I suspect it's the moisture in the air that's as much a problem as the temperature. We see in the 400-700 nanometer range of visible light. Laser rangefinders operate in a higher frequency range but I can't find the exact numbers except one place mentioned a bushnell rangefinder using a 905 nm. I suspect most companies keep it proprietary. Water absorbs in the 1400 nm range so if their lasers are in that range then water could interfere with it. There's also refraction from the water vapor like your headlights on a foggy night, that's what the LRF is seeing with a lot of water vapor in the air just in a different spectrum.
In the end I suspect picking the LRF rated for the most distance is going to give you the best chance of it working in less than ideal circumstances.
Most commercially available LRFs use 905nm lasers which is a longer wavelength, but lower frequency, than the visible light. In general, longer wavelength is beneficial for seeing through particulates in the air, like water droplets.
Of the consumer LRFs I have played with over the last few years, I think Sig Kilo 2400 is the best of the single lens units. With binoculars, Leica HD-B is the best I have seen yet.
Honorable mention goes to the image stabilized Nikon since it is easier to keep on target.
ILya
