still leaves you with a good amount for a helmet. You can save even more if you just go with a bump helmet, they can be had for $300-500 for a very good one. If you do want a ballistic helmet they go for $1600-1800. So for $6k or less you've got a full NOD setup with ballistic protection vs. $8-10k just for binos.
Monos let you retain peripheral vision where needed, and use your weapon sights normally in low light/darkness without having to remove/flip away your NODs. But they also let you easily use passive aiming devices like a PEQ or MAWL, again without having to flip up/down your NODs. They're also lighter, and battery consumption is lower so you'll get more actual "night vision time" out of the same number of batteries, and batteries = weight/space on your rig/bag/carrier and less weight pressing on your neck/head.
Binos are good if you're OPERATING exclusively in pitch black conditions with little or no ambient light, especially indoors like ships or underground areas. Most binos tend to give you severe tunnel vision, unless you have like $20-30k to spend on quad vision setups.
For LARPers/minutemen/civi use, a mono seems like a better option overall.
