Compasses... What is recommended?

H

Hotrod

Joined
Mar 19, 2003
Messages
978
Hi

I'm looking for a few different compasses, I'd like to stash them through out the pack, around the house... and on a boat. Prefer that they be water proof (Ha... really really water resistant.) with nothing to rust.

I'm looking to get one to go on a keychain... and a higher quality stand alone that is button sized for eyeballing directions to toss in the medicine pouch. I'd also like something that is hand held size with the glowing face/needle for use after dark. Big enough to be easy to use for plotting courses on boats...

Thinking about one of these for the medicne pouch: http://www.tadgear.com/x-treme gear/compasses main/sas_compass.htm Sounds like it would last a long time getting beat up.


I saw a pretty cool one on TAD gear: http://www.tadgear.com/x-treme gear/compasses main/nalgene_compass_cap.htm

It replaces the cap on a nalgene bottle.

Any brand recomendations? It'd be nice to spend very little and get some stuff that works as the "last you'll ever buy." :D Metal housings, plastic housings? Jeweled movements? :confused:

I havent ever found anyone that can explain to me how azimuths and inclination works...but if you have the free time an explanation, or book suggestion wont fall on deaf ears.

Thanks
:cool:
 
First of all I recommend that you get a simple base plate compass such as this:

http://www.silva.se/outdoor/products/comp_rang3.htm

Or this:

http://airgunsbbguns.com/brt9020g.html

And learn to use it:

http://www.learn-orienteering.org/old/

The small button compasses that you show are cute and can be useful, but do not compare to a good base plate compass, even tough a good base plate compass need not be expensive.

Once you learn how to use one of these you can decide if you want something better or different like a lensatic and also you will be able to use a simple button compass better.

Luis
 
I teach Map Compass and survival for the state of Mass. Fish and Wildlife dept.. And you should really check with the fish and game of your state because it is a afree course and is set up by the Hunters ed. of all states. We usually recomend only 2 brands Silva and Brunton( Actually they are the same)

The model recomended by myself is the one here
http://www.tadgear.com/x-treme gear/compasses main/brunton_nexus_15tdcl_elite.htm

It is perfect and able to tell heights of trees, slopes of hills and has all the scales that you would ever need for any map.

Declination is the need to acuratly use the compass on a map, it is in the bottom of all topos and gives the angle needed fro offsett. Maps are allways grid north, and compasses are mag. north.

For a really good page on map and compass go to

http://therucksack.tripod.com/landnav.htm

But really check on the free course offered by hunters ed. It is the same accross the country, and really is worth the time.

Ps stay away from the gismos and really get a good compass Jewelledd is the way to go and the others on the posting, Well would you really trust them over a quality brand? I mean really you are not escaping stalag 13. Sometimes they are fun to play with but buy a top end compass and then a backup cheaper one to keep in the bag, like this one.

http://www.tadgear.com/x-treme gear/compasses main/brunton_nexus_dnl.htm
Any other queations please feel free to ask.
 
I have to say that I agree with yans and like his links much better than the ones I found.

Luis
 
Thanks guys...

I'll do some looking through the compass how to's. I took a class through the powersquadron (introductory) that covered plotting courses and such... but that is a bit different on land where you cant get "A couple miles away" and spot where you want to be. With my "skill level" (If you can call it a skill...) I wouldnt go out of the site of land... Compass headings are easy with a fixed mount compass... but its different with these hand held ones. Looks like your not looking for a degree, your eyeballing an inbetween and walking towards it.

With a button I'm guessing you point it towards north, and guesstimate which way your wanting to walk if its inbetween north/south. Is that true?

On a boat you have a lubbers line, the centerline of the boat that the compass sits on. Point the boat due north, it will go due north (With no declination...) With a hand held compass do you just adjust for declination by sliding the ring around? Charting you just keep the number of degrees in mind and add/subtract as needed.

I'll do some checking and see if there are any free courses to be had. Never turn down an opertunity to learn something interesting! :cool:

I'd like to take a course on celestial navigation and learn how to use a sextant and all that... but I dont think its in the cards for the next couple months!

:(

Thanks again!
 
Buttons do have a system, but the best way to describe them is Would you rather take a 45 to a gunfight or a 22 cal.

The Lensatic is a good tool but really only able to be used the right way with a DOD map at 55 scale, I spent 4 years in the Corp, and still used a baseplate compass.(by the way it is a FACT that 1 out of 5 Carmenga mil type 54 compasses are off by as much as 5 deg) US and Canada are really the only ones that still use the Metal monster. Britan and most european military use the Brunton or Silva type 55.(The one I recomend) only diff. is they use tritum instead of luminous paint.

Compasses can be bought at Wallyworld, but check the maker. There are 5$models that will not be accurate, but the 10$ Silva polaris is the buy for a back up.

One of the best books I can recomend is the Boy scout Fieldbook, and the Merit badge book Orienteering.
 
Suunto make a range of waterproof compasses for Kayaking etc.
orca_large_1102b.jpg


or this one that floats

kb_20_large_10b89.jpg
 
I have a Silva and a Suunto that I use for orienteering. The Silva has the cutouts to mark your map, the Suunto is cheaper with a smaller baseplate that I picked up so my daughter can learn some map and compass skills.

We are non-competitive orienteers and walk the courses - usually white yellow or orange, depending on what's available for a given meet.

Here's a suggested book geared towards orienteering: Be Expert with Map and Compass by Bjön Kjellström.
 
Good brands: Silva, Suunto, Recta. All those are good quality at reasonable price.
All these work well. Basic plate silva is enough for allmost everyone. Unless driving offroad, clinometer is somewhat useless imo.
Translucid plate compass is a must have: useful for drawing lines on map, measuring distances...
I used a RECTA for a while:
http://www2.recta.ch/FMPro?-db=rect...1&-Token.2=1&ID_product=3&ID_language=e&-find
Great for azimut, triangulation... but I really missed the plate.
 
Thanks for the book recomendations... as well as brands. I'll have to dig around and see if my old scout compass is around here somewhere. Real cheap, but good enough to remember with... with some luck. :D
 
Although all this may be moot with the availability of good, relatively inexpensive GPS systems....

I took the army's compass training way back when, and I would add that without a decent map, the compass is not particularly useful. The US Geological survey folks can furnish excellent 1/25 or 1/50 maps of just about anywhere.

I found navigation by compass to be interesting, and we even had to complete a night course where the only way to check your azimuth was to have a guy go out 100 feet or so with a white handkerchief rolled up and held vertically to line up on.

Everyone who ran the course thought they'd done pretty well, but we all failed miserably. (you had to come out on numbered posts driven into the ground at each checkpoint.) Turned out they had set up the course with an artillery "aiming circle" which did not take magnetic deviations into account!

We protested, they said "try again next year."
 
My vote, the Suunto M-3 Leader. Jewelled movement, declination adjustment screw, simple and basic, and inexpensive. The main advantage over some other brands is that Suunto's lettering is actually molded into the base, not just painted on.

-Bob
 
I've always used a Silva Ranger, basically the same as the Brunton Nexus. I do keep my grandfather's WW2 wrist compass with me, but that's more for sentimental value. I don't know how accurate it is and wouldn't put my life on it unless I had to.

When it comes to a compass, I like simple as opposed to lots of extra features. My father is a county SAR leader and taught me long ago that the compass you trust the most will be the one that's easiest to use and read. He's always used either a Silva Ranger or the Nexus and I seem to be following the same trend.
 
Hotrod,
A lot depends on just what you need the compass for. If you are simply traversing local waterways or short distance treks, the simple "Marbles" type compass wil do the job.
If you need to read and relate to maps, then "Silva" has a great range of types that will suit most of your needs (and wallet).
If you are a serious adventurer, you need a top of the line, prismatic, oil filled cased compass. These can cost up to $500 each, and are not really necessary for casual use.
Button and wrist compasses are really useful for keeping a quick check on a line of march or bearing, but due to their small size have a built in error factor, and you should double check with your larger compass regularly.

Have you had a good look at handheld GPS?

There are a lot of good ones about, and the price is coming down all the time.
I believe an ideal combination for most users would be a Silva baseplate compass, and an inexpensive GPS.
Having said that, you must also know the basic priciples of land navigation and I concur with other posters that you should attend a course that will teach you these.
Good luck with the training and equipment. There is an immense amount of satisfaction in knowing that, regardless of conditions, you will never be lost.
 
I've done a little bit of looking at the GPS... but a compass doesnt normally need batteries! With the boating I've got a GPS onboard, but prefer using a chart and some bonoculars for the ICW... harder to get disoriented, turn the danged chart whichever direction it needs to go and it looks like where your going! :D

I havent done any ocean side stuff... boat isnt set up to run outside... yet.

Thanks guys, do you know if walmart and some of the other places have any of these brands? (So I can make a dedicated hike over to the camping section... try not to head over there unless I'm positive they have exactly what I'm looking for! Come out with WAY more stuff than I have money to buy...)

:cool:
 
Hotrod said:
Thanks guys, do you know if walmart and some of the other places have any of these brands? (So I can make a dedicated hike over to the camping section... try not to head over there unless I'm positive they have exactly what I'm looking for! Come out with WAY more stuff than I have money to buy...)

:cool:
Click to expand...
Silva.jpg

On the left is the Silva Polaris, cost about $10. On the right is the Silva Landmark 427, with sighting guide and lumious dots, cost about $15.

GeoThorn

Sorry for my "field expedient" background.
 
Ravaillac said:
Translucid plate compass is a must have: useful for drawing lines on map, measuring distances
Click to expand...

A small matter, but I believe the word should be "Translucent" rather than "Translucid."
 
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