I sat in the darkness of the movie theater, eyes riveted to the screen. Playing out before me was a battle of cat and mouse between one of the biggest action stars of my generation and a space alien that had an unnatural camouflage ability, super speed, super strength, and, lest we forget, the ability to see in the dark by using thermal vision. The images seen through the alien’s eyes showed the coolness of the jungle compared with heat spots highlighted in red and white that were everything from insects to the human beings he was hunting.

The year was 1987, and I and my four best high school friends, along with millions of other movie goers, had just been introduced on a massive scale to the concept of “thermal imaging.” 

Fast forward several years, and thermal imaging (and night-vision) was everywhere. If you were watching a military movie or television show, the screen would be in a green hue with fine resolution for things like objects and people. Every “Special Ops” depiction and even many police-themed shows and movies featured the flipping down of some type of night-vision device as they prepared to raid or make an assault or rescue. One of the most famous scenes utilizing this “night vision” is in the movie “The Silence of the Lambs,” when Jodi Foster is being tormented and toyed with in an entirely dark basement while her purser can see the entire room as if it was daylight. 

My, how things have changed since then. 

Today, thermal imaging is so common that it is no longer considered a novelty, but, rather, a useful tool for all kinds of tasks. Arrive at your hunting place in the dark? Look through your thermal binocular or monocular to see what is around. Climb to the top of that mountain at 4 a.m.? Pull out your thermal optics to see if there are any animals in this valley, or whether you should move on to another more promising one while it’s still dark. 

Perhaps the most use that thermal riflescopes get these days is for feral hog hunting across the South and West. Dealing with a massive amount of constant pursuit due to the massive damage hogs cause as well as their prolific reproductive rates, they are exceptionally adept at avoiding hunters. Even bait stations are avoided when you are pig hunting. If you are hunting with a thermal scope or glass with your thermal binoculars, the game is tipped back to much more in the favor of the hunter than the prey. 

If you have not already figured it out, this massive adoption of thermal optics can provide a great opportunity for today’s retailer.

When thermal optics first hit the market in the civilian world, they were prohibitively expensive. Only the wealthiest of the wealthy and some very large outfitters in Texas were able to afford them. Prices north of $10,000 were the norm rather than the exception. Today, the game has changed.

Now, hunters, shooters, and even those active in other recreational pursuits have purchased thermal objects ranging from binoculars, monoculars, riflescopes, and even handheld tracking devices from the mid-hundreds of dollars range up through still over $10,000. As with all things optics, though, with thermals, you certainly get what you pay for when the price increases. 

If you are not currently stocking these optics, there is no time like right now. The demand for these devices is so high today that it is not uncommon for manufacturers to run out of inventory trying to meet demand. 

The number of high-quality thermal optics that are in the price range of today’s average hunters and outdoor enthusiast is quite large. 

Sure, it may require some planning and saving, but there are many folks who don’t even blink dropping $2,500 on a high-end riflescope or $4,000 on a top-end spotting scope. They are obviously going to purchase a thermal outfit from someone, and your efforts, moving forward are helping ensure that “someone” is you. 

Stocking Shelves

Your first big decisions are what brand you will choose, and what price ranges you will stock. 

My advice, if you would like to avoid some frustration, is to choose an assortment of several brands — several mid to high and even some “exclusive” price points. You might consider avoiding the super-bargain-basement brands.

The reason being is that with thermals, a higher price equals better resolution, better processing, and clear images. Some of the electronic viewing enhancements are substantial. As an example, think of them like paying for “basic” high-speed internet. Basic might serve you just fine if all you are doing is sending emails and watching the occasional YouTube video, and if you don’t use a VOIP line for your home. But if you add in phone service, an avid streamer and a gamer or two, you will have endless frustration with your work and entertainment. The same holds true for the electronics in a thermal scope. We are talking about the difference between watching an animal slowly move across the field and that animal seeming to leap across the field due to a lag in the processor. You customer might even take their shot at an animal that isn’t there anymore! 

At the recent Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, there were new lines of thermal and night-vision devices at practically every optics booth. It was very clear that thermals are the “next big thing” for the outdoor industry.

For example, Pulsar currently has a lineup of four different thermal riflescopes, several models of thermal binoculars, monoculars, night-vision optics, and even several different options that can attach to an already-mounted riflescope to turn any traditional optic into a thermal hunting device. ATN has a wide range of thermal optics ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to over $7,000. This year also saw introductions of thermal optics from Armasight, Leica, Sightmark, Holosun, AGM, InfiRay, Athlon, FLiR, Steiner, Trijicon, and many, many more. 

If you thought explaining the differences between standard riflescopes and binoculars was a challenge, you’re going to want to brush up on your thermals knowledge. 

How to Sell Thermal Optics to Your Customers

Just like selling any other optic device, the first question you need to ask your customers is what types of use they are going to put their new thermal optic to. Will they be hunting? In that case, a riflescope is where you will begin. Using thermals to glass? The new thermal binoculars on the market are amazing in their ability to identify animals before legal shooting light that might be worthy of pursuit. 

As mentioned before, in all optics, going up in price adds features and benefits. Depending upon use, your customer might be better served by a higher-end optic, so encourage them not to cheap out. Whereas a standard optic requires explaining the differences in light transmission, magnification, types of glass, coatings, and durability, thermal optics add in the further variabilities of resolution, view options (black/white, white/black, and color), processing/refresh rates, and sensor size and capability. 

Like a high-resolution television, the refresh rate, processor and sensor size of a thermal optic aid in both the resolution seen through the viewfinder as well as the distance at which an animal can be clearly identified with that optic. Many thermal optics include an internal rangefinder and even the ability to calculate ballistics for bullet drop. Many have digital magnification in addition to optical magnification, similar to the way the camera on your smartphone works. 

Finally, it may come as no surprise that most digital optics today have the ability to video record through the viewfinder. Many are even recoil-operated.

If this sounds like a lot of information to know, that’s because it is! This is one of those areas where your store can tremendously benefit from a bit of extra help from your sales representatives and field experts. 

If you are a longtime reader of this and other Grand View Outdoors publications, you will probably recall previous articles that mentioned bringing in pro staff to help your store as well as manufacturers’ representatives to help with both sales and the education of your staff. You don’t need a PhD in electronics to sell thermal scopes, but there is a lot to know. Do yourself a favor and spend some time watching videos, speaking with people who are knowledgeable about thermal optics, and getting your people the education they need to effectively sell thermal optics proactively rather than reactively, and it will not only improve your service to your customers, but likely benefit you with increased sales, repeat sales and referrals. 

Though not “new” anymore, thermal optics are clearly the future of the outdoor industry. 

With the No. 1 rule of business being “adapt or die,” you owe it to yourself and your customers to explore this fascinating and useful technology.