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Compass recommendations?
- Thread starter yacoub
- Start date
- Joined
- May 27, 2006
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- 2,325
I use an army lensatic quite a bit and it is a good compass built like a tank but IMO is a little too big and heavy, what goes in my pocket 99% of the time is a Silva model 426 guide compass or a silva ranger, I have never needed anything more than these two offer. I don't want a digital compass, compass's are one thing that you can't help by adding batteries or bells and whistles. Chris
Don't bother with a digital compass. They are not as accurate as a magnetic compass, and add the risk of failure due to battery or electronics problems. I would strongly recommend ....
-a baseplate compass (has a clear plastic baseplate, as opposed to a lensatic military-style compass)
-adjustable magnetic declination (a method of adjusting the compass to compensate for the difference between true north and magnetic north) - lower cost compasses have a declination scale instead of adjustable declination.
If you want to take very accurate bearings (directions), then you might want to consider a compass that uses a sighting mirror, but they do cost quite a bit more than the basic baseplate compasses. Their other advantage is that mirrored compasses provide a duel-purpose mirror for survival to save space. From my work with Boy Scouts I'd guess that a non-mirrored compass has about 3-4 degrees error in sighting, but a mirrored compass has about 1-3 degrees error.
The big names in compasses are Brunton, Silva, Suunto, and a few others. In my own opinion the best bargain in non-mirrored compasses is the Suunto Leader M3, for about $20, or the Brunton 8010G, for about $25. Both are very nice compasses. The Brunton 9020 is a nice compass too, but its symmetric shape could confuse the user. Don't bother with the global needle on the Suunto unless you know you'll be taking it around the world with you.
For a mirrored compass, the most famous one, used for decades, is the Brunton 15TDCL (Before 1996 in the U.S. and outside the U.S. this compass is known as the Silva Ranger). This gets confusing due to U.S. trademark issues, but inside the U.S. there is another compass called the Silva Ranger, but it is not made by Silva, nor is it the more famous Ranger compass.
I don't own the U.S. Silva or Suunto mirrored compasses, but I would imagine that are decent compasses too.
Ken K.
-a baseplate compass (has a clear plastic baseplate, as opposed to a lensatic military-style compass)
-adjustable magnetic declination (a method of adjusting the compass to compensate for the difference between true north and magnetic north) - lower cost compasses have a declination scale instead of adjustable declination.
If you want to take very accurate bearings (directions), then you might want to consider a compass that uses a sighting mirror, but they do cost quite a bit more than the basic baseplate compasses. Their other advantage is that mirrored compasses provide a duel-purpose mirror for survival to save space. From my work with Boy Scouts I'd guess that a non-mirrored compass has about 3-4 degrees error in sighting, but a mirrored compass has about 1-3 degrees error.
The big names in compasses are Brunton, Silva, Suunto, and a few others. In my own opinion the best bargain in non-mirrored compasses is the Suunto Leader M3, for about $20, or the Brunton 8010G, for about $25. Both are very nice compasses. The Brunton 9020 is a nice compass too, but its symmetric shape could confuse the user. Don't bother with the global needle on the Suunto unless you know you'll be taking it around the world with you.
For a mirrored compass, the most famous one, used for decades, is the Brunton 15TDCL (Before 1996 in the U.S. and outside the U.S. this compass is known as the Silva Ranger). This gets confusing due to U.S. trademark issues, but inside the U.S. there is another compass called the Silva Ranger, but it is not made by Silva, nor is it the more famous Ranger compass.
I don't own the U.S. Silva or Suunto mirrored compasses, but I would imagine that are decent compasses too.
Ken K.
Ken basically said it. The Brunton 15TDL. Adjustable declination, baseplate, mirror and magnefying glass. The mirror can be used for signalling, or for treating wounds to face. The Suunto equivalent is just as good, I have one.
One thing to take a look at are the UTM slaces on the baseplate. Think about what map scles you use. The Suunto has a 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 whereas the Brunton has 1:50,000 and 1:24,000. I prefer the 1:24,000 becuase it is a scale I use more often, and I use a GPS as well. I have a seperate scale card I carry though.
One thing to take a look at are the UTM slaces on the baseplate. Think about what map scles you use. The Suunto has a 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 whereas the Brunton has 1:50,000 and 1:24,000. I prefer the 1:24,000 becuase it is a scale I use more often, and I use a GPS as well. I have a seperate scale card I carry though.
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2006
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- 2,526
The thing I've found about compasses is that you don't have to spend big dollars for all the bells and whistles. I use a small Silva with clear baseplate (forgot the model #) and also a cheapo button one that clips on to a zipper pull, etc. I don't think either is precise enough to survey land with or something, but plenty good enough to get you pointed towards where you' need to be. And small/light enough you don't know they're there till you need 'em.
I saw a survival tip on the discovery channel website where the guy said he likes having two compasses, just to combat the "Hmmm is this thing really right?!?" doubts. Thought I was the only one who wondered that!
Don't forget the watch/sun trick!
I saw a survival tip on the discovery channel website where the guy said he likes having two compasses, just to combat the "Hmmm is this thing really right?!?" doubts. Thought I was the only one who wondered that!
Don't forget the watch/sun trick!
Kenk and Will nailed it. I like a mirro compass because it folds and protects the compass. In addition now I have a mirror. I also use a Suunto smokekiller baseplate style compass.
http://www.thecompassstore.com/
http://www.thecompassstore.com/
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2001
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- 32,354
Silva Ranger, I've used mine for the last 15 years and it's great for use with contour maps and navigating using UTM coordinates.
The clinometer is great to help determine altitude and distances.
click me for more info
The clinometer is great to help determine altitude and distances.
click me for more info
For staying on trails and in terrain that is easy to navigate (well-defined topography, reasonable visibility) I just use a lightweight compass without a mirror or baseplate. I pretty much only use it to orient my map. You can get away with a zipper pull compass too.
For actual navigation I have used mirror/baseplate compasses like the Bruntons and Silvas, and also the military lensatic compass. I like the lensatics best because they are very fast, accurate, and durable.
http://www.thecompassstore.com/8040g.html
http://www.thecompassstore.com/ranger1.html
http://www.thecompassstore.com/military3h.html
I have used the Suunto KB-14 for actual mapping. It can be read to 1/4 degree and is also very fast. If you need to do accurate navigation and locating, this is the one.
http://www.thecompassstore.com/51kb14360r.html
The Brunton Pocket Transits are also very accurate, but they are a pain in the rear to operate.
If I was to re-equip from scratch, I would get a wrist compass (or something the same size) and a military lensatic with tritium.
Much more important though is to learn to navigate. The accuracy of even the smallest baseplate compass is useless unless you kow how to do triangulations and the like. There are free copies of military land navigation manuals floating around the internet. Get that and print it out.
Then set up a course at home to practice. A good goal is to read your compass within 2 degrees. An example of a good skill is to be able to locate yourself on a map, figure the bearing to some target you want to reach, then follow that bearing through terrain to the target.
If you can't do that, anything more than a zipper pull won't do you any good.
Scott
For actual navigation I have used mirror/baseplate compasses like the Bruntons and Silvas, and also the military lensatic compass. I like the lensatics best because they are very fast, accurate, and durable.
http://www.thecompassstore.com/8040g.html
http://www.thecompassstore.com/ranger1.html
http://www.thecompassstore.com/military3h.html
I have used the Suunto KB-14 for actual mapping. It can be read to 1/4 degree and is also very fast. If you need to do accurate navigation and locating, this is the one.
http://www.thecompassstore.com/51kb14360r.html
The Brunton Pocket Transits are also very accurate, but they are a pain in the rear to operate.
If I was to re-equip from scratch, I would get a wrist compass (or something the same size) and a military lensatic with tritium.
Much more important though is to learn to navigate. The accuracy of even the smallest baseplate compass is useless unless you kow how to do triangulations and the like. There are free copies of military land navigation manuals floating around the internet. Get that and print it out.
Then set up a course at home to practice. A good goal is to read your compass within 2 degrees. An example of a good skill is to be able to locate yourself on a map, figure the bearing to some target you want to reach, then follow that bearing through terrain to the target.
If you can't do that, anything more than a zipper pull won't do you any good.
Scott
What is the advantage to the lensatic compass? Not having a baseplate makes it hard to use with a map. I have never used one, but they are popular, so I am curious.
For a non-baseplate compass, I have a digital one on my watch, and a little compact button compass that work fine for basic direction finding. The more sophisticated mirrored baseplate compass gets used for detailed map work and nagivation.
For a non-baseplate compass, I have a digital one on my watch, and a little compact button compass that work fine for basic direction finding. The more sophisticated mirrored baseplate compass gets used for detailed map work and nagivation.
I agree with running boar, I have a lensatic military/engineers/surveyors compass. All metal.
They are highly accurate for sighting objects. (Head toward that large tree, bluff, stream, whatever.) Very accurate if you know how to use them.
Makes dropping in Mortar and Arty rounds real accurate. :thumbup:
....or building a make-shift airfield.
I use it because I have it.
The baseplates models we used in boyscouts, have alot good features.
real good for laying on a map and orienteering.
I like having 2, I have the el-cheapo on my match-case/whistle ,
plus either the baseplate or the lensatic.
I often dream of making scales for a knife, with an embedded mini compass.
They are highly accurate for sighting objects. (Head toward that large tree, bluff, stream, whatever.) Very accurate if you know how to use them.
Makes dropping in Mortar and Arty rounds real accurate. :thumbup:
....or building a make-shift airfield.
I use it because I have it.
The baseplates models we used in boyscouts, have alot good features.
real good for laying on a map and orienteering.
I like having 2, I have the el-cheapo on my match-case/whistle ,
plus either the baseplate or the lensatic.
I often dream of making scales for a knife, with an embedded mini compass.
Wouldn't the steel in the knife screw with the accuracy?
They are easier to read accurately than most baseplate compasses. You sight through the lens to read the azimuth, so it is under magnification, while you have the wire on your target. Reading a baseplate compass as accurately takes more skill, IMO.
You are right that they are hard to use with a map. I gave that up and carry a ruler and protractor in my notebook when using a lensatic or the Suunto KB-14.
Anyone have a Brunton Eclipse Pro? I looked at that a while back --wow. Very easy to read, and seemed to have lots of goodies for using with a map too.
http://www.thecompassstore.com/8099pro.html
Scott
i have and LOVE engineer compasses, with the disk rather than the needle. since mariners compasses use a card, and sea navigation is what i'm familiar with, i find them easier to use than a needle compass. some needle compasses mark the south end of the needle, and others the north, so check to see which you have. i stay away from silvas, they're too cluttered. an engineer compass can be used just as effectively on a map as a silva.
I have the Ecplipse. Same as the pro, but without the horizontal level. It is definatly easy to read, to within 0.5°. Remeber that is precision, not accuracy. The compass is no more aqucurate than any other baseplate compass, and the exptra prescision isn't a big deal. What I don't like about it is that the markings on the baseplate rub off easily. Dirt and crap get under the rubber case and grind away. The marking are just printed on, not cut into the plastic (if you know what I mean) like on other models. OTher nit picks are with the mirror. It is a little small to use for shaving, and the mirror is flush with plastic it is mounted on, and gets scratched up when folded down. I am not thrilled about that either.
The main thing I like about it is that I can measure inclination without having to rotate the bezel. This is big deal for me because as a geologist I am constantly taking strike and dip measurements, and I don't want to loose the azimuth I just measured to take a dip reading. This way, I measure strike (azimuth) then measure dip, and then record them in my book. With other models, unless I remeber the azimuth, I have to write it down before measuring dip, or else I end up having to remeasure it.
remember that map north, true north and magnetic north are very different.
map north is north on a map, which is distorted at the poles.
true north is 16 degrees to the eastward of magnetic north in my area, and that maces for a huge difference when my destination is 40 miles from shore.
god bless gps
map north is north on a map, which is distorted at the poles.
true north is 16 degrees to the eastward of magnetic north in my area, and that maces for a huge difference when my destination is 40 miles from shore.
god bless gps
Try a book called Staying Found. It will teach all the basics you need to know.
- Joined
- May 19, 2005
- Messages
- 12,709
It's clear from this thread that there's two different types of compass users: technical users who are trying to map a location, lay out a structure, or find their way to a specific location with pin-point accuracy, and non-technical users who are just trying to get from here to there. For the latter group, almost any compass will work, especially if they're limiting their movements to well-marked trails. Of course, if you're in the latter group, or if you're engaged in technical orienteering, then your compass does you no good unless you either (1) have a good map to go with it or (2) have a clear mental image of the area so that you know what's to the east, what's to the west, etc.
As for myself, I'm generally in the non-technical crowd. That is, I want to be able to wander into the woods with a map and compass and figure out how to get from here to there without getting turned around. I find that so long as you pay attention to both your map and compass, you don't need an extremely accurate or fancy compass to accomplish that activity. Any $20 compass will suffice in this situation. Although, as noted in this thread, carrying more than one compass is an exceptionally good idea.
I usually carry three compasses into the woods. There's my primary, main compass (a 1987 vintage Silva Ranger), a $20 Brunton baseplate compass that I have in my PSK as a backup, and a small button compass that's built into the Eddie Bauer belt-loop watch that my kids gave me for Christmas. So long as I have a map and I pay attention to the map as I go along, any of these compasses are sufficient to get me out of the woods.
I'm also about to add a GPS unit to the mix, but this is purely for grins as I want to take the kids geocaching. It's just one more excuse to be out in the woods.
So, lesson learned: for non-technical work, always carry a map and compass and pay attention to both when you wander away from the pavement.
As for myself, I'm generally in the non-technical crowd. That is, I want to be able to wander into the woods with a map and compass and figure out how to get from here to there without getting turned around. I find that so long as you pay attention to both your map and compass, you don't need an extremely accurate or fancy compass to accomplish that activity. Any $20 compass will suffice in this situation. Although, as noted in this thread, carrying more than one compass is an exceptionally good idea.
I usually carry three compasses into the woods. There's my primary, main compass (a 1987 vintage Silva Ranger), a $20 Brunton baseplate compass that I have in my PSK as a backup, and a small button compass that's built into the Eddie Bauer belt-loop watch that my kids gave me for Christmas. So long as I have a map and I pay attention to the map as I go along, any of these compasses are sufficient to get me out of the woods.
I'm also about to add a GPS unit to the mix, but this is purely for grins as I want to take the kids geocaching. It's just one more excuse to be out in the woods.
So, lesson learned: for non-technical work, always carry a map and compass and pay attention to both when you wander away from the pavement.
when we're out of sight of land the compass is the guy you want incase the electronics poop the bed, but you'd be surprised how many seafarers don't know how to navigate. i carry one incase the boat sinks. one boat i worked on had a compass that was 30 degrees off! if the electronics crapped out, we'd end up in nova scotia
plus, i like gadgets.
to check your compass at home, magnetize a needle by stroking in one direction with silk or a magnet. suspend it from a thread. it'll point north south.
carry your compass as far from your knife as possible, as the iron in the blade will mess it up
plus, i like gadgets.
to check your compass at home, magnetize a needle by stroking in one direction with silk or a magnet. suspend it from a thread. it'll point north south.
carry your compass as far from your knife as possible, as the iron in the blade will mess it up