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Travel Alarm Clock

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Sep 26, 2013
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Location
Colrain MA
I don't wear a watch, I don't have a sMartphone, during the day I don't care what time it is, I have a weather radio with a clock but no alarm.

I'm looking for some dual-use piece that has an alarm in it that is not a wristwatch.

Currently, I have a 2" cheap battery-powered clock that hammers out TICK TOCK which may be why I've never been visited by bears at night, also my wife can't sleep with it even in the next room at home let alone in the tent.

The only time I need to know what the time is to get up and once in a while to remind me to get my butt in the boat.

What do you use?
 
A watch. Mine died on the Mississagi ( a week long trip) and it was not a problem except I had to meet my shuttle at Aubrey Falls ! I kept track of the day and had a basic idea of when sunrise was but the ! pm rendezvous was a bit of a guesstimate!
 
Our gps and our camera both have the time. We never set an alarm on canoe trips. When on the road, needing to catch a plane, our iPads have both the time and an alarm. My alarm is set to Barrett’s Privateers, by Stan Rogers. That’ll get you out of bed! Neither Kathleen nor I wear watches anymore. Time is everywhere these days. Our newer vehicle has the time. It doesn’t have an alarm, though.
 
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Thanks, gumpus, and Marten

With my last search, I solved the Tick Tock problem, go with a Digital Clock. They're cheap and light.

I don't carry a GPS, I have debated taking one but I'm not big on Tech Gear. Too many years teaching Map Reading while in the Army.
 
No smart phone? How do you watch Grey's Anatomy on Netflix downloads? It's dark at 630 now. I need entertainment before bed:)
edit: American Horror Story season 1 is also good for camping, lol
 
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A watch seems like the smallest, cheapest, and easiest option. You don't have to wear it, just use it for an alarm when you need it. $20-30 for a cheap water proof digital and you can get them about anywhere.

Alan
 
Although I generally have little need to tell time I use two different truck travelling and canoe tripping timepieces. For a canoe tripping alarm I just drink a beer or two before bedtime, guaranteeing I’ll be up at dawn. And maybe at 3am.

On paddling trips I do reluctantly carry a watch. Just the watch part; I buy the cheapest* battery op watch I can find and cut the wristband off; I detest having things on my wrist. That strapless size-of-a-bottlecap timepiece lives in a little pocket in my essential bag/man purse.

Not something I look at very often, I’d rather live by hungry time/sleepy time/getee uppie time without knowing the exact hour. Mostly useful when coastal paddling for getting tidal changes right, occasionally for making certain I arrive at a shuttle pick-up on time (meaning earlier than needed).

*I am old school and still prefer an analog dial. One past “cheapest available” watch had a crazy cluttered, almost unreadable, roman numerals dial, with hands that were nearly the same size. I had that one fastened to the nightstand in the back of the tripping truck while helping out at a friend’s farm and glanced at it one “morning” when I woke up. Five minutes after six, might as well get up and get started working.

Made a pot of coffee and got going on the projects I had laid out the night before. A couple hours later I noticed a peculiarity; it still wasn’t light out. I had read the cluttered watch face upside down, it wasn’t five minutes after six when I looked, it was 1am. I was already up for a couple hours, well caffeinated and busy, and got a lot of work done that day.

The stupid part of that cheapest available ($8) watch selection is that the battery life is 2 years +/-. I never know when the batteries are about to fail, and replacement batteries cost more than the cheapo watch. I dislike that planned obsolesce and need to find an old wind-up analog watch that takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Just wind it up and set it (check the time zone when travelling cross country) and rewind it every day or so. Sometimes the old ways are best.

The little Timex wind-ups tick quietly. They may not sell them any more given I found the image on a vintage Timex site.

I do have need of an alarm when sleeping in the back of the Tripping Truck; it’s dang near darkroom black under the cap with all of the curtains drawn, and often as not when on the road I want to be up and driving before dawn.

A little Westclock travel alarm lives in the truck. Gotta be 30 or 40 years old, I just find the time on the dashboard clock, wind it up and set the alarm as needed. Wind up analog simple and still keeps good time. This very thing, down to the case color.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Westclox-Travel-Alarm-Clock-w-Brown-Folding-Hard-Case-/123714628024

Most of the modern “travel alarms” seem to be digital or at least battery operated, and I presume the alarm on those is also electronic. The alarm on the vintage Westclock is mechanical, with an actual clapper between two bells. It is loud as heck; no one is sleeping through that noise, including the folks in the tent on the next site over. So loud I typically flail around in the dark finding the “alarm off” switch ASAP. That’ll get me up.
 
Pocket radios have an alarm function, together with weather reports, news, DXing on AM skip at night and shortwave. The new digital signal processing chips improve quality and sensitivity... and make finding new stations automatic with a button click, no time spent searching around.

I once listened to the superbowl being broadcast from a New York city radio station (TV not available and the AM skip was OK that night)... and it actually wasn't bad.


Tecsun PL-310ET - alarm button is next to time (clock) in the upper left. The Chinese writing is a nice touch.


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frozentripper first off if you want to watch sports check out http://sportstream.tv. You'll have to work thru several pop up ads to get to the event but 'Ad Block' will make it easier

Thank for the suggestion on the radio looks like a possible option, with the SW option I won't have to worry about buying a sMartphone to watch Grey's Anatomy or Netflix downloads at night.
 
Thanks, gumpus, and Marten

With my last search, I solved the Tick Tock problem, go with a Digital Clock. They're cheap and light.

I don't carry a GPS, I have debated taking one but I'm not big on Tech Gear. Too many years teaching Map Reading while in the Army.
Digital? Battery powered? Ugh. You're on a slippery slope sweeper.
 
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