There are a number of reasons why you could use a Monocular on a bike tour. They’re also just handy to have around the house, in the car, or in your favorite basket bike. We used one of these Nocs Provisions Zoom Tubes on a recent backpacking trip in Canyonlands and it helped us spot seep springs, birds, and various ancestral sites hidden within the sandstone cliffs. Since then, I’ve used it to spout trout from bridges and birds in our backyard.

The 8×32 magnification gives you about a 400mm focal length, which is pretty impressive in such a small package (4.96″ x 1.85″ and 9.52oz). The Monocular is the kind of thing that you wouldn’t think you’d put it to use but after one trip, you ask yourself what the hell you were doing before? The Monocular is compatible with tripods, or Peak design Capture Clip, and even has an optional 4x magnification examination tube attachment that converts the tube into a microscope.

The Monocular is $75 and is in stock in a variety of colors at Nocs Provisions, who also makes compact Binoculars if that’s more your style.