 Hi Guys, I am after a contraption that can tell me the temperature and predict the weather (i.e. It will rain in 5 minutes time type of thing). A temp range below -10C is pref, but not essential. I really don't want to spend more than £70. I would prefer very much if it wasn't a watch as I would like to clip it onto my shoulder strap. many thanks
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 Wouldn'nt we all! We sure would all love to know for sure definite if it is gonna rain in the next half hour or so to be able to keep ourselves dry! Sadly I don't think there is any such contraption! It is just a case of watching the weather reports - estimates, indications from the professional weather predicting services - and looking for basic sky signs around one in nature too! There are good little books out there on traditional weather predicton lore. And as for the temperature, well there's plenty of good little fairly inexpensive Casio type watches out there for that one! A friend of mine of old keeps one of those little rain prediction sticks attached to his tent when camped out, and swears by it! The change in the humidity of the atmosphere as rain approaches makes the little stick straighten or bend accodingly to detecting approaching weather of the rainy kind, I seem to recall. I think there are numerous stockists of those as they are a novelty type item. Don't know what use it would be on the trail attached to ones pack outer though! It would more than likely just fall off I should think!
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| Edited: 27/05/08 14:36 |
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| Edited: 27/05/08 14:54 |
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lol! Fantastic! I take it all back then, B! It does exist, that type of a thing then! 
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| Edited: 27/05/08 15:37 |
 seriously thoughI spotted some weather instruments by a company called Kestrel when I was looking for an anemometer
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Does that detect sea anemones then, by any chance, B? 
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 Goat There ia whole array of met recording equipment available - skywatch do a nice little number - try ebay for these. you can record: Temperature max / min Wind speed / direction / mean Pressure / tendency etc etc. The wrist-watches tend to give you pressure (+tendency) and temperature. . To make prediction you need to understand the relatioship between these readings and have a good understanding of meteorology and apply it. There is no machine that will give you a prediction or forecast - I am afraid that is down to your ability to interpret the weather patterns - or listen to the radio.
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 Eyes are pretty good at spotting incoming rain; fingers,ears and nose are pretty good at telling you "too cold, put more clothing on". Seriously, unless you are willing to carry a full weather radar system then anything else is really just "oh, that's interesting" rather than "hey, that's genuinely useful" IMHO. On the "interesting/fun" front, look at cheapie anemometers (wind speed) with built-in temperature sensor, plus a cheap barometer (pressure drops, weather likely to be getting worse). Or, how about something like this which looks quite interesting if you're into gadgets!
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I have a skywatch explorer 1 (the basic one that only does windspeed) and its pretty well made. The others look pretty good but the price goes up. I get my altitude reading from my GPS but thats no use for weather. I have toyed with the idea of an abc watch from Suunto or the like but they are pricey and like Zubald says, my eyes are pretty good. I would always check the weather before I go out aswell, My fave weather site The other one I use
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 what about seaweed (bladderwrack? ) or a fircone?
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 i always assume "looks like rain" and take things to keep dry. it means i'm never disappointed when it does rain as i've made the right choice of clothing or get a real result when it doesn't rain. i like win-win situations.
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'TIPS AND TRICKS OF BASIC WEATHER FORECASTING OUTDOORS-Most people used to learn this all off by heart when they were kids, usually from organisations like the Scouts movement or the Woodcraft Folks. However within these i-pod and internet, computer games and mobile phone obsessed last generations of people living, all this sort of stuff seems to be completely unlearned and hence completely unknown! So here is a very short primer to the very basics of this outdoors lore on weather forecasting! We all know the old 'Red sky at night, shepherd's delight-Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning.' But do you know all the other signs to reading the approaching weather that here follow? MIST RISING UP ONTO HILLS-Bad weather is forecast approaching. A CLEAR DISTANT COASTLINE-Bad weather forecast. PHEASANTS HEARD CALLING TO ONE ANOTHER LOUDLY-thunderstorms soon! HILLS BLUE WITH MIST AT EVENING TIME-Fine weather for tomorrow. A YELLOWY-GREEN OR DARK BLUE SKY-Rain soon, and strong. DEW-DROPS ON COBWEBS EARLY MORNING-A fine hot day is to come. I do truely hope you find this interesting, as I think all of this ancient basic knowledge, from a bygone Britain, is really wonderful to know! Kind Regards, Trevor' - From one of my old posts on the Trueways Survival Forum last year
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Alan Watts book of 'Instant Weather Forecasting' and the John Lofty Wiseman SAS Survival Manuals too, all contain quite a few good natural weather forecast indicators worth learning. All the basic rules of good old fashioned interpretive weather lore are contained within these aforementioned great books pages.
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| Edited: 28/05/08 00:47 |
 I would have loved to have had one of these annemonemmonemmeter things to record the windspeed this weekend! The kind of wind that knocks you over a few times, feels like 100mph but is probably closer to 50mph in reality.
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I got mine so I could have some figures to see how much of a beating my laser competition will take rather than just saying it was hard to stand still, it knocked me over etc. Everytime I take it out though there isnt even the slightest fart of wind , reminds me of a scout leader I had. I swear it would piss down as soon as he took his jacket off and the sun would come out if his jacket was on. We used to make him hike with his jacket on even though we were all sunburnt.
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What is actually the general consensus of opinion here upon the non watch variety of these such thermometer/barometer digital things then, for hanging off ones pack etc?  As it is that type of a thingumyjig that Goat seems really to want to get for himself.
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| Edited: 28/05/08 20:06 |
'Farmer's Weather Vane An old farmer was sitting on his porch, holding a small piece of rope. His house guest, a city man, asked, "What's the rope for?" The farmer said, "It's my weather vane." "How can you tell weather with that thing?" asked the city man. "When it goes from side to side, it's windy. When it's wet, it's raining" replied the farmer.'
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| Edited: 31/05/08 22:56 |
 Can you see the hills? It's gonna rain! Can't see the hiils? 'Cos it's raining already
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