ThermNight vs Hydra

I have been looking at the ThermNight since it came out. The ability to flip back and forth from thermal to NV without losing the sight picture is attractive to me. On the other hand, you have tied your thermal to a single rifle. The Hydra also looks good and can be used as a handheld or a scope. I could use it for spotting then use NV (I have a PARD that I like) for targeting. Are then any opinions or even better options?
 
I have a thermnight tnc335r that I have been using for night pesting, mainly mice. It has been a game changer for me compared with the thermal monocular spotter and digital night scope combo I was using before. Simultaneously displaying both thermal and digital night vision is VERY! useful when hunting small critters that are in near constant motion. My prior setup had me constantly missing shot opportunities because I would spot a mouse with the thermal monocular, but have difficulty locating it with the digital night vision scope. By the time I transitioned from the thermal monocular to the scope, the mouse would have moved. If the mouse wasn’t facing me so I could see its eyes, or if it was masked in some brush, my ability to locate it after the switch was unreliable. I would still recommend a thermal monocular for spotting, but if you don’t have the budget the thermnight does have a very good app interface in which you can live stream the unit to your phone via WiFi. I saw a video in which someone used this feature with a phone mount. The mount was secured to the pic rail section on the right side of the thermnight unit. It allowed him to scan for targets using the phones display, which is way more ergonomic than constantly looking through the optic. Depending on what you are hunting, the light from the phones display will more than likely give you away, with this setup.
 
I have a thermnight tnc335r that I have been using for night pesting, mainly mice. It has been a game changer for me compared with the thermal monocular spotter and digital night scope combo I was using before. Simultaneously displaying both thermal and digital night vision is VERY! useful when hunting small critters that are in near constant motion. My prior setup had me constantly missing shot opportunities because I would spot a mouse with the thermal monocular, but have difficulty locating it with the digital night vision scope. By the time I transitioned from the thermal monocular to the scope, the mouse would have moved. If the mouse wasn’t facing me so I could see its eyes, or if it was masked in some brush, my ability to locate it after the switch was unreliable. I would still recommend a thermal monocular for spotting, but if you don’t have the budget the thermnight does have a very good app interface in which you can live stream the unit to your phone via WiFi. I saw a video in which someone used this feature with a phone mount. The mount was secured to the pic rail section on the right side of the thermnight unit. It allowed him to scan for targets using the phones display, which is way more ergonomic than constantly looking through the optic. Depending on what you are hunting, the light from the phones display will more than likely give you away, with this setup.
Excellent information, thank you.
 
Great video! At around 45 seconds I can see the rodent in the NV but not in the thermal. Am I just missing it?
I think you are just missing it. It’s the red colored shape right in the center of the thermal pip screen at the 45 second mark. The recordings produced by the thermnight hide the reticle in the pip screen for some reason. Perhaps you thought the red shape was the reticle?