Good PSK compass

T

tiros

Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
71
Greetings all.

I was wondering if anyone could suggest a good compass for a small survival kits. I am leary of small fluid damped disc compasses because of the dreaded bubble. The bubble forms and upsets the disc so it can no longer turn freely.

I have owned several quality needle compasses (1 silva ranger and a Brunton plate style compass) that have also developed bubbles and had to be sent back to the manufacturer. :( Though the bubble doesn't have quite as drastic of an effect on the needle style in my experience.

Then today to add to my fear, I was poking around the local outdoor store today and ran across the Nalgene water bottle caps with the built in Brunton compass on top. 3 of the compasses had bubbles so large that the disc would not move.

I theorize that in a survival situation, that should you find a massive bubble in your PSK button compass that you could drill a small hole in the base and drain the fluid? i've never tried this. I guess i would rather just get a dry compass but have never used one.

Does anyone have experience with dry PSK sized compass like this one or similar?

http://www.pyser-sgi.com/productdetail.asp?ProductID=1573

It seems a bit steep at around $30 US and wanted an opinion or alternative.

Thanks in advance

P.S. in the meantime i've been magnetizing the sewing needle in my PSK just in case my suunto wrist compass dies.
 
you can get a sunnto clipper and take the compass out of the plastic housing. They are very accurate and only $10
 
I say, spend the money, get a good quality Brunton or a Silva Ranger (my favorite). When I need to count on my equipment to save my life, or that of my team, I won't skimp. I realize that some people don't feel it's necessary to spend more than $10 on a compass, but I do ALL my map work, using a map and compass.. NO GPS. I want to KNOW it's gonna work, everytime.
 
tiros said:
Greetings all.

I was wondering if anyone could suggest a good compass for a small survival kits. I am leary of small fluid damped disc compasses because of the dreaded bubble. The bubble forms and upsets the disc so it can no longer turn freely.

I have owned several quality needle compasses (1 silva ranger and a Brunton plate style compass) that have also developed bubbles and had to be sent back to the manufacturer. :( Though the bubble doesn't have quite as drastic of an effect on the needle style in my experience.

Then today to add to my fear, I was poking around the local outdoor store today and ran across the Nalgene water bottle caps with the built in Brunton compass on top. 3 of the compasses had bubbles so large that the disc would not move.

I theorize that in a survival situation, that should you find a massive bubble in your PSK button compass that you could drill a small hole in the base and drain the fluid? i've never tried this. I guess i would rather just get a dry compass but have never used one.

Does anyone have experience with dry PSK sized compass like this one or similar?

http://www.pyser-sgi.com/productdetail.asp?ProductID=1573

It seems a bit steep at around $30 US and wanted an opinion or alternative.

Thanks in advance

P.S. in the meantime i've been magnetizing the sewing needle in my PSK just in case my suunto wrist compass dies.
Click to expand...

Hello tiros,

A little higher tech than your needle. Actually, this with a flint sparker as outlined in the current Backwoodsman magazine, would make an excellent beginning for a truly compact PSK.

A Silva Ranger is also my favourite. I don't own a GPS, although I will concede in certain applications, they have some merit. Things like noting locations of wild fruit, berries, cordage plants, arrow shaft shoots, etc. Or canoeing on a long and winding, relatively featureless river, it could pinpoint your location on a map.

Doc
 
I have a Ranger below:

bubbles.jpg


And am currently using the Suunto Clipper in my PSK.

The same thing happened to a brunton plate style compass that I used to own as well. There are no obvious leaks, I keep them in a padded case on my pack shoulder strap. It might be worth mentioning that the bubble situation is made worse with gains in altitude. Compass HAPE perhaps?:rolleyes: The compasses otherwise are in great shape.

For frequent use i'm fine with the silva ranger, however, I've lost a lot of confidence in the liquid filled design for a PSK compass that is stored for long periods and taken out only occasionally.

I'm not a big fan of GPS either, my previous job was dependent on the failure of electronics, and lets just say that I was never short of work.

I've gotta say,
 
tiros,

I've had my Silva Ranger for 21 years and I've never had the bubble problem. Return it to them. I'm sure they would make it right for you.

Doc
 
Thank you all for your insight,

Doc, that barrel magnet is an interesting concept. My compass is one of the bulkier items in my PSK and that would help quite a bit. I'm still not ruling out the Pyser model, I've just never navigated with a non damped compass and was wondering if oscillation is a concern.
 
I would say ... It depends... a compass is most useful with maps. If you use maps regularly and have the maps to support your area of use - get a good compass.
If like many you don't use maps and only want an indicator to point northward get a cheepie. Stay away from the micro or button compases they do not work well for me. I would say that the minimum compass would be the Silva companion (Its a zipper pull and no good for map work) at about $6 (Campmore).
People that are not familiar with orienteering often think they need a sophisticated compass. For them it is a waste of money and carries a weight/bulk penalty.
I personnally like the ranger mentioned above, however if your PSK does not include maps and you do not know how to use them properly it would be overkill.
My recommendation would be to get the ranger AND some good topos of the areas you frequent.
Enjoy!
 
Rupestris, I see your point. or your many points. I'd like to see that one get answered myself.
 
Rupestris: I don`t really know, but from the picture, it looks like they`re not pointing in the same direction, cause they`re all not level. That`s the first issue with those undampened compasses, they need to be level and still to work. (AFAIK that is.)
 
Rupestris said:
Francis%20Barker%201605%20compass%20(250).jpg


I may be expecting too much from a $30 compass but, shouldn't they all be pointing in the same direction? :confused:
Click to expand...


Make sure there is no metal under the compass. I run into this teaching map and compass on wooden table tops with steel underframes.;)

Skam
 
I like that SAS compass, but $30 is steep for what you get.

Here's the compass I use:
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7151/largejh4io1yd5.jpg

You can find them in some USAF survival kits. For instance, the SRU-16/P
http://www.equipped.com/sru-16p_kit.htm

Another kit that comes with this compass is the tropical survival kit which shows up on ebay from time to time as well
http://www.donrearic.com/tropicalkit.htm (Scroll down for good pics)

You can sometimes find these on ebay - with the whole kit selling less than the SAS compass. For example, this one is starting at $20

http://cgi.ebay.com/VIETNAM-ERA-PAR...ryZ36065QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
wade said:
you can get a sunnto clipper and take the compass out of the plastic housing. They are very accurate and only $10
Click to expand...


i'm going to have to go with the clipper... i've had one on my watch and in my PSK for a few years now... great compass for the price....:thumbup:

the silva ranger is also a great compass.....
 
You mean all these years I've been using the wrong device!!!!

DOH!! :eek:

180px-Compass_%28drafting%29.jpg


No wonder I keep going in circles! :rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top