Hello, everybody,
I recently bought very cheap compas with thermometer and later found out that it is not showing the correct temperature, but with precision of about 4 degrees (C). I have recently seen a few other compasses/thermometers from quite respectable companies like Silva. Does anybody knows if Silva compass/thermometers are precise? And one more question: After I had my sompass/thermometer, I found that I do not actually use thermometer. Does anybody really use thermometers when travel somewhere? You can usually feel from the morning whether you are cold or not and dress accordingly. Therefore I am thinking now if I really need a compass/thermometer or just a compass.
Regards,

On my one dedicated hunting trip in Alaska one of the party had a fine thermometer that measured both minimum and maximum daily temps.He took the morning reading, factored in wind chill, crawled out of his -40 degree bag,dressed and went outside. I mumbled to the other members of our group " is he crazy?" to which a reply came " he won't be gone long." I was getting worried when he came back very angry. Seems a fine bull moose presented himself for a shot,at which time the cartridge primer failed to detonate in the extreme cold. Nature gives the observant eye a complete weather station ( augmented with a good portable radio to get reports from distant fronts.) Lose the thermometer <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I sometimes use a thermometer when I travel with my motorbike. It´s helpful to know whether the temperature dropped below the freezing point. In spring or autumn this may result in critical road conditions. When there is no doubt I don´t need it.
I think that most of the time a compass would be enough.

Hiya guys:

I noted the previous post about a missed bull moose in -40F weather, and thought I'd add a few oberservations.

I'd hazard to guess that 90+% of cold weather failures to fire are the result of one of two things: Too much lube, or frozen condensation.

It seems like most people lube the heck out of their firearms. They are afraid of rust and corrosion, so tehy lay the oils and lubes in heavy. All that lube turns to goo in cold weather and retards firing pin movement. It either locks it up tight, or slows it down enough to impede proper ignition. Go easy on the lube!

The other factor is condensation. Even if the rifle is dry, many people bring it inside the hunt camp, tent, whatever. It hits that warm moist air and condenses water. At that moisture inside the rifle then freeze solid soon after you leave camp. Leave the rifles outside!

Keep em clean, go easy on the lube (or skip it entirely in cold weather), and once the rifle is cold, leave it outside. It will shoot without a hitch...

frozenny

Rifles were carefully cleaned of all lubrication and left outside ( we were in the company of a very good guide and native Alaskan.) I even managed to locate finnish ammunition for my rifle, their powder being famous for maintaining velocity in cold temperatures. In this case the primer was firmly dimpled. There is a point where extreme cold will inhibit detonation. My point, is that when a rifle won't go bang an even more fragile human body belongs inside <img src="images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> I didn't need to look at the cabin thermometer. The sound of Spruce trees shattering was enough <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Thank you Chris.

That was a chilling story. <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

John

P.S. It's good to have the forum back on line. My withdrawl symptoms were getting severe.

So,
As I understand, nobody can see any use in a thermometer, except for medical purposes (to measure body temperature), but that is another story. Right?

>>nobody can see any use in a thermometer, except for medical purposes (to measure body temperature),<<

Well, no...

Even the cheap thermometers are somewhat useful for getting a general idea of how well your sleeping arrangements do in what kind of weather.

Minimum-registering thermometers are much nicer to have, but if you wake up cold in the middle of the night and have to add to your insulation or whatever, it's nice to be able to check the actual temperature. After you've gained some experience with how your sleeping bags, pads, tents and tarps do in different configurations, then weather forecasts for upcoming trips are much more meaningful and informative. Not that there aren't plenty of other variables, but it still helps.

Also, a little experimentation with a thermometer, especially on windless days and nights in the woods, will yield some surprising results about temperature differences that may teach you not to camp in those cozy-looking hollows and the bottoms of quiet valleys, where cold air is funneled in invisible rivers and settles in pools, and it can get a LOT colder at night than it is on the hillside just a little ways above...

So, I'd say that it's a useful tool. How tightly those concerns are related to immediate survival is another matter.

Thermometers are also useful in determining whether foods including meat/game will keep or spoil, and the rate at which it will spoil.

John