What trail cam will last 10 years?

0faustus0

0faustus0

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Off the river, on top of the hill
I have been running 3 SpyPoint trail cameras on my property … and this now for around 7 years. And the time has come to replace them.

I normally have them out from March till December … So they were not out there at -20C or colder. And they are a bit protected from the elements … they all have a little “roof” overhead … see picture.

Now, I am not very happy with my SpyPoint cameras. Yes, they worked for 7 years, but all three had issues from day one. I believe all three went to warranty repair in the first year … and now one is completely dead … another one, half of the picture is not in focus any more (I believe the lenses have shifted/unglued) … another camera barely detects any animal or human movement any more (it doesn’t matter what setting) … and the last two now are not able to keep the date and time settings any more … they reset themselves randomly ... :-(

So, I am looking for replacement trail cams! But I don’t know what brand to choose …

Who has extensive experience with trail cams … and especially long term experience with a certain brand/model and with which they are happy? I am looking to buy 3 - 4 new trail cams with metal “cages” (security boxes) … and I need them to last at least 10 years.

Any suggestions anyone?

p.s.: My property is in Eastern Ontario.


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unfortunately none of my cameras lasted 5 years
but then again, this is the rain-coast and I've had water ingress in all my cameras when it rained for 2+ weeks in a row
some did recover, others didn't

note1: I have used quite a few brands, I'm usually buying cameras with time lapse features to cover more than the PIR sensor distance.
note2: a 12.5kg block of salt lasted a whole 3 days in this kind of rain
 
Those are nice pics .

I have run the Tactacam cell's now for a few years and am very happy with no issues
Actually put out in late August and batt's last till nov ..
Lot's of pics
To answer your question ? None
Technology will change it for you
 
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Can’t really help you with what brand to buy, I personally will never buy another Moultrie. The two I bought were defective out of the box. I bought a 2 pack of Simmons trail cam’s for cheap in 2016, one of them is still going strong. Not the highest resolution but for using on crown land it’s plenty good enough for me, if someone walks off with it I won’t cry.

Great pics you have there, the young moose especially.
 
I don't believe there is a trail camera manufacturer that can consistently make cameras that will reliably last ten years. I have used Spy Point--they were a huge disappointment, UWAY that changed to Ridgetec--not much better, StealthCam-decent reliability for 3-5 years, Moultrie--most fail right out of the box or with in the first year. I think if you get five years, anything after that is a bonus. Let us know what brand you go with.
 
Yeah 10 years is pretty much an impossible expectation in my experience. It’s kind of pathetic how long trail cams last. I’ve gone through so many over the years of all sorts of brands. I’ve been slowly switching over to all spypoints as they have been the most reliable for me but sometimes they fail way to quickly too.

I have one trail cam that has lasted about 7 years now tho. It’s the most basic little cam I’ve ever seen but it never fails and never seems to miss a thing. It’s a little Primos cam, I don’t remember what it’s called but it was like 60 bucks and it’s so basic you have to download the time and date onto the sd card from your pc then quickly put it in the camera so the time isn’t off too much lol. It even got moisture in it one year and corroded the battery terminals badly but I just sanded them up and it keeps on going.
 
exodus, but your going to pay for them.
For me, spypoints are cheap and reliable if you take some time to learn how they work. I'm not too upset when they die considering I leave mine out 365days a year. I've ran every brand and while I have one old Wildgame SD cam that just hit 10 years and is still working, on average 2-3years is what I expect from them.
We don't have cell phones that reliably last 10 years, so to expect something outside made with cheap components to last that long consistently is a pipe dream. Listened to a good podcast from exodus about electronic components and the different quality available. They use medical grade components, as opposed to most trail cam manufactures who use the cheapest. Thus you pay a lot, but they do come with a 5 year warranty.

Personally, I'm good with the cheapest and free service plans from spypoint. When they get stolen or die, I'm not out much. I can replace 3 times to meet the purchase price of the best. It woud sure hurt when those expensive once get stolen our eaten by a bear.
 
I am also eastern Ontario.

Been using tacticam for the last year.. year round. No issues.

Previous years I was using non-cellular cameras, and must say that just cheap Bushnell or primos cams do seem to be bulletproof.
 
Not a lot of heavy rain here like back east. The oldest I have is a Spypoint and it must be getting close to 10 years. I left it at the bottom of a valley for two years as I dreaded the hike. I picked it up this year and it was still functioning. The new cell cameras have been hit and miss for me and the mega pixel rating is a joke even off the cards.

I bought a few Brownings based on web reviews. They have been going pretty good for 4 years now but taken in during the winter. They only take 6 batteries so you need to check them. Pictures and videos are sometimes a little washed out but you can see them okay.

I have quite a few Amazon cameras, some as long as 3 years. I have the Meidase P60s and 90s and some GardePro A3s. They have worked perfect and the picture/video quality is impressive. A couple have picked up some moisture but still function fine when they dry out. I believe they are made by the same company and I read they have Sony components inside. They are extremely cheap compared to name brands. You could change them out every 3 years and still save money over the big names. In my experience the image quality is better.

I wouldn't expect 10 years from any piece of electronic left outdoors year round but not because it isn't possible. The price would put them out of reach for most people. I would rather have 10 or 20 good working cameras than a couple of great cameras.
 
I have a Reconyx Hyperfire that is out from Mid March until it quits at -35ish temps in whatever month that happens to be, late November at the earliest, usually December. It’s in a steel lock box to protect from bears. It likely averages 21-22000 pics per year, and has been going since 2011. I put new batteries for spring bear season, and refresh before September deer season. It’s done so well, that I have bought 4 more Hyperfires hoping they keep going like this old war horse.
This is northern Sask, and definitely not the rain like the coastal folks are getting.
 
My bushnell trophy is from 2012.

It takes great pictures and video with sound. I've had it in my bait pile all winter and it took pics in -30. Used that same camera baiting bears for 5+ years so it has taken likely 50,000 pictures in its life. Got a really cool video of a buck making a scrape last fall. You can hear his antlers against the apple tree and him throwing dirt at the camera when he paws the ground.


Id buy more today if I knew they were made the same.
 
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