The Hawke Nature-Trek Compacts are a pocket-sized pair of binoculars from one of our favourite optics brands. Hawke have become one of the biggest names in the binoculars world in recent years, with a reputation for high-performance lenses and great build quality. But how do the Nature-Treks compare? Let's take a closer look!
Related: Top 10 Best Compact Binoculars
Design & build
The Nature-Trek series comes in a range of different sizes, but we're specifically focusing on the compact models here. During testing, we used the 8x25 model, but there's also a 10x25 model available as well. For those of you who don't know, the first number refers to the magnification, while the second refers to the size of the objective lenses in millimetres.
The Nature-Treks are made from polycarbonate, which helps keep both the price and the weight down. They weigh just 295g, so if you're wearing them round your neck, you'll barely even notice them. They're also rubber-armoured to give them a bit of extra protection. The rubber armour also means they're nice and easy to grip as well. If you're using them in the rain, they won't slip out of your hands easily.
As you can see, these binoculars are green, which fits in nicely with that "Nature-Trek" name. It also makes a nice change from the plain old boring black that you tend to get with most binoculars.
The Nature-Trek compact binoculars have a single top-hinge design. Some other compact binoculars, like Hawke's own Endurance ED compacts, have a dual-hinge design. This allows them to them fold up a bit smaller to be a bit more compact. Personally, we've found that makes them a little bit more fiddly to use, so prefer the single top-hinge design. However, that's just down to personal preference.
The focus wheel is pretty sturdy, stays nicely in place when you're using it, and is easy to adjust one-handed, which is just what you want for compact binoculars.
The Nature-Treks have twist-down eyecups, which means you can use them with or without glasses. Often with compact binoculars, we've found that the eyecups aren't quite as sturdy as those on full-size binoculars. As a result, they can sometimes twist back down if you press them too hard against your eyes. As long as you're relatively careful with them, though, you should find that they stay out just fine.
In the box, as well as the binoculars themselves, you get a little carry pouch. You also get a neck strap- not a padded neck strap that you get with a lot of binoculars, but since the Nature-Treks themselves are very light, you may or may not need a padded neck strap. There's also a little drawstring bag to put the binoculars in, a cleaning cloth, and a very basic manual that tells you how to use and care for the binoculars.
Optics quality
So that's all about the build quality, but more important with binoculars is the optics quality, since you're using them to look through. We've been impressed by all the Hawke binoculars that we've tested thus far, and are pleased to say the Nature-Treks don't let the side down. They've got BAK4 prisms and the lenses are fully multi-coated, which means you get nice sharp high-resolution images while you're looking through the binoculars.
They're nitrogen-purged, which means they won't fog up on you. They're fully waterproof as well, as with all Hawke binoculars, which means you can use these in all weathers and conditions.
Performance
The Nature-Trek 8x25s have a 6.8 degree field-of-view. This means if you're looking at a landscape a kilometer away from you, be able to see 119m from one side to the other. That's not the widest that we've encountered with 8x binoculars, and not the narrowest either. Instead, it's a good balance between the two, and that's really just what you want from compact binoculars. This makes them good all-rounders that are suited to a wide range of different uses.
The close focus on these is just under 2m. This means they can also be used to look at things that are close-up, too.
As we mentioned earlier, these have a 25mm objective lens, which is really the standard for compact binoculars. The larger the objective lens, the more light that can get through the binoculars, so the brighter the final image. Since these are 25mm, if you're using them in nice bright conditions, or in the middle of the day, you'll get a good clear image, but because they're a bit smaller than standard sized binoculars, they're not quite as bright in low light conditions like dusk or dawn, so you might want to consider getting a bigger pair for times like that. This does tend to be the case with most compact binoculars because of the size, though, we didn't find it made much difference to be honest.
Hawke Nature-Trek Compacts: The Verdict
The Hawke Nature-Treks are a great little pair of compact binoculars that, for the price, really can't be beaten. In fact, our experts liked them so much that we've made them our number one choice for compact binoculars!
