Is there a "right" kind of compass?

[sardog1]

This is a question that I deal with on an almost weekly basis. It is also one on which I have very strong opinions:

1. Neil and Jay H are right on the money. Either of the two compasses they have recommended would work very well for hiking. (EDIT: As would the other compasses of the same type recommended by others on this thread. ) They are generically known as "orienteering" or "map" or "baseplate" or "Silva-type" compasses. You don't need one with a sighting mirror unless you plan to spend lots of time above treeline, or on the water, or out West. In the Northeastern woods, you won't see far enough to make a significant improvement in accuracy by using a sighting mirror.

2. Having the capacity to set a correction for declination is extremely useful. I prefer a small set screw in the bezel ring for this, as in the Silva Ranger. Other types of corrections are either (a) too easy to mess up without noticing (e.g., a rotating capsule/vial set in the bezel ) or (b) too easy to forget to use (e.g., a declination scale on the base plate .)

If you use a compass with a declination correction feature and you happen to travel from NH to VT (or NH to ME) without making the small adjustment required in that instance, you ain't gonna be too far off the mark. The difference in declination between those pairs of states is only a couple of degrees, andf you'll often be making errors that large anyway.

Yes, if you wander from NH to WA or CA, and you don't make the large adjustment required in that instance, you'll be horribly confused and probably die of starvation in the woods. But you wouldn't forget to change your watch to account for the time zone shift, would you? Then just remember to set the declination change when you change your watch and you'll be fine. Likewise, if you ever loan your compass to someone else, remember to check the declination before you use it again.

3. Other types of compasses, especially the "lensatic", are much less useful. The principal virtue of the lensatic compass is that it is handy for calling in mortar fire, which is where most of its adherents learned to use it (or they inherited an affection for it from family members in the military.) (Yes, I know it's also handy for timber cruising and the like.)

4. Read the fine print in the instruction pamphlet that comes with a new compass very carefully. Then take a topographic map and compass to an area you know well, e.g., your neighborhood or a favorite dayhike. Practice everything that the pamphlet tells you to do. Do it again and again. Then do it some more.

And find some orienteering events to sharpen your map and compass skills -- you'll be amazed what it will do for your navigation abilities. Orienteering compels you to make route choices constantly and you get instant feedback, both positive and negative. (Oooh, why did I ever think it was better to wade through that swamp? )

EDIT: Be Expert With Map and Compass is also my first recommendation for a text. Read and use the book -- your traveling companions will envy your navigational prowess.

 

[Neil]

While we're on the topic of off-trail navigating I can't recommend highly enoughthis amazing article which was written by a VFTT forum member. I printed the article and read it carefully then read it again with a map and compass on the table. Then I went out and applied it all in the field. I used to think I was pretty good with M&C. NOW, I'm getting there thanks to this extremely well written and easy to read 20 pages.

As you'll quickly find out the compass is only a part of the overall equation. Map study/interpretation and terrain feature recognition are the other 2 sides of the triangle.

(If you can't access the link then you have to register on the forum.)

 

[sardog1]

While we're on the topic of off-trail navigating I can't recommend highly enoughthis amazing article which was written by a VFTT forum member.

Very good point. This article contains hundreds of pearls of navigation wisdom. Think you're an expert? Everybody should read Repak's article and (re)discover some techniques you weren't using and should be using. (How can you go wrong following the advice of a guy who quotes Roald Amundsen?)

 

[Pete_Hickey]

You Bushwhackers usually bring more than one.

Wouldn't that be a great bumper sticker....

"Bushwhackers have two"

 

[sardog1]

Wouldn't that be a great bumper sticker....

"Bushwhackers have two"

Left both of mine in the truck once. Damn glad to have the etrex Vista electronic one along one night, on the only occasion I ever needed it, to avoid this:

"Uh, Shepherd 17, Base."

"Base."

"Uh, Base, I left both my compasses in my truck. Can you sound a loud horn so I can find my way out of the woods?"

(The rest of this scenario is drowned out in my imagination by the peals of laughter that follow over the radio from multiple sources . . . .)

 

[Stan]

I have used a compass rose, parallel ruler and a compass (the tool with two sharp points) to plot a sailing course on a nautical chart but I haven't ever used a compass in the woods.

If you've done any dead reckoning at sea then it is easy to adapt to navigation on land. In fact, it can be easier with both feet on the ground and much stronger hints to reinforce your compass course.

If you have nautical navigation experience I'd be careful about taking the map and compass course. Although the principles are the same, there seem to be different techniques that can lead to confusion. However, if your nautical navigation skills are very rusty or if they're not fully developed, then most map and compass courses will get you on your way.

Any compass will do and a spare is highly recommended for off trail navigation. Though I never needed to take a fix based on bearings to identified landmarks or summits (triangulation), a compass with a folding hairline would be helpful in getting accurate bearings.

When I bushwhack I wear the compass around my neck and stow it in my shirt, vest or coat pocket to keep it easily accessible but out of the way.

Aside from bushwhacking, there are two other times that I use my compass. First, when I am on an unmarked or remote trail and sometimes at certain waypoints just to confirm my orientation. It's amazing how your sense of direction can sometimes deceive you when there are changes in daylight, terrain or even vegetation. It is an easy precaution to take and comfort with your orientation is preferably achieved before any emergency, accidnet or disorienting event occurs. Stay true to your compass ... I once concluded that I'd have hiked from northern Maine to Quebec a la "The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon" if I had relied solely on my instincts.

The other time is that I find it fun and a good way to practice to take bearings to other summits when I reach a peak, then plot it at home for comparison.

... and, you can use an analog watch as a a compass if the sun is shining. Point the hour hand to the sun and 12 will point true south and 6 true north.

 

[DougPaul]

... and, you can use an analog watch as a a compass if the sun is shining. Point the hour hand to the sun and 12 will point true south and 6 true north.

Close but no cigar...

The above only works with a 24hr watch set on local standard time.

For a 12 hour watch:
1. The watch needs to be on standard time (when on daylight savings time, mentally move the hour hand to 1 hour earlier).
2. Bisect the angle (ie take the midline of the two) between the hour hand and 12 and point this new line at the sun.
3. 12 now points approximately south and 6 approximately north

This method is only approximate--one obvious source of error is location in the timezone (+-7.5 degrees) and there are other sources of error.

Doug

 

[Neil]

Wouldn't that be a great bumper sticker....

"Bushwhackers have two"

What about:
"Bushwhackers take it in the eye"

 

[sardog1]

One more thing on the subject of compass selection.

I admire Silva a lot for what they've done over the years to advance the cause of navigation and the sport of orienteering. But that electronic compass they brought out recently (one of which was given to me last year) is the Devil's spawn.

Folks, it might look like a duck at first glance. It might even seem to quack like a duck. But it sure as #$%@ isn't a real orienteering compass, and you'll notice it the first time you try to use it with a map. Stick with the analog versions and stay away from the digital when it comes to buying a hiking/orienteering compass.

 

[Paradox]

One more thing on the subject of compass selection.

... that electronic compass they brought out recently (one of which was given to me last year) is the Devil's spawn..... Stick with the analog versions and stay away from the digital when it comes to buying a hiking/orienteering compass.

I concur. Most of the electronic "flux gate" type compasses must be held such that the plane defined by the compass rose is parallel to the horizon line. This is much easier to do on the water, than on land. A $20 non-electronic compass could save your butt from my snarky jokes (or worse ) in a snow storm or the fog. Plus, you don't have to worry about batteries.

I always carry my Brunton Eclipse compass though I have never had to use it to get out of a tenuous situation. I only seem to use it to identify a mountain peak here or there or just because I find it fun to use. I use a mapping GPS, which provides far more information and is much easier to use, but they cost far more and their is problems with batteries and reception.

 

[thuja]

On adjusting for declination - while that makes life easier in terms of the math - there is one caveat: it's a good idea to make/tape some note to the compass if the declination has been altered from its factory setting. Otherwise, if later you pick it up, or someone else does, they make correct for declination again, and now you're WAY off! It can be difficult to determine whether a compass has been 'corrected' for declination simply by looking at it.

This is a point of view I have never encountered before. There is an easy way to tell roughly what the declination is set at by seeing where the fixed transparent arrow points to on the dial. It's as easy as looking down and seeing, "hm", this arrow points a little over 20 degrees to the right of the "N", I guess it's set okay for Washington where magnetic N is 's 21 degrees E of true N. I have used compasses in areas all the way from 25 degrees one way (in British Columbia) to 20 degrees the other way, in Maine. And resetting that declination has never been a problem. Once you figure it out it's a ton easier and more intuitive to use than this method of not adjusting that you propose.

 

[sleeping bear]

Comparing a GPS to map and compass and saying that one is easier to use or provides more information is like saying coke is better than pepsi. GPS can be complicated to learn how to use and requires more time to use out in the woods., although M & C is hard until you get it. Once you get it, though, you get it. If you have a good map, are okay with the compass, and can read the environment, you will probably know the same or more than a GPS would tell you.

A couple of weeks ago on the Baldfaces, we got a little confused by the signs on NBF. We were going the correct way and had not missed any turns, we just though we were somewhere else. This became apparent over the course of a mile or so as the trail did not turn down the ridge as we expected it to. I pulled out my compass, oriented the map and was able to determine that we were still on the main ridge running N/S and had not in fact turned down the trail heading East. We probably could have figured it out with just the map, but the compass helped to be certain. So, it may come in handy from time to time, even in the summer on (poorly/confusingly) marked trails.

 

[DougPaul]

On adjusting for declination - while that makes life easier in terms of the math - there is one caveat: it's a good idea to make/tape some note to the compass if the declination has been altered from its factory setting. Otherwise, if later you pick it up, or someone else does, they make correct for declination again, and now you're WAY off! It can be difficult to determine whether a compass has been 'corrected' for declination simply by looking at it.

This is a point of view I have never encountered before. There is an easy way to tell roughly what the declination is set at by seeing where the fixed transparent arrow points to on the dial. It's as easy as looking down and seeing, "hm", this arrow points a little over 20 degrees to the right of the "N", I guess it's set okay for Washington where magnetic N is 's 21 degrees E of true N. I have used compasses in areas all the way from 25 degrees one way (in British Columbia) to 20 degrees the other way, in Maine. And resetting that declination has never been a problem. Once you figure it out it's a ton easier and more intuitive to use than this method of not adjusting that you propose.

I agree with thuja on this one. The declination is easy to check and set. If one is in bad conditions and really needs to use the compass, it lessens the chance of an error. It just makes the process of transferring a heading between the map and the world simpler.

But ultimately one can use the automatic declination or not as one prefers.

FWIW, in contrast to land navigation, nautical and aeronautical navigation use magnetic headings. (Nautical charts come with a magnetically oriented compass rose--don't know about aeronautical charts.)

Doug

 

[sardog1]

FWIW, in contrast to land navigation, nautical and aeronautical navigation use magnetic headings.

Well, now you've gone and done it. You just had to smoke me out on magnetic bearings, didn't you? Here's a tip that I am loath to offer (see below), but it will simplify life for many of you.

Orienteers draw a series of parallel "north lines" on their maps, aimed at magnetic north and using as a guide the declination diagram found on any decent topo map. They space the lines at intervals convenient for the size of the map and the size of their compass baseplates. Then they never, ever worry about declination. They just use the lines to locate "North" on the map for compass purposes and off they go.

You can do the same thing to your maps in the comfort of your home before you go into the woods, if you don't mind marking them. (I do. Mind, that is.)

Why am I reluctant to pass on this tip? Mostly because I think you're better off in the long run understanding declination and how to compensate for it. But I might be in a very small minority on that point.

 

[DougPaul]

Comparing a GPS to map and compass and saying that one is easier to use or provides more information is like saying coke is better than pepsi. GPS can be complicated to learn how to use and requires more time to use out in the woods., although M & C is hard until you get it. Once you get it, though, you get it. If you have a good map, are okay with the compass, and can read the environment, you will probably know the same or more than a GPS would tell you.

A GPS and a compass tell you different things which can be related to each other with a small amout of effort. A GPS directly gives you location, altitude, time, and direction and speed of movement (a 7-tuple: 3 dimensions of position, 3 dimensions of velocity, and 1 dimension of time). (A mapping GPS can also plot your location and track directly on a map for you.) A compass directly tells you only directions (bearings). A set of bearings to known objects can be plotted on a map to find the location.

Compare using a GPS or M&C in heavy fog or when it is too dark to see any reference points. To navigate in fog on featureless snow with M&C, it is common practice to use wands to create reference points--not needed with a GPS.

I've navigated a sailboat in coastal waters hunting for a buoy in a fog bank using only chart and compass. Its hard work and risky business--I sure wish I had had a GPS or Loran.

I personally find either the GPS or M&C easy to use, the difficulties are in the details. And the combination of both is better than either alone.

A couple of weeks ago on the Baldfaces, we got a little confused by the signs on NBF. We were going the correct way and had not missed any turns, we just though we were somewhere else. This became apparent over the course of a mile or so as the trail did not turn down the ridge as we expected it to. I pulled out my compass, oriented the map and was able to determine that we were still on the main ridge running N/S and had not in fact turned down the trail heading East. We probably could have figured it out with just the map, but the compass helped to be certain. So, it may come in handy from time to time, even in the summer on (poorly/confusingly) marked trails.

A quick glance at a GPS would have also answered the question.

IMO, it is worthwhile to know how to use all three tools--they complement each other when used in combination. And if any of the three fail or are lost, the others can fill in the void.

Doug

 

[DougPaul]

Well, now you've gone and done it. You just had to smoke me out on magnetic bearings, didn't you?

Sorry...

Orienteers draw a series of parallel "north lines" on their maps, aimed at magnetic north and using as a guide the declination diagram found on any decent topo map. They space the lines at intervals convenient for the size of the map and the size of their compass baseplates. Then they never, ever worry about declination. They just use the lines to locate "North" on the map for compass purposes and off they go.

You can do the same thing to your maps in the comfort of your home before you go into the woods, if you don't mind marking them. (I do. Mind, that is.)

Why am I reluctant to pass on this tip? Mostly because I think you're better off in the long run understanding declination and how to compensate for it. But I might be in a very small minority on that point.

Yes, I know about drawing a magnetically aligned lines--don't like to do it either. My compass has automatic declination--set it and forget it. (I navigate in true bearings on land. I also use my maps north up and don't need to orient them to the terrain around me.)

NG TOPO! will print out maps with grids, but it looks like they are true orientation only. (Seems like including a magnetic orientation might be a nice option for the line-drawers.)

Doug

 

[onestep]

Orienteers draw a series of parallel "north lines" on their maps, aimed at magnetic north and using as a guide the declination diagram found on any decent topo map.

You can do the same thing to your maps in the comfort of your home before you go into the woods, if you don't mind marking them.

I have a drawer full of maps with red parallel magnetic north lines on them. It's a night before the 'whack tradition.

This morning I'm heading up to Jackman for 3 days of bushwhacking. I'm going to try something different. My compass does not have an adjustable declination feature. I'm going to use the *true* north grid lines from the map. That means when I set a bearing from the map I'll have to add the declination to the compass... Add Map to Compass... AMC right?

Onestep

 

[Nessmuk]

Orienteers draw a series of parallel "north lines" on their maps, aimed at magnetic north and using as a guide the declination diagram found on any decent topo map. They space the lines at intervals convenient for the size of the map and the size of their compass baseplates. Then they never, ever worry about declination. They just use the lines to locate "North" on the map for compass purposes and off they go.

You can do the same thing to your maps in the comfort of your home before you go into the woods, if you don't mind marking them. (I do. Mind, that is.)

This is precisely what I do and have taught for years. All my maps have magnetic north lines drawn on the region of interest, spaced the width of a yardstick. There is never any math to be done, no fiddling around with the declination compensation screw. A 59 cent grade school protractor and yardstick does the trick. Preparing maps like this is a good way to also spend some time on studying the terrain before you go. In the field it is not necessary to orient the map to land (though it may be helpful and instructional where you have a vista). All references to map and field are magnetic. The technique is described in the reference document given by Neil.

I have a supplement to the above mentioned reference document, which is a two page graphic in pdf format. It graphically summarizes everything you need to know about using a compass and map together, including this technique. The problem is that it is almost a Mb in size and cannot be posted here. Are there any alternatives? I suppose I could email it if you PM me.

 

[sleeping bear]

A GPS directly gives you location, altitude, time, and direction and speed of movement (a 7-tuple: 3 dimensions of position, 3 dimensions of velocity, and 1 dimension of time). (A mapping GPS can also plot your location and track directly on a map for you.) A compass directly tells you only directions (bearings). A set of bearings to known objects can be plotted on a map to find the location.

A map, compass, and some awareness of your environment will tell you (pretty much) all of these things too, you just have to pay attention.

It is true that a quick glance at the GPS would have given us the same info on the baldfaces as the map and compass. In fact, it would have given us a more precise answer to the question of "where are we?". However, we didn't need to know where we were to the nearest foot, we just need a general idea, and that's what we got. Neither a GPS, nor compass was entirely necessary at that point, as we would have figured it out pretty quickly even with just the map. I was only pointing out that a compass can be usefull, even in the summer on marked trails. Someone a few posts back said one was probably not 100% necessary for that type of travel.

Despite all that, I do agree that a GPS can be a useful tool, and that when used in conjunction with a map, compass it's darn near impossible to get lost, which opens up a lot of off-trail possibilities.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

This morning I'm heading up to Jackman for 3 days of bushwhacking. I'm going to try something different. My compass does not have an adjustable declination feature. I'm going to use the *true* north grid lines from the map. That means when I set a bearing from the map I'll have to add the declination to the compass... Add Map to Compass... AMC right?

Onestep

No, you'll substract the declination in Jackman - here's a reference.