Snow Thermometers

[Wayland]

I’ve been tinkering again.

I wanted some spirit thermometers for working in sub zero temperatures. They are useful for tracking the weather and snow conditions.

I found some simple thermometers on a brewing site that spanned the range I needed +50°c to -42°c. They came in a simple plastic case which protected the glass in transit and even provided a hanging loop which is useful, but if I’m going to leave a couple of these hanging on tree branches, I wanted something a little more robust for when they are in use.

So, sifting through some brass tube in my engineering chest, I found one just the right size and made sleeves for a couple.

Handily, they still fit into the plastic sleeve for transport as well which is a bonus.

[Midwest Firecraft]

Brilliant! The clip on hiking ones available are junk. There just to small to read with any accuracy.

[Bothwell Voyageur]

Be nice if they did a max-min version

[Wayland]

I carry a Kestrel 4000 weather meter to track temperature and other metrics.

I just like having an analogue solution as well.

[Old MukR]

I like that Kestrel. Batteries are always an issue though- either you carry a lot of them and keep them warm, or you are carrying a lot of them, keeping them warm, and constantly recharging.

Had an analog thermometer break on me that went to -40F. Since then I have kept an eye out for one with a ‘more crazy’ sub freezing rating.

[Wayland]

I use Lithium cells and so far haven’t had them wimp out on me down to -30°c

It reads quickly if I’m not tracking I carry it in my pocket and have used it down to -38°c that way.

[Heavy Duty]

I'll be on the hunt for an analog solution soon. My last one was way off. Good idea on the brass sleeve!

[shahmeer]

That's great. Usually, the snow thermometers are not very accurate. I have two of them and I cannot rely on them.

[Wayland]

That's great. Usually, the snow thermometers are not very accurate. I have two of them and I cannot rely on them.

Have you compared them against a known example?

I bought eight, compared them against a certified lab thermometer and gave away the four least accurate ones. ( In fairness, they were all within one degree. )

End result is that I am confident that I can trust these now.

[brulu]

I would love to find a Fahrenheit version of those ones you found on the brewing site, I'll have to take a look. I also like that Kestrel weather tracker.

I've been a bit frustrated with the lack of good analog options for winter camping thermometers (I want something that goes down to the magical temperature of -40, and that can be read easily). Last year I took a deep dive and came up with a couple of options that were an improvement for me.

First, I found a pocket/zipper thermometer that's slightly easier to read (SunCo ChillChek waterproof thermometer - the scale is somewhat bigger than the other SunCo models like the one Midwest Firecraft posted). The scale only goes down to -20 F, but that's OK for a zipper thermometer:



Then, for a "camp thermometer" I modified a Conant outdoor thermometer (Conant Decor collection Indoor Outdoor 7.5" Thermometer Bronze Patina or Satin Nickel Finish):



The modifications were: covered up the distracting Celsius scale , replaced the glass tube with polycarbonate, removed the bracket, replaced the threaded metal tie rod and decorative nuts with shock cord, and added a couple of crude duct tape loops to thread mounting straps through. It's nice and durable with the polycarbonate tube for protection, and it's fairly compact at 1 inch diameter x about 7 inches long.

Here it is strapped to a ski in camp:



Here is what the original store-bought version looks like: