Night vision equipment

I'm looking for info/opinions on the night vision devices advertised on the internet and in the Cabela's catalog. I'd like to get something I can use while walking to/from camp at night and watching wildlife in my backyard. I don't need a rifle scope as I don't intend to be shooting anything in the dark.

My Nikon 8X40 binoculars work pretty well at night, I can see leaves on trees from about 15-20 yards on a good night. They are obviously useless however if I'm trying to walk on a trail due to the magnification. So I'm looking at monoculars in the $200-$300 range. Most advertise 1x to 3x magnification, have built-in IR illuminators, and run off of lithium or AA batteries. Having never tried one I have no clue as to how well they work. I don't really need magnification, I more concerned about image quality. The goggle setups are intriguing, but probably overkill for my intended uses. I'd like to be able to tell the difference between my orange tabby and maine coon cats, or a possum and a skunk from 15 or 20 yards, and to see if the flying squirrels are eating out my bird feeder from a similar or slightly greater distance.

If anyone has used these types of night vision devices I'd like to hear opinions about how well they work and if they can do the stuff I listed. Also, how much better are the higher priced, Gen 1 units? Are the $400-$500 ones just a little bit better or is there a tremendous difference? Any advice would be a big help! Thanks

I've seen some decent monoculars and OK binoculars under the Bushnell brand name. They are IIRC Russian made, but they seem to work. If you shop carefully you can get the monoculars for ~$140 or so, and the binoculars for ~$275.

My only complaint about the binoculars is that they have a fixed interocular distance, which is just a tad narrow for my face. They're usable, but they're not comfortable for me. Other than that they seem like decent equipment.