I`m currently working and then in night school following work. I`m having to practice on my breaks, which means that I have to practice out of doors in a back parking lot, sitting on the tailgate of my truck. I had hoped to be able to play inside the truck, but I dicovered that you can`t get a full bow stroke in the cab of a Mazda 4x4!!
My violin seems to stay in tune very well between playing, but I haven`t been exposing it to the temperature changes involved by playing out doors. Should it be OK as long as it is warmer than 50 degrees or thereabouts? I`m guessing that the violin should go in to work with me and not be left in the car where the temperature changes would be more extreme, right?

I`m not sure about outside, but I know you can`t leave it in a vehicle. It`s almost always either too hot or too cold.

My husband got (actually, is getting - we had to return the first one) me a new violin case for Christmas - one with a shoulder strap/backpack straps...so I can carry mine to and from my office on lesson days.

I just found a reference in a violin manufacturer`s warranty that says a violin should not be left in temperatures uncomfortable to people. The recommended range is 55-90 F. Humidity should be maintained at 40-70%.

Yes, if it is to warm, the Pegs get warm and slide, eventually making your violin go out of tune. My friend in Nanaimo has a Violin too, and when she brought it to my house, sucha temp change her violin would literally roll! Well the pegs did. She would tune it and tune it to no avail. So I had to do a last resort. Open every window in teh house and turn off all heat. :S Freezing! Anywho, if your house is to cold (Or outside)(Or your truck in which is hard to play in) your pegs will start to go hard and wedge themselves into the Violin neck wood, and then it will be harder to move. Mine is new, so mine is hard to move anyways. I am scared of my Violin. String broke and hit my eye!