Compass Help

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CanonRebelXTi

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Oct 13, 2007
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I feel really stupid asking this question. I've used a compass with a map. Although it was 5 or so years ago. I'm going to Maine on the first and i plan to bring my girlfriend hiking. Seeing as how ive never been to maine and don't know what the woods are like, id like to bring a compass. Usually ill just wander through woods and i can find my way out by landmarks, knowing the area or by a path i may have followed. I am very woods smart. Now my question is, im trying to be safe and i know that a compass wont get me to my exact location i was in. But i would like to know how to use a compass without a map. Like, just to get the general direction of where i started and any tips you guys may have for me.
 
I'm sure, others have more experience than i, but maybe a cheap GPS is a option as a back-up, mark you take-off point as home and when you want to return you can usually hit a button that points you straight back home.
There is a technique where, for example, if you know your car is parked on a road that runs perpendicularish to the west then you make a heading for ESE (or SE depends how confident you are of the westness of the road;)), and when you hit the road turn north and walk up the road till you find your car. I'd probably grab a map just in case.
Have fun!

Jules
 
It helps immensely to have a map of the area you are hiking in.

If you do not have a map then at least take a waterproofed notepad and pen with you to record what you did. This takes discipline, it is real easy to just get lax and start walking because you're not lost.

Keep a record of time traveled, estimated distance, direction traveled, landmarks and key features. The weakest ink is stronger than the strongest memory. If you start with your compass and keep an accurate log of your movements then you will be able to reverse course and get back much easier.

You can see how penciling in this info on a photocopy of your map makes it much easier to stay located. Mac

ETA - Take the time to locate the area you will be travelling to on Google Earth and take a virtual tour first. It's like doing a flyover and really helps you get the lay of the land. Features such as powerline clearings, cleared fields, treelines and such will be visible and can give you a real sense of what is out there but they won't be marked on maps. Those features can come in handy if you have to come up with a direction to walk to get out of the woods. Mark those natural boundries, rivers ridges roads etc, in your notebook relative to your start position.
 
Good things to do is find a track or something and measure how many steps you take for 100m. This way if you have the back track to your last know location you know how far to go.

I would definately recommend a map - even a basic one.
If you are following a well used track a compass isnt that important (to me)
 
Unless you know how to do map nav (most dont) its only a bit better than useless to you. I cant count how many times I have seen people on a course I teach look (at first) dumbfounded at a compass on a map with not a clue how to use them together.

Park on or near a straight road. Before you start take a bearing directly to your direction of travel. The closer to 90 of the road the better. Calculate your reverse bearing and dial it in to the compass on the way out. You should hit the road at some point.

If you make it out ok. Consider a map and compass course.

Maine woods are very dangerous as you can get turned around very easy because it all looks the same with little variation.

Skam
 
I was thinking a GPS with alot of extra batteries. Maybe before you go take a basic navigation course. Topo maps of the immediate area is a must.
 
A topo map, as stated, is an important adjunct to the compass. If you can't get one, it will be harder to get around knowingly but still doable. As someone said, try to take a general bearing when leaving your vehicle, and note any drastic changes in directions as you make them on the trail (check when you're deviating from your bearing). Reverse this one the way back and hopefully you'll hit your road at least.

Navigational skills are a lot like knots, if you don't use them regularly you'll forget them. (I've forgotten a lot about both!)

A GPS would be nice for sure. I don't have one so can't comment on that.
 
Another vote for having a map. If you don't want to spend the few $ for one , at least , print a couple of topos off your computer. Mark where you start and the directions you travel.

Phil
 
A compass without a map or a GPS is of limited use. It will tell you which way is north.

I second the recommedation for a simple GPS - like the Garmin eTrex H - available for about $95. When you start out, create a waypoint for your starting position. Then the GPS will tell you where you are and can give your the bearing and distance to where you want to be (your starting point). With that information you can turn off the GPS and use your compass to head in the correct direction. Turn the GPS on occasionally to see how you're doing.

Bring an extra set of batteries for the GPS too.
 
You can navigate across oceans with a compass, let alone a little section of the Maine woods. With some training and practice, you can return to the same spot.

You need to take a map and a compass and know how to use them, every time you go out. There are no options. GPS's are great tools, but you still need to have map and compass as backup-- stuff gets lost, dropped, water soaked and batteries go dead. OOPS!

I run scenarios in reverse. There you are lost and you are going to say, "well, yah, I didn't know the trail, and yah, I could have taken a map and a compass, but..." You're not going to look too smart!
 
Basically, without a map, you're doing dead reckoning by memory.

I wouldn't advise it. It's doable, but unless you do it a lot, it's good for very short hikes only.

But if you're planning on using a compass solely to capture your bearings--for example, you're planning to stay on a trail and just want to know whether you turned North, South, etc. at the last cross roads--remember that in Maine, magnetic North is about 17 degrees off from True North.
 
Most ranger stations have topo maps on sale. So maybe you can call ahead to see if they sell them.
 
It is not too hard to learn basic map and compass skills. A useful book is Staying Found. Buy it read it two or three times and practice with map & compass in a local and familiar area.
Otheriwse the compass alone is of limited use.
Bill
 
DaleW said:
You can navigate across oceans with a compass, let alone a little section of the Maine woods. With some training and practice, you can return to the same spot.
Click to expand...

No offense.

Apples and oranges, very different.

Skam
 
Stay on the trail. It's the wrong time of year to be going cross country without a map. The days are getting shorter and the evenings are chilly. It won't be quite as adventurous, you will encounter a few other people, but you'll still be overwhelmed with the beauty of these woods.

Remember to wear some blaze orange. It's hunting season.
 
Regarding GPS, a map and compass is not a back-up for the GPS unit, the GPS unit is the back-up for the map and compass.

Read the instructions for any GPS unit, first thing they tell you is that it is no substitute for a compass. They also tell us that we should have a compass as our primary direction finding tool.

Even using my GPS unit in the woods behind my house, I quickly realized their inaccuracies and how large trees blocked the satellite signals, to the point the GPS Unit was having a difficult time orienting itself. A GPS unit in thick woods can be sketchy at best.

With a compass , unless you are going to walk straight to a big landmark, then the opposite direction to get back, take some paper and 2 writing sticks. You carry one writing stick and some paper, and your partner does same. While you are at it, equip each person with a compass, as well. That way you have navigation x2.

Before going familizrize yourself with the area, the terrain, and brush up on compass skills/orienteering.
 
I think a compass will be handy. As has been said, compass without a map for detailed navigation is difficult. Get a map. You might want to invest in a GPS unit for the fun of it. Many have maps built into them.

It really depends on where in Maine you will be hiking. If it is the flatter areas which are often covered with forest, a compass and map would be very useful. Prior to the hike, I'd look at the general area for landmarks and make note of them (mental at least). You need to know your escape route direction in a worst case situation and knowing what direction a dirt road, highway, river, stream is useful information as well as which direction most streams generally flow. People joke about the survival shows, but that basic information is quite useful to allow you to remain sane and get out of a tough spot. You may walk a long way, but you'll get out.
 
Here is a website that seems pretty good for learning how to use a map and compass:

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Falls/9200/navigation_map_compass.html

I would not rely on GPS in the woods. Trees can block signals pretty easily.

Practice with the map and compass before you go. An easy way to practice is to go to a park with trails. Walk a ways along any trail and then use the map and compass to figure out where exactly on the trail you are now standing. If you can't do it right at first, at least you are on a trail and can navigate back to civilization.

If you are in deep woods, this method is nearly useless if you cannot see a landmark from where you can sight your compass. In deep woods, you use a pace count and continually monitor your compass bearing. Take notes long the way so that you can back track if you need to.

Be safe and have fun!
 
Topo maps are only about $5.99 at my local hardware store. I'd call that a pretty reasonable investment in terms of the advantages offered.
 
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