Cold weather thermometer??

[SMT224]

I'm looking for a good instrument that is not too expensive to measure winter camping temperatures.

 

We now check temperatures on our winter camping trips on my 1999 suburban rear-view mirror temperature gauge. This registered -9F when I was out with the Girl Scouts last weekend! I have those cheap zipper pull thermometers that are very hard to read and likely inaccurate. I have a digital one that is fine for summer camping and seems ok to about 20, but the battery dies below 10. I'm heading out with the Boy Scouts on a Klondike soon, and would like to get a good reading if things get nice and cold.

 

I saw a web posting for a MicroTemp, MT200, that supposedly has a range between -67F to 428F by measuring infrared radiation on any surface. So it may be adequate for winter camping, but the battery could still die with extended exposure to cold temps. Has anyone used one?

 

Thanks!!

 

 

[scoutldr]

Go to www.grainger.com and search on "thermometer". Lots of choices...should be something there for you. The "panel mount" versions designed to be attached to the wall...perhaps you could permanently mount one to the inside of your chuck box or something.

[SR540Beaver]

428 degrees? That reminds me of the 2005 Jamboree.

[SSScout]

Go to your friendly neighborhood hardware store or tractor supply or John Deere dealer and get "old fashioned" no-batteries-required MERCURY or ALCOHOL (that's the red stuff in a tube) thermometer. And watch the red go DOOOWWNN when you take it out of your car!.

[kenk]

The device you mention cost about $35, so here is an idea ...

 

I'd been looking for something that would provide minimum overnight temperatures so that we can know how cold it really got on those cold nights. It is actually hard to find a robust device that provides that information. Even the fancy Kestrel weather devices don't record temperatures over time. They seem to focus more on wind speed.

 

I finally found the Brunton ADC Wind (ADC = Atmospheric Data Center) for $39 at http://www.opticsplanet.net/brunton-instruments-adc-wind.html . Its listed on Amazon.com for a similar price.

 

It has a clock, provides current temperature (F or C), and more importantly for me, it records and displays hourly temperatures for the past 24 hours. It displays both a little graph of the recorded temps and the individual temps for each hour. Pretty slick.

 

I put it out on a REALLY cold night last week (Chicago area) and the minimum temperature seems to be about -10F. It does read down to the negative single-digits in F. The manual doesn't give the actual max/min temps. Though I wish it went down to more like -20F or -30F, that's not bad for a digital battery-operated device. Oh, and the battery did just fine at those temps. BTW, it runs on a 3V CR2032 button battery. Time will tell how long the battery will last. Battery access is pretty easy - use a coin to rotate the o-ring protected battery hatch. The ADC Wind even ships with an extra battery. I wonder if that's in case the clock/temp feature runs the battery out before its sold.

 

As the name suggests, it also displays current and average wind speed. Since it knows the wind speed and temperature, it also displays the current and average wind chill. That's kind of handy.

 

The propeller that provides the wind speed is housed in a ball-shaped capsule such that the propeller can be rotated closed in order to minimize dust, contamination, and damage. It is waterproof - the manual even says you can use it to measure water flow speed. It can read in several speed units including Km/h, mph, meter/s, feet/s, and knots.

 

One of the propellors blades is magnetic, so if you hold it horizontally, it can act like a simple compass (the red blade points north), to help you get wind direction ... or to use it like, well, a simple compass, if needed.

 

It also has chronograph functions, if you find that useful.

 

So far I really like it. Still, (1) it would be nice if the minimum temperature was a bit lower - maybe -20F, (2) I wish that the lanyard that came with it was a bit longer - its kind of short for my big fat head - still it is nice for hanging it outside a tent, and (3) I wish it came with a little nylon drawstring case to provide a little protection for the device. Beyond that it is really nice. Highly recommended.

 

Oh, and it does have a back-light on the dislay (push a button for light).

 

BTW, the two complaints listed on amazon.com are (1) wind speed reading varies too much at very low speed - 6-8 mph (I don't have enough experience with it to comment yet), and (2) the Wind model doesn't have barometric measurements (duh, that's only available in the higher-end model that costs twice as much).

 

I hope that helps.

 

Ken

[SMT224]

Thanks for the replies - I found some good stuff at Granger, but will stop at the hardware store to see what they have first.

 

For the Klondike I think I will go for a glass or dial thermometer instead of anything digital - I've had such bad luck with batteries at low temps (although I might ask for the one Kenk recommended for my birthday - I like the idea of recording hourly temperatures for the past 24 hours).

 

This is one from Granger I like: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4JZ08

 

[kenk]

Oops ... that should have been 12 hours ... not 24 hours.