Debbie's description of the "CampingBaro" sounds very interesting. The gadget freak in me want to run out and by one just to play with it. Oregon Scientific has, IMO marketed some strong and useful products. BUT . . . . . . . . Isn't this information available by looking at the sky and feeling for wind on your face? Certainly it would take more effort to learn to read the sky for weather but is there something that a barometer can do, that we absolutely have to know and can't determine by reading the sky? Maybe I'm just showing my ignorance again. If so I humbly apologize but I really want to know if I should have one of these. I always thought the low pressure systems were preceded by strengthening winds and darkening clouds and high pressure by weakening of winds and clearing skies. My approach in the past has been to check the weather forecast for local systems, draw on past experience and watch the sky for signs of change. If on the other hand, if the purpose of the barometer is to help forecast, where does the weather radio fit in? Is this to be a backup to the weather radio? I'm trying to be the safest seakayaker I can without any excess equipment Thanks in advance for your opinions Jed *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> ---------- > From: Bill Pierson[SMTP:bill_pierson_at_telus.net] > > I want to take a barometer along on longer trips and > was wondering what people on the list were using. > All comments appreciated. > Last year I purchased a "CampingBaro" made by Oregon Scientific. It displays an icon of the pending weather (sunny, cloudy, rainy). It also shows any combination of the 3. It notifies you of severe weather alert by beeping 3 times every 5 minutes or so and if you look at the screen, lightning flashes in the rain clouds. It has a box that reflects the trend (the arrow drops, stays level or inclines). It shows the time (and has an alarm) and the temperature. It also has "HiGlo" for displaying at night. Its waterproof and fits in the palm of the hand and comes with a built in lanyard so you can tie it into a PFD pocket I suppose. I don't remember how much it cost (probably $50) - purchased at West Marine. Highly accurate. Its the most sought after "toy" on all the camping trips so I recommend leaving it in a communal space while in camp to allow everyone access. Debbie Reeves Sandy Hook, NJ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Thanks for your concern re. the application of this barometer. We take one to two week trips off the west coast of Vancouver Island yearly and live at sea level on the Straight of Georgia and are subject to strong SE storms at this time of year. Would I ever head out without a radio or the usual compliment of safety equipment? No, But I might want to start carrying more weather monitoring equipment if its small, lightweight and increases my knowledge and interest in how weather affects our trips. I'd gladly leave behind certain extraneous items to include a small barometer. The radio isn't God as I was taught. Use your " senses "and technology to make those decisions that can affect your trip and your life. Your right, weather forecasting is being aware of current conditions and combining that with forecasts, but forecasts can be 12 to 24 hours offshore a I'd be interested to see how the barometric pressure changes in relation to our position and our trip plan for that 12 or 24 hour period. I'd liken it to carrying a thermometer to check water or air temp. Bill on Bowen LedJube_at_aol.com wrote: > Debbie's description of the "CampingBaro" sounds very interesting. The > gadget freak in me want to run out and by one just to play with it. Oregon > Scientific has, IMO marketed some strong and useful products. > > BUT . . . . . . . . > > Isn't this information available by looking at the sky and feeling for > wind on your face? Certainly it would take more effort to learn to read the > sky for weather but is there something that a barometer can do, that we > absolutely have to know and can't determine by reading the sky? Maybe I'm > just showing my ignorance again. If so I humbly apologize but I really want > to know if I should have one of these. > I always thought the low pressure systems were preceded by strengthening > winds and darkening clouds and high pressure by weakening of winds and > clearing skies. My approach in the past has been to check the weather > forecast for local systems, draw on past experience and watch the sky for > signs of change. > If on the other hand, if the purpose of the barometer is to help > forecast, where does the weather radio fit in? Is this to be a backup to the > weather radio? > > I'm trying to be the safest seakayaker I can without any excess equipment > > Thanks in advance for your opinions > > Jed > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not > to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
One more thing, I was more interested in something that was more a straight barometer than some blinking, flashing gizmo. LedJube_at_aol.com wrote: > Debbie's description of the "CampingBaro" sounds very interesting. The > gadget freak in me want to run out and by one just to play with it. Oregon > Scientific has, IMO marketed some strong and useful products. > > BUT . . . . . . . . > > Isn't this information available by looking at the sky and feeling for > wind on your face? Certainly it would take more effort to learn to read the > sky for weather but is there something that a barometer can do, that we > absolutely have to know and can't determine by reading the sky? Maybe I'm > just showing my ignorance again. If so I humbly apologize but I really want > to know if I should have one of these. > I always thought the low pressure systems were preceded by strengthening > winds and darkening clouds and high pressure by weakening of winds and > clearing skies. My approach in the past has been to check the weather > forecast for local systems, draw on past experience and watch the sky for > signs of change. > If on the other hand, if the purpose of the barometer is to help > forecast, where does the weather radio fit in? Is this to be a backup to the > weather radio? > > I'm trying to be the safest seakayaker I can without any excess equipment > > Thanks in advance for your opinions > > Jed > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not > to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Bill, I understand your application better after reading your post and it makes all the sense in the world. I was being myopic as usual, and thinking of my own day tripping with the rare overnighter. Certainly for extended trips and/or with larger groups this device could make a lot of sense. It certainly would serve to fine tune the forecast and allow you to better monitor the progress of any expected nastiness. Jed *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
A marine VHF will provide access to buoy reports (in coastal areas) which contain barometric information, distributed around the area you are visiting. That information has helped me to decide whether the front has passed me or not, and helped decide launch or no-launch. A barometer at your location only tells the pressure (and trend in pressure) in one location. With the buoy information, it is often possible to decide whether the brunt of a front will hit you or pass to the N or S. The above is just a summary of my experience -- which is limited to the Pacific NW, and the Queen Charlottes. In the Charlottes, we really relied on the radio's marine weather broadcasts. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> From: LedJube_at_aol.com[SMTP:LedJube_at_aol.com] > > Isn't this information available by looking at the sky and feeling for > > wind on your face? (snipped) > I always thought the low pressure systems were preceded by > strengthening > winds and darkening clouds and high pressure by weakening of winds and > clearing skies. (snipped) > If on the other hand, if the purpose of the barometer is to help > forecast, where does the weather radio fit in? Is this to be a backup to > the > weather radio? > We do A LOT of kayak camping year round. Each year there are generally 1 or 2 10 day trips on coastal waters (Maine, Nova Scotia, Florida, Alaska), but the majority of the trips are long weekend 4 day trips, many located inland in the mountains. We have found that when paddling a chain of mountain lakes, you loose the view of a wide open sky. Once the cloud formations appear over the mountain peaks of the valley where you are located, you may not have much time to take evasive action. Also, winds are not as apparent since we are surrounded by mountains and hills (and thick forests). We have also discovered that the weather radio broadcasts are not able to be received in these locations. The other item worth mentioning is language. The last 2 years we did 10 day trips down the Saguenay Fjord in Quebec. The forecasts were in French which none of us spoke or understood. Debbie Reeves Sandy Hook, NJ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
>From: Bill Pierson <bill_pierson_at_telus.net> >One more thing, I was more interested in something that was more >a straight barometer than some blinking, flashing gizmo. Hi Bill, I've been using Casio's BM-200 watch for a couple of years now. What I like about it that it has a rolling 18 hour tendency graph that is displayed in the corner even when the display is in regular time-keeping mode. This means you can check the trend anytime you check the time without punching any buttons. You can flick into other modes if you want to know absolute pressures etc. but I find I very rarerly do - it's mainly the trend that I use (along with my eyes, ears, and VHF forecasts). Philip Torrens N49°16' W123°06' *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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