Kime Hut Temperature Experiments

This past weekend, I was on a tramping trip with the WTMC and we passed through the “new Kime Hut” twice due to the gale force winds turning us back at Mt Hector. Yes, another failed attempt at the Neill-Winchcombe Ridge.

These were of course my first visits to the “new Kime Hut”. It is located above the bushline, without any source of fuel for a fire. Without any heating it was bitterly cold inside and as an alpine hut, so I decided to repeat a past experiment of measuring the temperature inside and outside the hut. Each time leaving the thermometer away from body heat for 5-10 minutes before taking a reading.  From these measurements I learned that every trampers hope that the new Hut would be warmer have been dashed. If “old Kime Hut” was “The Fridge” then “new Kime Hut” must surely be “The Chiller”. I certainly do not possess scientifically calibrated equipment, and the table below is based on very few samples. However, it does show a clear pattern - that the new Hut has not broken from the heritage and legend of the infamously cold Hut that is recently replaced.

“old Kime Hut” 1978-2013		“new Kime Hut” 2013-…
6 June 2009		26 October 2013 (Photo by Mike)
Outside temperature at 0230:	–0.8C	Inside temperature at 1120:	4.2C
Inside temperature at 0240:	0.4C	Outside temperature at 1132:	4.7C
Difference:	1.2C warmer inside	Difference:	0.5C colder inside
Outside temperature at 0930:	0.8C	Inside temperature at 1340:	4.9C
Inside temperature at 0940:	1.6C	Outside temperature at 1346:	5.2C
Difference:	0.8C warmer inside	Difference:	0.3C colder inside
Body heat in hut:	1 person	Body heat in hut:	4 persons

You can find my original post from 2009 here: http://craig.mcgregor.gen.nz/2009/06/tararua-forest-park-kime-by-moonlight.html