I started out following everyone's advice on getting hte PVS14 helmet mounted first. I now have 2 PVS14 helmet set ups and a thermal rifle scope. If I am hunting with a buddy that has his own NV, I always take the thermal scope on the AR and take a helmet set up maybe half the time. My normal hunting buddy has a NV scope on his AR. On nights with no moon and just starlight, he and I can see well enough unaided to walk around the fields we hunt. I keep finding myself using the helmet set ups with PVS14 less and less. I find myself taking the thermal off the weapon and using it as a scanner more and more. I might reallocate some resources and sell the back up PVS14 (or both of them) to fund a thermal upgrade or a hand held thermal. If I were hunting and walking around in the woods more often, I'd use the PVS14 more, but my typical hunt just doesn't need the helmet set up very often.