After seeing mold grow inside a pair of 1970s binoculars from my childhood, I grew up the kind of person who fussed over my binoculars during fishing, camping, and birding excursions. He was convinced that using optics with any kind of moisture present spelled disaster. I always feared taking chances tempting fate with any accidental exposure to rain.

But that was then, and this is 2013. The manufacturing technology for today’s high-end binoculars has become truly impressive.

Two years ago I started using my new Vortex Diamondback 8.5 x 50 binoculars for nature outings and sporting events and soon found that they were better built and more reliable than any other brand I had owned before. Most Vortex binocular model lines are purged with argon gas, providing excellent waterproof protection.

This important feature gave me more confidence in my binoculars. Eventually, I found myself wearing them in the drizzle and taking them on boat trips with no problem.

When a representative from Vortex Optics told me that their binoculars are waterproof tested by immersing them in water for several hours, I was thoroughly impressed and curious.

Are you curious too? Would you have the nerve to overwhelm your own waterproof binoculars?

I decided to test the reliability of my Vortex Diamondback binoculars by immersing them in water, yes, on purpose.

If by any chance things went wrong with my waterproof test and my favorite birding binoculars got flooded, I could simply rely on Vortex’s VIP Unlimited Lifetime Warranty to repair or replace them. If they passed the immersion test, I could certainly stop worrying about using them in rainy conditions from this day on and would also have new bragging rights among my birding friends.

My waterproof test was not performed or measured with any scientific equipment in a laboratory, but was performed in an “everyday use/common sense” manner:

  1. I nervously removed the rubber front objective lens covers and the rubber eyepiece cover and submerged my binoculars in a small container of room temperature water.

  2. My self-imposed underwater test time of 20 minutes was the longest 20 minutes I’ve experienced in quite some time.

  3. I took pictures to document my waterproof test.

  4. I did not dry the binoculars after taking them out of the water. I shook them out a bit and placed them on a rack so air could get in from underneath.

  5. After 30 minutes, I took them out into the sunlight for a closer inspection and a viewing test after wiping some dried water stains off the outer surface of the objective lenses.

  6. There was no visible water inside the tubes. The focus knob and diopter adjustment felt the same as before the test. As I scanned the trees around me, I noticed that the images were as sharp as ever.

  7. I left the binoculars in direct sunlight for 30 minutes to warm them up so I could check for internal steam in case moisture got in. None were visible at this time or after seeing him again after an additional hour.

  8. The inner lip of the rubber eye cups was the last area to completely dry on its own without cleaning.

  9. It’s been several weeks since my waterproof test and my binoculars have been working perfectly as before. Every time I put them around my neck I am reminded of how they survived being submerged in water and I am impressed and glad to have discovered the Vortex binoculars. I now have the courage to use my birding binoculars in any type of rainy conditions I may encounter while camping or watching live sporting events.

  10. Outdoor life and fun don’t just happen on perfect sunny days.