1morethan8
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
But I already know where I am.
Yeah but..
Who needs a compass when they have road signs!
Talk about compasses
- Thread starter Texas Star
- Start date
Yeah but..
Who needs a compass when they have road signs!
THE PILGRIM
Member
Good point! I should point out that us guys who don't ask directions sometimes don't know where they are or where they are going.Honest, I have a gps also. All I can ever get it to do is tell me where I am! I know where I am, I need to know where I'm going!
Getting hard to find US made compasses. I saw a company from MN, probably get one of theirs. I'd like to get some more pocket ones.
I got some Brunton. Slyvis are made in China, not that I don't have Chinese ones too.
When hiking or bird hunting I have Brunton or laynard on my neck. Deer hunting I have a pin on, on my coat, and usually a back up.
I got one of the heavy green ones, that you can use to line up with items. I like that one for walking property lines.
I often have an Oregon 450 GPS with me too.
I got some Brunton. Slyvis are made in China, not that I don't have Chinese ones too.
When hiking or bird hunting I have Brunton or laynard on my neck. Deer hunting I have a pin on, on my coat, and usually a back up.
I got one of the heavy green ones, that you can use to line up with items. I like that one for walking property lines.
I often have an Oregon 450 GPS with me too.
Duplicate post warning!!
The last time this topic came around (December 2012), I wrote:
BEGIN QUOTE
Another vote for the Brunton Pocket Transit, or Hand Transit as they were sometimes called at the time I got mine. I've had this one (made and sold under license by Keuffel and Esser, now defunct) for over 40 years. It's overkill for hiking and simple orientation, but if you ever needed to survey a mountain range and find yourself in it at the same time, this is your machine.
Every field geologist in America has one of these in his pocket. Or should.
I think it is probably correct that a basic military compass is all you need to move around without getting lost, but on the principle that way too much is barely enough, I'd rather lug one of these around. You never know when you might want to calculate the height of a peak 8-10 miles away relative to your current elevation. Do that without a clinometer!
Well, OK, you could use your Smartphone if you remembered to charge your battery before setting out.
END QUOTE
The last time this topic came around (December 2012), I wrote:
BEGIN QUOTE
Another vote for the Brunton Pocket Transit, or Hand Transit as they were sometimes called at the time I got mine. I've had this one (made and sold under license by Keuffel and Esser, now defunct) for over 40 years. It's overkill for hiking and simple orientation, but if you ever needed to survey a mountain range and find yourself in it at the same time, this is your machine.
Every field geologist in America has one of these in his pocket. Or should.
I think it is probably correct that a basic military compass is all you need to move around without getting lost, but on the principle that way too much is barely enough, I'd rather lug one of these around. You never know when you might want to calculate the height of a peak 8-10 miles away relative to your current elevation. Do that without a clinometer!
Well, OK, you could use your Smartphone if you remembered to charge your battery before setting out.
END QUOTE
I have a US Army compass that I bought at a Army surplus store. It is OD in color and made by Stocker and Yale of Beverly, Mass. I bought it because it looks just like the one I used in Army basic. I think if I tried I could still remember how to use it.
In 1996 I was 31 years old. Bought an '88 Lincoln Towncar. It had a compass on the dashboard that the previous owner had stuck on there. (I'm sure they were elderly). First of all, I believe I was the youngest person to ever buy a Lincoln Towncar. Missus Fan hated it, and she said the car, plus the compass on the dash, meant I was ready for the nursing home.
I don't care. Loved that car, and really liked the compass.
Jim
I don't care. Loved that car, and really liked the compass.
Jim
1morethan8
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
If you go off the beaten path very much you'll need more than just a compass.
Any time I'm in the mountains prospecting or looking for an old mine site, I'll carry two compass, two GPS, and several maps printed on 8 1/2X11 paper of different scale, each having the UTM coordinates grid overlay.
If you walk around for several hours in heavy forest and then decide to return to the Jeep by using back azimuth, it's possible to miss the Jeep a 1/4 mile or so!
If you can mark your current location on the map and turn the map magnetic north.. you'll know what bearing to take to the Jeep, the distance, and type terrain between you and the Jeep.
And you'll also know where every feature on the map is located, it's direction, and distance. If you get hurt.. where is the nearest road? Need water?
That is the reason to know your current location!
Any time I'm in the mountains prospecting or looking for an old mine site, I'll carry two compass, two GPS, and several maps printed on 8 1/2X11 paper of different scale, each having the UTM coordinates grid overlay.
If you walk around for several hours in heavy forest and then decide to return to the Jeep by using back azimuth, it's possible to miss the Jeep a 1/4 mile or so!
If you can mark your current location on the map and turn the map magnetic north.. you'll know what bearing to take to the Jeep, the distance, and type terrain between you and the Jeep.
And you'll also know where every feature on the map is located, it's direction, and distance. If you get hurt.. where is the nearest road? Need water?
That is the reason to know your current location!
Two Good books on Orienteering and land nav are The Wilderness Route Finder by Calvin Rutstrum and Finding Your Way in the Outdoors by Robert L. Mooers Jr.
I found one in a junk box and the other at a used bookstore (Books for You) in Colorado Springs.
IMO I get more use out of a good map than a compass with a good topo map I can pretty much find my way by terrain association.
I found one in a junk box and the other at a used bookstore (Books for You) in Colorado Springs.
IMO I get more use out of a good map than a compass with a good topo map I can pretty much find my way by terrain association.
K-22
Member
Full Circle??
I think it will go full circle.
Best,
Gary
It will change direction in in varying degrees, but in the end,
I think it will go full circle.
Best,
Gary
MrTrolleyguy
US Veteran
Did somebody mention compasses?
Great image. Do we give out awards? This one deserves one. Bravo!
BTW Do you have an album here on the forum, or a link leading to more of your photos?
Trolley
littleriver1
US Veteran
I always follow the line of least resistance. My Dad once said “I don’t know where you’re going in life but you’ll never get there in the direction you’re headed”. I got a compass. It helped some.
I have coon hunted all my life but didn't learn how to use a compass until I was out of school and on my own. Which is another way of saying "old enough to not have to do what adults tell me, just because they are older than me." There is nothing worse than following behind some godforsaken idiot in the dark for several hours/miles that thinks he knows how to navigate with a compass in the woods at night.
I have known three different guys that cannot read a compass to save their tail...the thing I don't get is to this day they still don't and bitterly refuse to be shown. I guess some people are either too proud or need to stay lost.
The best compass I have is an old U.S. Army issue SandY {Stocker and Yale} complete with tritium. The most expensive is the $895.00 one that is embedded in the riser of my Bear Custom Kodiak takedown recurve bow. But, the one I use the most is my old Silva, it's all clear plastic and has led me many a trip into and out of the woods all over the USA and some of Canada.
About a month ago I thought I lost it...didn't realize what that stupid thing meant to me until I couldn't find it.
I have known three different guys that cannot read a compass to save their tail...the thing I don't get is to this day they still don't and bitterly refuse to be shown. I guess some people are either too proud or need to stay lost.
The best compass I have is an old U.S. Army issue SandY {Stocker and Yale} complete with tritium. The most expensive is the $895.00 one that is embedded in the riser of my Bear Custom Kodiak takedown recurve bow. But, the one I use the most is my old Silva, it's all clear plastic and has led me many a trip into and out of the woods all over the USA and some of Canada.
About a month ago I thought I lost it...didn't realize what that stupid thing meant to me until I couldn't find it.
In 1971 I was introduced to land navigation at the U.S. Army Jungle Operations Training Center in Ft. Sherman, Panama; it was some of the best training I ever had in the military.
After my military duty I went to work for the forest service. I wore a compass on the wristband of my watch for many years and kept a Silva handheld compass in my fire shirt pocket while fighting wildland fires. It was mainly used to keep track of wind direction and help with travel through the woods under thick smoke conditions.
Some of the different brands of compasses I own are: Brunton, Camenga military, K&R, Silva, and Suunto.
I always carry two compasses in my hunting pack (along with a USGS topo map and GPS) and still wear a small compass on my watchband everyday.
After my military duty I went to work for the forest service. I wore a compass on the wristband of my watch for many years and kept a Silva handheld compass in my fire shirt pocket while fighting wildland fires. It was mainly used to keep track of wind direction and help with travel through the woods under thick smoke conditions.
Some of the different brands of compasses I own are: Brunton, Camenga military, K&R, Silva, and Suunto.
I always carry two compasses in my hunting pack (along with a USGS topo map and GPS) and still wear a small compass on my watchband everyday.
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
I've used a hockey puck like this for 20 years. It lives in my ditty bag. You can hold it at eye level and get a bearing on an object or you can read in from above. A bit bigger sure-but you can read the thing
https://www.starpath.com/catalog/accessories/HP2.htm
https://www.starpath.com/catalog/accessories/HP2.htm
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1morethan8
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
One of the biggest problems of walking around in the Southern Appalachian Mountains is, all the terrain looks the same. Our mountains are much older than the ones in the West and all are weathered round making identification of landmarks difficult..
if you can see them at all?
Many locations where I've been you can only see a 100 yards at best, so trying to use triangulation to locate your position is useless. And one area that this is most true is the Nantahala National Forest in NC. You're either going up or down and no flat land.. the Cherokee call it "The Land Of the Noonday Sun".. for a reason!
But, if you are one of the guys who says they've never been lost, I think I can help you out? It's called the Okefenokee Swamp, 438,000 acres of "lost"!
Just don't go squirrel hunting there without a compass...
I know about this first hand!
if you can see them at all?
Many locations where I've been you can only see a 100 yards at best, so trying to use triangulation to locate your position is useless. And one area that this is most true is the Nantahala National Forest in NC. You're either going up or down and no flat land.. the Cherokee call it "The Land Of the Noonday Sun".. for a reason!
But, if you are one of the guys who says they've never been lost, I think I can help you out? It's called the Okefenokee Swamp, 438,000 acres of "lost"!
Just don't go squirrel hunting there without a compass...
I know about this first hand!
Thanks, Trolley, but I am a lousy photographer. I mean, even that picture is kinda blurry. There are some guys on this forum who are absolute artists when it comes to photography.
I don't have an album, but I've included photos of various stuff in a lot of my posts. I think if you click on my name and go to the "statistics" link, there's a link to all of my posts. Again, thanks for the compliment...but they're mainly just "quick an' dirty" pics of stuff that I'm talking about at the time.
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jlrhiner
US Veteran
I've never been lost. I was, however, confused for 4 or 5 days once.
(Stolen from Dan'l Boone)
(Stolen from Dan'l Boone)
That is why I like a compass an GPS. You got GPS haters that say all you need is a map. But how do you know where you are on the map? Where I hunt you can go a long way, and see nothing but rollings hills and trees, or cedar swamp.
You can have more then one tool, in your toolbox, and that goes for many things.
Maps don't break.
In the mountains I can generally look at the map and give you my position with in 50 feet or so just by eyeball. Eastern Colorado? Not so much
