Hi @magerk 

One thing I've done here in Australia is use a solar panel to run a waterproof fan (e.g. 12V moisture proof 2 pin fan). In fact, I just saw on Amazon that you can buy panels and fans together. The idea is that the panel provides a bit of shade to the camera, and the fan blows some air over it to help cool it down a bit. You don't need a battery, as it really only needs to run when the sun is on the panel anyway. You could experiment with making vents in the camera housing to help the airflow go over the internal components/batteries a little more. We use ordinary fly screen to cover vents to stop insects getting in, but obviously that isn't water-resistant. If money is no object, you could look at something like Goretex to cover the vents to keep water out but let air flow over it. Or again, just position under the panel so it's protected a little more. 

What batteries are you using? I'd recommend testing external SLA batteries rated to higher temperatures (usually around at least 50 deg C, so in the shade, should be ok - and there are some specialty options for higher temperatures), connected to the cameras via a DC jack (if they have it). I think the Brownings have a DC jack at least and I'd be surprised if Bushnell didn't. That way, you can position the battery well out of the heat (e.g. under the solar panel) too. We usually just use gaffa tape around the battery contacts once the cable is connected, but you could possibly make a separate housing if you were really worried about animals/insects etc. 

I don't know if this is just me, but I've never found the temperatures that cameras record very accurate, but they are likely to be at least relative (e.g. a record of 130F is likely higher than a record of 100F). That said, if they are experiencing temperatures as high as 130F+, then things might get a bit trickier. You could look at these sorts of thermoelectric coolers. They are really power hungry, but again, if it's mostly for when cameras are in direct sunlight/hottest part of the day, then a reasonable sized panel should do the trick. You could possibly mount the cooler to the back of the camera case with suitable holes/vents etc., for the Peltier and air to flow. They can get really cold (easily form ice on the 'cold' side of the Peltier unit). 

That poor wee bear! They might need a nice fan too!

Happy to discuss any ideas,

Rob

Hi Karen. 

It's actually possible that it might not necessarily be the high heat that is causing problems with the batteries. Lithium should be quite durable for the temperatures experienced inside the enclosure. Instead, the problem could likely be condensation. In an enclosure, if the sun shines directly on a sealed enclosure, the enclosure can internally heat up, evaporating any moisture in it and raising the dew point. If the external temperature then cools, the internal enclosure air that comes into contact with the cooler walls of the enclosure can form condensation droplets. If you've ever left a glass jar in the sun, you'd see this phenomenon. 

The problem is that if any condensation gets on the internal camera circuit board, its possible that it can potentially conduct enough current to increase the discharge rate of the batteries or in some cases, cause the whole device to go down. We've seen this happen in some of the field devices we deploy and have since protected critical circuitry against condensation.   

To avoid this situation, I'd recommend trying to keep your camera traps out of direct sunlight and putting a lot of dessicant inside before sealing them. Not sure if this solves your problem, but hopefully it might help.