Best budget thermal imaging setup for autumn/winter investigations

Right lads, winter's coming and if you're going to be doing proper outdoor investigations, thermal imaging is genuinely worth considering. I've spent the last four months testing various setups on a budget, and I thought I'd share what actually works versus what's overpriced nonsense.

The good: CAT S60 mobile (around £400-500 second-hand on eBay) has built-in thermal. It's not professional grade, but for initial anomaly detection it's solid. I've used it on three separate investigations up in Yorkshire and it's picked up thermal variance that normal cameras missed.

The questionable: Don't bother with those £80 USB thermal adapters for your regular smartphone. They're gimmicky and the image quality is rubbish.

The budget workaround: If you're absolutely skint, a decent night vision monocular (£120-200) paired with a regular camera is actually more practical than you'd think. Cheaper than thermal, better battery life, and honestly more useful for outdoor investigations where you're moving around.

Has anyone else had success with particular setups? Keen to hear what's worked for you lot.

Cheers for this. I've been thinking about investing in proper kit for winter and was about to drop three grand on a proper FLIR. The CAT phone suggestion is genuinely useful - didn't realise they had thermal built in. Have you got any recommendations for not being seen with it? Last thing I need is spooking locals or looking like I'm filming dodgy stuff.

The night vision monocular is underrated. Been using one for about two years and honestly it's been more useful than my thermal scope. Better range, lighter, and you can actually interact with the environment if you need to run or whatever. Plus less likely to get nicked off you in a pub.

Good write-up but I'd add: make sure your phone's battery case is fully charged. Those CAT phones have decent batteries but once you start recording thermal, you're looking at about 4 hours max usage. Get a portable charger - I'd recommend Anker, around £30.

Don't bother with those £80 USB thermal adapters

You should mention the legal side of thermal imaging. In some contexts it can be dodgy depending on what you're pointing it at. Not saying don't do investigations, just be aware of privacy implications on private property.