by rchrds » Jul 10, 2009 6:26 am
Just to clarify- 99 percent of my caving involves water. Almost always associated with some mud. So I really abuse my instruments, or perhaps I should say that my wife really abuses my instruments, because I do the book, and she and anyone else we can find do the front/back sights. More than once we have canned a survey trip because the instruments became too waterlogged or fogged up to be useful. Some of that is managing where you put it- IE, don't store it close to your body (tossed inside your shirt), where it warms up, and then pull it out to use it and the lens fogs- no manner of wiping will help you. Best bet is to swish it in water and read fast. Though the manual says they are waterproof, neither the twin, nor the tandem, or any of the individual instruments are waterproof. It may not show up right away, but eventually water seeps between the plastic bezel and the aluminum housing, causing water to be between the removable sighting lens and the plastic bezel. If you have dry q-tips, you can remove the sight and dry it out, but eventually the water creeps back into that place, and you have to continue with this. I have heard numerous fixes for this, including things such as sealants on the crack between plastic and the Aluminum, but this is mostly worthless, and eventually will come off, and you will have the same problem. The issue is an engineering one- the bezels are press fit into the aluminum housing, and that is expected to keep water out. This might work for a while, but the aluminum and the plastic bezel expand and contract at different rates, and this can allow water to eventually seep in there. A better answer would be to devise a retention method that allowed an oring seal, rather than an interference fit seal. Then, they would truly be waterproof. I had originally purchased the twin (top lenses) in hopes that the lens itself was glued directly to the top of the bezel, and that there would be no space for water to get between the two. I was sorely disappointed. had it been constructed in this manner (a pressed on lens with a thin layer of epoxy) this would be the ultimate instrument, as it is indeed much easier to read accurately, and you could wipe mud off the front of the plastic lens with little worry of it fogging. I am sorry to say that despite their good accuracy and repeatability, the suunto instruments work well in most caving environments, but not all. When you get to places where you have to use plastic sheeting for your book instead of the standard soggynotes paper, the suuntos will provide a limited work window, and that is directly in relation to the ability of the survey team. Unfortunately, there is not at this time, anything better- until someone starts rebuilding Suuntos to a good wet-weather spec, that is the best thing out there.
On another note- if anyone finds 3,5 or 6 ring notebooks in the size used for "rite in the rain" or "dura-rite" looseleaf sheets, that have all stainless steel or plastic construction, please let me know- my binders last about 3 months before I have to replace them because of rust freezing them up.