What influenced your decision? Do you wish you had bought NV instead? I am considering going thermal before NV.

I don't know how thermal and NV compare as far as mean time to failure. But I think thermal might be the better choice for me in my area. I am getting older and can't run around like a 20 something kid anymore, and from what I understand about NV, it might be easier to hide from than thermal. 

From what I understand about thermal, it isn't nearly as good for walking around and "seeing things", but does a great job of showing you where people and animals might be camouflaged behind foliage, etc. 

Tell me the pros and cons of one versus the other, and why you chose thermal first.

What do you want to do with it?

See animals out to around 500 yards or so hiding in trees and brush primarily. 

I like having both.

For general observation I love a pvs14 with a COTI. Its a poor mans fusion and nothing escapes it. For a good thermal that doesn't lag as your following the animal or doesnt get pixelated your gonna spent over 5k. I scout with the 14/COTI and shoot thermal. NV sees terrain/vegetation better than the thermal. The thing with night vision is that if something blends into the surrounding in the daytime it will with night vision too. Thermal no, heat gives it away.  Precipitation like light rain and fog will subdue both. Hi humidity and Hi temps will degrade thermal. Also what will hide from one will/can be seen by the other which is why fusion unites are the next wave.

If you're new getting into it pick up a used pvs14 1800-2000. Use it on a helmet, Behind a Eotech etc, its just a versatile lil tool.

Thermal all the way for this. You'll want to get a nice unit for this kind of performance.

Thermal.    I only use thermal for shots now.  I have both.  If I had to pick only one.  Thermal and a good scope.   You can also take a scope off for scanning.    Night vision is nice, but it is more for close shots with perhaps a laser and walking around with a helmet mount.    Mk II can see distances of 500 yards.   Had it converted to a MK III 60 and Ill have it friday.  Bet it shines at that distace

Thermal, its dark only half the time

Sounds like thermal is right for you. I've spotted a coyote at 1000yds with a reap ir and called it straight to me, this was in fairly thick sagebrush and I had no problem tracking it all the way in.

Hello,

Let me pramble this by saying I have never used thermal. But i did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...

I started with a pvs14... . I am just now getting ready to pull the trigger on thermal. I'm going to wait to see Flir's offerings later this year; if they don't knock my socks off i will go with a trijicon/ird rep-ir.

If I had it to do over again....I would do it the same. i have been surprised at how much admin type BS there is when walking around in the dark. If you want to be in the dark and move yourself and gear around without breaking your neck, all while avoiding the use of visible light, you probably need gen 3 NVG. From what ive read, thermal is not ideal for the mundane stuff.

According to people in the know....you need both. So, do it by the numbers....start with a PVS-14....save for a thermal.

After having gen 3 monoculars around for several years, I couldn't imagine being without one. But, maybe I would feel different if I started with a good thermal.

Am I on the wrong forum?! Lol. Are you guys slipping?!

Both!!! Lol.

Step 1. Pvs-14 for helmet. This will be used for walking to and from your spotting location and admin stuff. And whatever else.

Step 2. Thermal for pew pewing bacon.

Step 3.  Profit.

Kits4,   I agree with what you are saying but it depends on how you want to hunt.   If you want to sit in one place and let things come to you, thermal. If thats all you have.    If you have to navigate and darkness is pinnacle.  IR.   Where I hunt, I know my roads, paths and fields.  I can walk most of it in the dark with a little moon light or a green light.  You dont have to have Ir but it makes it nice for travel.   I walked up on a hog with my IR and was up on him before I knew it.  A big boar. Scared the hell out of me at first to see him standing there.  It was like blair witch.   I popped on my thermal and took him out but would rather have him at a distance with the thermal and then close the gap.  But.   I do like how animal eyes reflect my IR illuminator too.   I because I havent used IR to kill hogs, the thermal is more comfortable.   I still like my thermal for shot placement and scanning.    I guess get both if you can

Yep, i saw a video on youtube where a coyote was spotted deep into the treeline. It must have been 20-30 yards in...the thermal saw it with no problems. Thermal looks like the king of detection.

You will want both.  There are a lot of neat offerings happening this year in the thermal game, so I would wait it out and focus on getting a PVS-14 and helmet rig.

I love my thermal but I am glad I started out with night vision.  There are just way too many things that don't involve shooting that NV is much better at.   Once you get used to it, you can perform pretty much any normal task at night (w/o use of visible light) that you can in the daytime.  If all you are doing is hunting/shooting and don't mind using a visible light (ie. head lamp) for navigating to and from wherever you want to hunt then maybe you don't need a head mounted NV device.  I am by no means on a two way range, but I still like using minimal or no visible light since the whole concept of operating night optics is to see w/o being seen.  From a usefulness perspective, I would give up my thermal before I would give up my PVS-14 even though the thermal is three times the value.  I have one of the best thermal optics available, but there is a whole lot of stuff I can do w/ my PVS-14 that I can't with my AN/PAS-13G.  Also, the resolution of a good PVS-14 with an illuminator will blow any commercially available thermal completely out of the water.

Pick up a used PVS14 for $1500-2000 and see if it is for you while you wait for all of the new thermal products to hit the market or wait for a good deal to pop up. If you do not like it sell it and never loose a penny on its value. Buy a new unit and your going to take a hell of a loss when you sell it....

For the exact use the OP stated, a PVS 14 is going to be extremely lacking. In fact, I would probably take a 12v spotlight over the '14 for this task.

Agreed.  PVS14 is great for close in identification and driving around / walking blacked out.  Spotting critters at night is not its strong suit especially at distance.  Dude needs a thermal for what he wants to do.

I agree with thermal.  I started with PVS14 on a helmet, then got another 14 and another helmet ot take friends out.  Then a 320 thermal scope.  Then friends got 2nd gen NV scopes.  At this point, my hunting partner and I both have 640 thermal rifle scopes and everything else gets left at home/ used only as loaners.

ETA- I also have a hand-held Pulsar HD38A 2x 336 thermal.  When sitting in the deer stand (during the day) and glassing with a better than decent pair of binos, the thermal beats the binos 100% of the time- never have I seen a deer and not been able to see it with the thermal.  I can't believe how many deer I just do NOT see.  Even after I locate them with thermal- and know EXACTLY what bush they're behind, I can only see them with day optics about 2/3 of the time.

Like everyone else said
Thermal: I want to see every living thing within 500 yards
NVG: But I don't want to trip over a stump right in front of me

i bought thermal first. I bought a ir-reap. I like it so much that i own 2 of them now. I got tired of scanning with one, then mounting it on the gun when i wanted to shoot. My arms got tired of holding the gun up to scan thru the scope on the gun real fast!

Now, being an older wiser person,,,I sit on my back porch behind camo netting watching the woods behind the house. I can also turn around and watch tv thru the patio doors if i want,,

My house has woods on 3 sides, so animals are used to me and do not seem to mind that the house is there. I have NV, but only use it to walk around with. I have, on more then one occasion,,been looking thru the NV and saw nothing,,then was surprised when looking thru the thermal that there were deer standing there looking at me in the dark of the woods. When I go back and forth from NV to the thermal, the NV could not see the deer, but I could see them perfectly thru the thermal. Animals are still camoflauged thru NV.

I would pick thermal over night vision every time if given only 1 of them. I will say though, if you go with a lesser thermal, it is not near as much fun. The reap-ir has ruined me for other thermals. The down side is it is harder to walk with, but i do it sometimes,,and it eats expensive batteries quickly.

I still like my night vision and plan on flying my ultralight wearing them at night this summer just for fun. The NV does have uses for hunting with a laser,,,, but not much can hide from good thermal.