(Inexpensive) Cold Weather Pens

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

I was reading an article in the Jan 2007 Popular Mechanics about pens that can write upside down and in cold weather. That had some good things to say about Bic's SoftFeel ballpoints, saying they were able to write at 17°F (-1°C) and when wet. At about 0.50USD a piece, they seemed like a good choice for a cache. I figured I;d buy a few and try them out.

 

The next day, I found a cache near Syracuse, NY under ~3' of snow, with temps below 20°F (-1°C). I opened up the ammo can, grabbed the pen (a Bic SoftFeel Ballpoint) and was immediately able to sign the log!

 

Looks like I have a new pen to leave in my caches!

 

(edited to add link)

Edited February 24, 2007 by BBWolf+3Pigs

[+clatmandu]

Best writing utensle for the winter is a pencile. Can't freeze. I always try to keep some mechanical pencils in my caches.

 

Under 3' of snow, thats quite an insulating layer. Inside the cache, it was probably 25-28 degrees.

[+StarBrand]

I'll Markwell this recent thread......

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...537&hl=pens

[magellan315]

Link to the Popular Mechanics Article.

[+NorthWes]

Yeah - pencils top the list for real winter cache hunts... Yesterday I approached a cache along the waterfront here, found it, and then to my chagrin discovered all my pen was good for was 'engraving' the cache log! It was ten below with a brisk offshore breeze going... in bright sunshine... but even warming the pen in my hands didn't unthaw the ink. Of course, the pencil of choice that's usually stuck behind my ear was on the dash of my car when I got back to it...

[+sTeamTraen]

Yeah - pencils top the list for real winter cache hunts...

 

Plastic, disposable (non-refillable) mechanical pencils are in all my caches now. Except they haven't made a micro one yet.

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

Yeah - pencils top the list for real winter cache hunts...

 

Plastic, disposable (non-refillable) mechanical pencils are in all my caches now. Except they haven't made a micro one yet.

 

That's what I;ve been using, but I also like to throw a pen in as well. Some people prefer ink over pencil.

[+sTeamTraen]

That's what I;ve been using, but I also like to throw a pen in as well. Some people prefer ink over pencil.

 

I certainly do. And if my pen is still working after the ten-minute "trek" from the car park, I use it. But quite often, it isn't, and the pen left in the cache has much less chance.

 

Another reason to prefer pencils - at least from the point of view of the cache placer - is that, if soft enough. they will not only write on damp log pages, but they will do so without tearing them.

[+Retcon]

Next time I'm in the golf section of a store I'm picking up a box of those pencils. I think they'll fit in a film can and if not, I'll saw a bit of 'em off so they do. Then I'm dropping one in every micro I find

[chuckr30]

I don't know about freezing weather, but most of the ballpoint pens I use at work dry out after 10 seconds or so of sitting on my desk. That means I have to scribble on a scrap of paper each time I want to use the pen. I don't use gel pens because they always smear.

 

Except I found the Bic Ultra Round Stic. It writes the first time every time, in office conditions. It might be worth trying this in cold conditions.