Looking to buy a set of 15s or 18s for use off a tripod for long range glassing out west. Would love Swaro or Zeiss but they're out of my price range.

I'm looking at Leupold Santiam and Vortex Kaibab. Leupold is a bit more but I've always been a loyal customer. Leupold comes with a cheap velcro strap for tripod use (which I don't like) but I could buy an aftermarket adapter for a more sturdy mount to the tripod, so that's not a big concern.

Anyone have an opinion on these two? Thanks.

If you're willing to spend Santiam type money, bump it up slightly and look at the Meopta Meostar 15x56 HD. They are on par with Swaro.

The Meopta Meostar is as close as you'll get to the Swarovski SLC for considerable less $$$

Please give a call, 516-217-1000, to discuss what would be best quality in your budget

Can't advise on which binocular, but you're on the right track for extended periods of long-range spotting. Not only can you see better with two eyes than one, but you avoid eyestrain from holding one eye closed and also get a bit of depth perception from the binocular vision. I've used an old-style Leupold porro prism 10X with a tripod adapter Leupold used to sell and found it to be superior to a much higher power spotting scope.

Do not buy the cheaper Vortex models below the Kaibab ,I have had both of them and they both suck!

The OP is a friend of mine. He called Doug at Cameraland and he set him up with a pair of Meopta binos. My buddy is a happy camper.