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Post by catonsvillebill on Jan 6, 2017 8:49:53 GMT -8
What are some of the better compasses out there? Up till now when I hike it is the AT or the C&O Towpath. You can't get lost on either one. I plan on visiting some area's I have never been to before, Green Ridge in Maryland for one. What retailer has the best selections? What is the best way to learn to read maps as well. That is one aspect of backpacking I have never had anything to do with.
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reuben
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Post by reuben on Jan 6, 2017 10:23:28 GMT -8
It depends on what you want to use it for. Orienteering, aligning with a map, sunrise/sunset, etc. Suunto, Silva, and Bruton make good ones. As the newt implied, a good book can help you learn about the features various types of compasses may have, as well as help you decide whether or not they're relevant to your desires. A classicAnother good one |
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reuben
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Post by reuben on Jan 6, 2017 10:38:15 GMT -8
catonsvillebill - maybe when I get back home in a couple of weeks we can go on a weekend trip somewhere. I more or less go past Catonsville when I head out to the AT/western MD/that general area. I've never met tomas but I'm pretty sure has kids so his availability is limited. Jim's a long distance dayhiker, but not an overnight kinda guy, and he has kids as well. I'm not a compass guru by any stretch of the imagination, but a weekend in the woods is a good thing. Pick a park. Just remember that it'll be 10-20F colder in western MD.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 10:41:30 GMT -8
Wilderness Navigation: Finding Your Way Using Map, Compass, Altimeter & GPS, 3rd Edition <<< That one was really helpful for my wife.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Jan 6, 2017 11:20:47 GMT -8
What are some of the better compasses out there? Up till now when I hike it is the AT or the C&O Towpath. You can't get lost on either one. I plan on visiting some area's I have never been to before, Green Ridge in Maryland for one. What retailer has the best selections? What is the best way to learn to read maps as well. That is one aspect of backpacking I have never had anything to do with. For me there are two types of compasses. One for just helping you walk consistently in one direction, the other is a sighting compass that will allow you to triangulate your position (also walk in one direction). I carry a tiny little oil filled compass for the former. So small I worry about losing it. It fell out a keyring. If I was lost in wooded rolling hills this would help me walk out (hope I pick the right direction). For the latter I have carried a Silva that I have had for a very long time. You have to have a map and know how to use the compass with it. You also have to be able to have some view of distance landmarks. The better it is for this purpose the heavier it is generally. I try not to get lost in the first place but my plan if I do is generally go in one direction until I hit water then follow it downstream. Having a general map of the area in your head is always a plus. |
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crawford
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Post by crawford on Jan 6, 2017 13:17:12 GMT -8
Having a map in hand is far better than a map in one's head. I don't go out without a map, even in the most familiar areas. Am I paranoid, maybe, but I'm still following the advice of my Scoutmaster of over 30 years ago and Drill Sergeant of over 27 years ago. Both turned me into a lean mean oreinteering machine.  I will second @idahowalker suggestion. You can also look up the old army field manual on land navigation, it is easily found in PDF format on line for free. Learning to use terrain association as well as using the compass for intersection and resection are very important if you want to go into truly unfamiliar territory. They can most ensure you will not get lost, and if you do you will be able to determine your self location pretty quickly. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 13:24:55 GMT -8
On a Sierra Club Nav Noodle at Indian Cove, I made it to the 2nd check point. I showed the fellow my plot to prove where I was at using the compass. He said, I know you know how to use the compass, I want you to prove to me where you are at without the compass. I was, st first mad, cause other people were being let by after they had plotted a correct compass fix. It took me dang near 2 hours to get by that check point but I figured it out. A lesson that has served me well for many years.
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swiftdream
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Post by swiftdream on Jan 6, 2017 14:36:51 GMT -8
I second the basic compass books for starting your learning. Check your local library system. You might be able find a good one there. Read it through as you take notes and go out and actually practice the techniques. Then learn to use them as you hike, even if you don't really need to. That will sharpen your skills and will help you to navigate the difficult areas.
For a compass, I like a good sighting compass as we like to mark very specific sites where we have found archaeological artifacts in a maze of terrain. We also mark our vehicle and our camp this way so we can get back from any direction, again in a maze of canyon country and juniper/pinion forests. A good mirror/protractor compass will do it all, field work and map work with no other tools. Most don't need that though and a simple baseplate compass with adjustable declination will do just fine.
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reuben
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Post by reuben on Jan 6, 2017 16:48:13 GMT -8
What swiftdream said and the rest of us forgot - be sure to get one that can be adjusted for declination! |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 17:29:35 GMT -8
 This compass has some good parts of a compass descriptions. Ths compass is. also, missing a few parts. The pisctured compass would NOT get one through a Sierra Club Navigation Noodle. #10 the base plate, notice the base plate is clear. A clear base plate is needed to plot a shot bearing on a map. #9, #8, #7, #6, #5 #3 and #2 are required. #1 and #2 are great to have Make sure there is a scale of 1:24,0000, which can be used on 7.5min topo maps to get a straight line distance measurement. #4 is very very very useful feature of a compass.  To take bearings with =<2 degree error you'll want a mirror. The mirror is also useful in other ways. From when I took the Sierra Club Navigation Noodles, if the compass did not have a mirror, you'd not be able to take accurate enough compass readings to pass. Most likely if you get a good featured compass it will have a clinometer, a little used but useful tool to have when you need one. |
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swiftdream
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Post by swiftdream on Jan 6, 2017 17:56:03 GMT -8
Most likely if you get a good featured compass it will have a clinometer, a little used but useful tool to have when you need one. That's a good point to consider. In avalanche country that feature can be considered essential. catonsvillebill, another tip is to write down the declination of every place you intend to hike. If your map is old enough the declination might not be accurate. I have seen declination change where I live over the years. I keep a light, small field notebook with declinations that I update every couple years for about a dozen places and add as necessary. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2017 18:14:57 GMT -8
When I go for a peak, in the summer, I use the clinometer to measure the angle of incidence to determine if I am looking at snow or ice. I use the NOAA Magnetic Field Calculators to check and, if needed, update the declinations on the maps that I will be using for the summer. |
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texasbb
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Post by texasbb on Jan 6, 2017 19:27:30 GMT -8
All good info above. Bear in mind, though, that the vast majority of us who are backpacking don't need the kind of accuracy a lensatic compass or mirrored compass give. We're looking for things like lakes a quarter mile wide, passes you can see from a half-mile away, a river we want to hit upstream of a falls, or maybe we're trying to get through a wooded section on a cloudy day without getting turned around. For all that, just about any compass plus an understanding of declination will do.
The most important thing is to get very familiar with the basics of map+compass use. IMHO, most books are overkill for the beginner. What's needed for basic off-trail navigation should take more than 12 or 15 pages, not a whole book. All that to say, look for a succinct book on basic nav and don't worry about 2-degree accuracy until later.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2017 3:43:58 GMT -8
You can't get lost on either one. Oh really? It's happened plenty of times before! I'm out there most every weekend. I always have a Suunto M3, paper maps, and two GPS's....never been lost, but been off trail for a mile or so... |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2017 5:10:31 GMT -8
To directly answer the question of the orignal post:
Suunto MC-2G Navigator Compass
Brunton TruArc 15 Compass
Silva Ranger 515 Compass
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