I think that depends on what you're used to. I have a lensatic compass, but prefer using my Silva Ranger baseplate compass. For me its much easier to use and accurate enough. My Silva Ranger is the compass I use in the field.
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Experience with Cammenga military compass?
- Thread starter dialton
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I think that depends on what you're used to. I have a lensatic compass, but prefer using my Silva Ranger baseplate compass. For me its much easier to use and accurate enough. My Silva Ranger is the compass I use in the field.
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I've had the phosporous one for about 5 years now and it works brilliantly. The cammenga is probably the best compass out there and there is no need to get the more expensive tritium one aas the phosphorous is just as good. I'm not sure about the temperature reading though as I thought it could work in temperatures only upto -20 degrees celsius whereas here http://campingnest.com/?p=13 it says that it works in temperatures upto -45 degrees celsius.
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Another vote for the Suunto MC-2, used it extensively. Love it.
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Removed to start new discussion.
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It's a dry compass, so there is no possibility of bubbles forming.
I LOVE mine. I have the phosphorescent version and it is the best compass I have ever had. Great for sighting, not so great for mapping.
I LOVE mine. I have the phosphorescent version and it is the best compass I have ever had. Great for sighting, not so great for mapping.
Yes, the Cammenga lensatics are induction damped vs liquid damped. And they really aren't great compasses for using with a map. I'd recommend Brunton's TruArc series particularly if you travel to multiple magnetic zones. The TuArc series have global needles and tool-less declination setting starting at $10. No reason to buy a Suunto with global needle at much higher cost. The TruArc 10 has a global needle, a rare earth magnet, tool-less declination adjustment, reversible slide scale, magnified readout; 1° resolution in accuracy, and protractor scales for 1:24K, 1:50K, 1:62.5K, and 1:63.36K. It is a fast and easy compass to use and can be found for $40 or less.
The tritium ones are dated because tritium has a half life and breaks down meaning the glow will dim after a time.Why do they stamp dates on the inside top cover of there compasses?
Cammenga lensatics have an accuracy standard of +/- 40 mils/ 2.25 degrees. Many base plate models are as accurate or more accurate. The TruArc I mentioned above is one that is more accurate. And land nav with a map and compass is much easier AND FASTER with a base plate model, particularly if you can preset the declination which is not possible with Cammenga's lenstatics.
I spent a career in the Army. Retired more than ten years ago. Still spend a good bit of time in the woods and on the trail. My lensatic would be the last compass I reach for and take along.
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I'm an avid off-trail hiker with twelve years of past professional experience mapping new archaeological sites using only a compass and pacing.
I 'need' a compass that can be pulled out, glanced at, and slipped back in the pocket, all with one hand and no fiddling. It also 'must' have a smooth action, easy-to-adjust declination that stays put, a transparent flat base that can overlaid on a topo map, and that won't develop bubbles with extreme elevation or temperature changes.
After owning about every brand and testing many models and designs of consumer-grade compasses, my compass of choice is a Suunto M3 Leader. Can't get any more simple, more reliable, or easier to use than that. :thumbup:
That said, I've played with other mirrored sighting compasses but have no experience with the Cammenga. I like the idea of a non-liquid-filled compass, but not at the expense of speed, usability, bulk and weight, or complexity.
When using company-issued mirrored compasses (the Silva Ranger and several others), the mirror seemed to always break off after being accidentally closed in a truck door. Happened every time, something I can't explain.
I 'need' a compass that can be pulled out, glanced at, and slipped back in the pocket, all with one hand and no fiddling. It also 'must' have a smooth action, easy-to-adjust declination that stays put, a transparent flat base that can overlaid on a topo map, and that won't develop bubbles with extreme elevation or temperature changes.
After owning about every brand and testing many models and designs of consumer-grade compasses, my compass of choice is a Suunto M3 Leader. Can't get any more simple, more reliable, or easier to use than that. :thumbup:
That said, I've played with other mirrored sighting compasses but have no experience with the Cammenga. I like the idea of a non-liquid-filled compass, but not at the expense of speed, usability, bulk and weight, or complexity.
When using company-issued mirrored compasses (the Silva Ranger and several others), the mirror seemed to always break off after being accidentally closed in a truck door. Happened every time, something I can't explain.
Cammenga makes an air filled and induction damped tritium marked base plate compass. The D3-T. Available commercially and within the military. NSN: 6605-01-625-2819. You can find them for $50.
Global needle; waterproof and dust proof; +/- 0.04 mils accuracy; 1:24K, 1:25K, 1:50K, and 1:63.36K protractor scales; magnified map reader; magnified degree/mil direction of travel on compass housing for compass dial; and USA made.
Global needle; waterproof and dust proof; +/- 0.04 mils accuracy; 1:24K, 1:25K, 1:50K, and 1:63.36K protractor scales; magnified map reader; magnified degree/mil direction of travel on compass housing for compass dial; and USA made.
Cammenga makes an air filled and induction damped tritium marked base plate compass. The D3-T. Available commercially and within the military. NSN: 6605-01-625-2819. You can find them for $50.
Global needle; waterproof and dust proof; +/- 0.04 mils accuracy; 1:24K, 1:25K, 1:50K, and 1:63.36K protractor scales; magnified map reader; magnified degree/mil direction of travel on compass housing for compass dial; and USA made.
That's more like it. :thumbup:
That looks really nice, assuming the letters are deeply cut into the plastic and won't wear off (like some other brands). The only thing I can see it's missing is the alignment marks on the bottom of the baseplate. Not like you couldn't manage without, but they sure come in handy when using over a printed topo map.
That Cammenga is a bit more than $50 and gets bad reviews.
That's too bad.
The basic Suunto M-3 is $31 at my regular supplier.
A big tip regarding Suunto: don't get the A-10 by mistake. :barf:
I have compass with and without. Really makes little difference if you actually know what you are doing. The base plate orienteering/terrestrial navigation compass was developed for the Silva system of orienteering invented by Gunnar Tillander and the Kjellström brothers (Alvar, Alvid, and Björn) in the early 1930s. Their early military and civilian base plate orienteering compasses had aluminum housings (many through the 1960s) lacking such reference lines. Even the first Silva Rangers. These guys knew what they were doing. Be an Expert with Map and Compass by Bjorn Kjellström was first publidshed in in 1955 and is still in print in what I think is its 8th edition. It is still recognized as the worldwide treatise on the map and compass.
They can be found for $50. The reason for the bad reviews is because for orienteering and land navigation there are better compasses than Cammengas, whether lensatic or base plate. There is a reason so many in the U.S. Army who use a compass often replace their lensatics with a commercial base plate orienteering compass. I was assigned to a unit in the 1980s that issued its members Silva Rangers when in-processing. Also any air filled induction damped compass will receive bad reviews these days as they don't settle as fast as liquid filled/liquid damped compasses. But if you are looking for a global air filled induction damped base plate compass made today, the Cammenga D3 is the one to buy. That was the point, plus it is better and faster with map than any lensatic.
I recommend Brunton's TruArc 10 as the best value today in an orienteering base plate compass. No other compass comes close to offering the same features for a better (or even equivalent) price. Global needle, rare earth magnet (vs magnetized steel) which will never lose polarity and proves more accurate in the field, tool-less declination adjustment, magnified readout, 1° resolution, and protractors on the base plate for every usable map scale. The TruArc 10 can be found for $30 or less.
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The Suunto A-10 is an excellent compass for only $10-$15. I gave mine away after getting a Brunton TruArc 3 I bought for $10. The Brunton is a better compass as it has a global needle and declination adjustment --- that's a lot of features for a $10-$15 compass which outside of Brunton's line will cost you much more.
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I can't advertise for them here since they aren't a BF supporter. But I can say they are a supply company for people who work outdoors. To help your search, the standard model is sometimes called M-3 NH, for Northern Hemisphere. I don't know about them being discontinued, hope it's not true. I also see them in stock at a large camping store and sold through third-parties at the big river and a major discount department store. All between $30 and $40.
If you want the global needle, it's model M3 G and costs more.
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@$30 you can send it in and they will replace the tritium.
From the time one is bought brand new, what is the life expectancy of the Tritium?