compass

what type or kind of compass should I purchase for learning to how to use while backpacking?

Silva 2 Explorer. Or: Something that tells North fairly well. Military surplus lensatic, replete with radioactive luminescent isotopes! Or perhaps the best of both worlds, with a Suunto A40. Really though, all three will work and fairly well at that. Enjoy!

For learning (and most on-trail use) get a simple baseplate compass. Until you have extensive experience and know what mirror and lensatic compasses are really for and actually need them for what they are designed for, there is no need to spend more than $10-$15 on a compass.

I teach land navigation to Scouts, Scout adult leaders, and for the Sierra Club, as well as clinics for beginning orienteers. In my experience, people who show up with mirror or lensatic compasses (or anything other than a basic baseplate compass) have a very difficult time learning the basics of properly using a compass. There is a place for a mirror compass (combing your hair in the morning) or a military-type lensatic compass (relaying target information to the artillery or mortar crew - which is what they were designed for), but it isn't learning how to use a compass and map.

Words of genuine wisdom, folks, read and heed!

I have ONE compass, an ancient Leupold Sportsman I bought in 1969, which I have packed all over much of western Canada and it has never failed me. Too many seem to think that you need a fancy gizmo when KNOWING how to use a simple compass, watch and map can and will get you "home and dry"safely, with a lot less bullschitt than fancy GPSs, etc.

A simple baseplate compass by either Silva or Suunto (basically clones) will be fine and should be easy to locate.

I personally use a sighting compass because I have uses for a mirror, such as combing my hair, changing contact lenses, and a couple others that I don't care to let out of the bag. It is fun to practice with the clinometer, and sighting things with the mirror, but I don't really use it as much as I thought I would.

But when you have a sighting compass on top of your map, the mirror obstructs your view of the map to some degree. I have been tempted to rip it off before. Anyone else feel like that?

Hi everyone. May I wade in? Any good quality base plate compass (Silva Ranger, Suunto equivalent, Brunton, etc.)is all that is needed. I have used the same Silva Ranger for over 20 years and I would still be using it if my wife hadn't bought my a new compass this year. Try staying clear of the clones from Asia they have serious issues such as crappy capsules, sticky pivots,needle dip not set for different world zones and so on. Watch also when you buy one that it's needle's dip is calibrated for your zone. Learn as much as possible about maps and compasses (especially the one you purchase) and practice your skills even more. Any ways that's it. Keep your powder dry and 'hawk sharp.

If you can't take a class such as Bill teaches, I suggest getting a book such as Land Navigation Handbook that the Sierra Club publishes. I have the original edition which doesn't have GPS in it like the new one. REI has a couple others on their website and I'm sure Bill can suggest one that may be better. There are even a few websites with basic instruction on them.

This site has easy to understand basic instruction. It belongs to a guy in Norway,of all places, but for the basics, he's done a pretty good job and he has some illustrations.
http://www.learn-orienteering.org/old/

I have an old Silva 7 baseplate compass-cheap and simple. I have some others, but for learning, as simple as they get. It looks like prices range from $10-20 for a basic plate compass. Some have declination adjustment, which once you learn what that is, you may want.

I use a Suunto M-3DL. It runs around $30 but it is durable. I like the luminous bezel and the ability to adjust for declination.

Quote:

Words of genuine wisdom, folks, read and heed! I have ONE compass...

While I agree that a compass will serve as well or better than a GPS any time, I suggest you carry a spare. Compasses DO fail from time to time. I've seen it happen on SAR missions, and I've read numerous reports right here on Trailspace that illustrate this point.

I agree with you completely f klock, I carry a back up in my pack and a button compass in my survival kit. All this weighs just a few ounces (an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure). As far as a declination adjustable compass goes, it's a nice feature but not necesary. Learn the principal behind declination adjustments and it is easy to figure out which way to adjust.
As far as a cheap compass goes (quality not price), my advice is to purchase a simple compass but the best one you can afford. A simple baseplate, dampened needle on a jewel bearing, and a measuring edge are the most basic features necessary. Luminous bezel are nice in low light or an emegency situation, like an injury evac., but not necessary. Then just make sure the needle dip is correct for your zone. Check out www.thecompassstore.com My wife bought my new compass from there. Prices are comparable to other stores and the website has some very basic information tips.

I use a more basic Silva base plate compass and for a backup and quick directions I wear a wrist compass. The wrist compass is by Suunto and weighs next to nothing and it will be with me if I wander off without the rest of my gear.

mountainman, the Silva Ranger (made by Suunto these days and imported to North America by Johnson Worldwide Associates) and the similar Suunto and Brunton Ranger (Brunton is owned by Silva and distributes all genuine Silva compasses under the Brunton and Nexus names in North America, thanks to the trademark disputes with JWA) are all mirror (sighting) compasses. These are much more complex than the simple baseplate compass, as noted by Tom and trouthunter, as well as much more expensive (typically less than $10, up from the $5 that they were in the 1960-80 and earlier time periods.

Although I have a number of fancier specialized compasses, including a Silva Ranger (made by Silva), a "Silva" (Suunto) Ranger, a Brunton Ranger (Southern Hemisphere version), several orienteering compasses (including 3 competition thumb compasses), and professional sighting compasses and clinometers, I find that the simple baseplate serves 90 percent of my backcountry navigation needs. If I need to do survey-level mapping, I use my trusty Brunton Pocket Transit, one of the finest instruments ever made, and a lot easier to carry than a full-scale surveyor's transit (ok, I do use a survey-grade GPSR for that work these days, but in addition to the Pocket Transit).

As trouthunter said, the mirror compasses like the Rangers do allow you to comb your hair (or grey beard in my case) and to apply my sunblock more evenly, but frankly, that's about all - ok, they work as emergency signal mirrors and for contacts (if you wear them in the backcountry).

In most people's hands, using a mirror compass as a sighting compass produces no better bearings than properly using a simple baseplate compass - +/- 2 deg typically, +/- 1 deg for really skilled people in practice. To check yourself, take a sighting on an object from 100 meters away, then a backsight from that object to your starting point. To translate into distance error, your offset is 2 meters per degree error at 100 meters. If you could stay on a constant bearing for 10 kilometers (6 miles), at a 1 degree error, you would miss your mark by 200 meters (2 football or soccer field lengths).

Bottom line - get a simple baseplate compass and learn to use it properly - $10 will get one that is perfectly fine.

I used to use Silva Ranger compasses in working for the BC Forest Service and forestry consulting firms and got quite adept with them. Yet, I agree with Bill and have never owned one as the baseplate type will do whatever a hiker needs.

I very seldom need a compass due to the terrain here in BC where each landmark feature is so unique, but, in northeast BC it is EASY to get lost and there ain't a whole lot of people up there to rescue you. So, I think that "simpler is better", as with most gear.

Bill you're right, after only two hours sleep the night before I mistakenly wrote that the Silva Ranger compass is a baseplate model-Ooops-yes, your right, it's a sighting compass. The fact is it is not a complex or specialized unit. The sighting compass will lend itself to better accuracy than just a baseplate model anyday, period. If a person will stay on or near trails the baseplate model will suffice. If you plan on any excursions off the beaten path and across several maps of it, you are better served with a sighting compass. They are not complex, I learned to use one before I was a teenager. You simply get your bearings sight on something and follow it. It's a base plate with a mirror sight system, that's it. I don't look good in a beard (it too is grey) so I use the system for it's intended use, sighting on landmarks, the forward scout, location, or whatever.
Kendal, and this is only advice, buy a good quality of whatever you need. If you are sticking mainly in areas that are near built up zones, trails (marked or not) where there are plenty of landmarks get a good quality baseplate. If you are going to get out into territory that is mapped but not marked, fly in and out, or walk for days at a time type turf get a good quality sighting compass. If you can learn to use a baseplate model you can learn to use a sighting compass. It's not complex, my kids learned at about 11-12 years old and they aren't bad at all. It does take more than just one weekend, maybe two. After that, as with anything else, it's all practice.

I have several compasses, including the Suunto MC2-G global compass (mirror) and a little Silva 27 (mirror). I bought the Suunto thinking I needed something really fancy or to be more honest about it, because it looked really cool in the picture. It is cool; it's also more than I need for most things, like orienting a map and taking simple readings-my Silva 7 or the little Silva 27, which is my favorite, are more than adequate. I take them both on my little trips. If I was going to do some real off trail hiking or deep backcountry skiing in winter, I'd bring the Suunto (and maybe a GPS too).

One thing to remember - GPSs are great technology, but I have yet to see a plain old compass or map not work because the battery was dead.

As Bill as the others have implied, "cheap" doesn't mean something you pick up at the dollar store, it means inexpensive compared to the specialized compasses than may run up to $80 or more.

btw, this thread prompted me to get out my Land Navigation Handbook. In his introduction, the late W.S. Kals wrote that for some people, "navigation" means being able to identify the boots of the person in front of you. Pretty funny, but all too often, probably true.

Tom D.

I have the same book, I take it along on my off trail trips.
Bill S. has recommended a couple more up to date books (which I haven't ordered yet) that I hope will be more concise than Kals book, I did learn a lot from his book but I found it to be somewhat unfocused for my tastes.

I also have the same Suunto as you, the MC2-G, which is overkill for most of my needs, you are right about that.
I do however enjoy taking some time to work on my skills using the various features it has while I'm on backpacking trips.
I don't know if I will ever have a need to know the slope angle of a steep trail, or how high a particular out cropping on the far side of a canyon is (lot easier to just look at the elevation on the map)but it is fun and I think it helps to keep your head in the game. I have used the sighting mirror on fire towers, distinct terrain features and such, but I think I can point the compass just about as well without the mirror.
There have been several times that I was disoriented because I did a poor job of keeping up with my location on the map as I hiked. I found out that I was not as prepared as I thought I was. Too much head scratching, even though I had read and understood that chapter, HaHa.
So for the past few years I have worked harder on my skills (with some help), and feel much better about my bushwacks.

There's nothing like being lost in the backcountry and realizing you don't know this stuff as well as you thought you did, to wake you up!
I think everyone learning nav. skills should go out and get lost at least once! (just joking)

Kendal
Kendal you have not said what part of the country you plan to hike in. Mountains, forest, prairie, marsh areas, coastal areas? How about distance?

A basic type compass will probably do well for your needs. Base plate, needle, cardinal markings, degrees. You won’t want much more for now. Read and follow the directions that will come with the compass.

You could also try out some orienteering clubs for lessons, explanations, practice.
Join a hiking group, most people would help you to learn about these things willingly.
Go out with a buddy, preferably one who knows and can teach/explain how to use these things.
Heaven forbid you could even find stuff on the internet!!!

Not mentioned here yet, you will also want to buy good topographical maps of the area that you will practice in, as well as your hiking areas. One of the important things to remember – learn as much as you can about an area before you go out. I want to cross a creek and I haven’t found it yet. This road is not supposed to be here. Things like that.

Trouthunter

Sounds like you were temporarily confused as to your exact location at the time. Yes every one should find themselves in that position, preferably early in their life. Soo many lessons can be learned from that one(?) experience. Personally I have done that twice in my life, the first time as a child (didn’t pay attention to the number of switchbacks on a hillside road). The second time as a young adult near the crest of a hill (not knowing the shape or size of the hilltop) with cloudy conditions.

Kendal learn how to use the equipment and enjoy yourself.

Good point Redpatch about maps. Bill can address this more fully, but USGS topo maps are a good place to start. I have a Tom Harrison map of Yosemite, plus a USGS map of part of the park that I printed off of a National Geographic map machine at a local travel store. REI has the same machine. The machine allows you to pick out the area you need-cost is around $10.

You can also buy the software and print your own at home if you have a color printer. The machines in the stores print the maps on about 12x18" waterproof paper, but I presume with the software, you just print a smaller area if you don't have a big printer.

I still buy my 7.5' maps from USGS, I pick out the ones I want off the larger state map and get them by mail. Then I map seal them, fold them the way I like, and off I go.

I guess that's the old school way, but I prefer the larger maps. The ones I can print at home are too small for me, but maybe you get used to it.