Ostensibly, Leupold offers Wind River binoculars as a way "to give [consumers] access to high quality optics at an affordable price." That may be close to the truth, but the fact is that the average hunter (or even naturalist) is more likely to be attracted to the breezy, outdoorsy and American-sounding name "Wind River" rather than the strange-sounding “Leupold.”

Wind River does deliver quality across their product line. This includes a limited lifetime warranty on all Wind River binoculars. In addition, all models have waterproofing, multi-coated lenses and rubber armoring.

Some Leupold Wind River binoculars

Leupold Wind River Katmai's are a line of compact binoculars with some big binocular features such as long eye relief, waterproofing and superior image clarity. These were named a "killer value" by Outside magazine in 2004. The 8x's offer a 335 foot field of view in a 19 oz. package. These come in 6x, 8x and 10x32 models. These use only BK7 glass prisms, so beware. Valued at $390, these might be available for less online.

The Wind River Cascades 10x42 mm deliver remarkable clarity in a mid-range priced pair of binoculars. These also promise no fuzziness at the image edge. These originally listed at $398 but some online vendors list these as low as $260. All Cascades feature internal center focus and Multicoat 4® coating on all prisms.

Leupold Wind River also makes a pair of range-finding binoculars (the RB800). These are high end, of course, but the range finding allows you to tell distance up to 875 yards. These carry a limited two year warranty. This 8x32 will set you back somewhere between $650 and $750, depending on where you buy it. We recommend the strategy of looking at them in-store then buying them (at a lower cost) from an online vendor.

Some other Wind River models

The Wind River Mesa binoculars feature multi-coating that renders sharp focus under variable light conditions.

The Wind River Pinnacles feature multi-coated lenses, BaK4 prisms, armoring and waterproofing.