Just bought my first thermal. How sensitive are they? Can I haul my gun/scope around in my ranger in a rectangular soft case? Or is a pelican necessary? The price of the case isn’t an issue, but I think the soft case will be easier to throw in my blind or truck if I am not using it. Thanks

Unless it falls off the ranger it isn’t usually an issue

That said the front lens is the most delicate piece of the hardware so be sure you exercise common sense when stowing and deploying the rifle.

Ordinarily the optic is taking rifle recoil so any shock from a normal ranger ride shouldn’t bother it and a standard case should be more than enough added protection

I either take it off the rifle and drive while looking through it, or it’s on the rifle stuck between the seats for easy access.

Most thermals are rated for a .308 or larger calibers. A little normal jarring around won't be anything like the mule kick of a high powered rifle. A soft case is more than sufficient.

The one thing I will warn you about is I've seen a decent amount of thermals have a melted seal around the display screen in the eyepiece and this usually comes from 1 of 3 things.....
1) Leaving the scope on and putting it into a case and all the heat from the display screen and the rest of the scope is trapped in the rubber eye cup of the eyepiece and then trapped because of the case. The heat gets high enough that it melts the seal around the display.
2) Leaving the scope in the truck in the sun in the summer and the heat can get high enough in there to do the same thing.
3) There is a theory I've been told repeatedly by one of the manufacturers that leaving the scope (somewhere like a truck) where the sun can shine straight down into the eyepiece and the bright sunlight is magnified by the eyepiece and this seal is melted that way.

None of those things should scare you, I'd just advise not leaving your scope in your truck with the windows rolled up when it's 100 degrees outside and be sure you turn it completely off before you put it in the case and you'll be good to go.

Jason

Thank you for the info.

I either keep mine in a safe, a soft case, or in a truck while out hunting. Like Outdoor Legacy said, just avoid leaving it in a hot truck for long periods of time.