Compass....

[Artifact]

I decided to go for a hike yesterday and brought my compass with me as I often do.

Just wondering who else uses the old and proven compass and map land navigation here on NES and what type of compass other NESers use.

Here is my trusty Cammenga...

 

[Tiger]

Yes, always carry a compass and area paper map while hiking. And all of the other essentials. Even if I have devices without GPS. They do not need batteries. It's a 30yr old silva I got when I was in scouting.

 

[Artifact]

Yes, always carry a compass and area paper map while hiking. And all of the other essentials. Even if I have devices without GPS. They do not need batteries. It's a 30yr old silva I got when I was in scouting.

Old Silva, when quality was important.

 

[Palladin]

Old Silva, when quality was important.

I still have a couple of them!

 

[kartooo]

my compass skills are little rusty, been almost 40yrs .....
we would get dropped of by heli early a.m. with map and compass.
if we found the place we would get fed lunch. after lunch another place to find to get picked up.
it was a lonooong time ago !!!

 

[Artifact]

I got weird looks on the trail and someone asked me "why not use a "Real" gps or the map app on the phone?", to which I replied "they are too easy to use, easy come easy go, using a map and compass is a skill while gps is not".

 

[ToddDubya]

I got weird looks on the trail and someone asked me "why not use a "Real" gps or the map app on the phone?", to which I replied "they are too easy to use, easy come easy go, using a map and compass is a skill while gps is not".

Tell those guys to talk to me a week ago when neither the GPS or phone could get me out of the woods. Oh how I longed for a paper map and a compass. It's very easy to find yourself without cell service in the woods.

I picked up a $40 laminating machine and 100 laminating pouches for 8.5x11" sheets. For $0.13 I can laminate a printed map and not worry about it getting wet. I like keeping an old school option available.

 

[BTSDOG]

Any places that teach land nav. with a compass ?? Thanks

 

[Billsail]

GPS and maps, but always a backup compass. Weighs next to nothing, and takes up almost no space. The GPS on my phone works without any phone signal. A dedicated GPS, with "mapping" would be my choice, but if all I have is Lat. Lon., I'm good to go.

 

[38ExtraSpecial]

there was some info about a state course that comes around yearly. maybe someone will post updates. i would love to go to the next course

 

[enbloc]

.

 

[Billsail]

Any places that teach land nav. with a compass ?? Thanks

Lots of books on the subject. Perfect your map reading skills (books on that too), and remember it's easy to go waypoint to waypoint. A waypoint could be as simple as a distant tree.

 

[Artifact]

Land nav with map and compass is a hands on learning subject.

Before anything, one needs to read and understand a map, don't worry about a compass at this point. Once a map and map basics are understood then hands on locally on any terrain would be the next step.

Maybe some of us can get together locally, southshore and do some hiking.

This is a skill that once learned needs to be used frequently and hands on any terrain, trails or hiking spots you can go to, it will become second nature afterwards. As with everything, practice makes perfect.

As Billsail said above, shooting Azimuths constantly one can navigate with extreme precision.

 

[speedy]

I take mine anytime I go hiking or traveling abroad.
I have taught my kids how to orient a map and use a compass.

 

[boilermaker]

Any places that teach land nav. with a compass ?? Thanks

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/df...map-compass-and-survival-course-schedule.html

Mass Fish & Wildlife conducts a course on it. I took it 3 years ago and liked it. It is classroom stuff in the morning and the field work in the afternoon. Really a good course and worth a day

 

[xtry51]

Red Fred in the Shed.

 

[Polibious]

Any places that teach land nav. with a compass ?? Thanks

REI offers classes, http://www.rei.com/content/rei/en_us/site/outdoorschool/market-landing.html?marketId=140&storeId=80&programIds=23

I always have a local area map and Silva Ranger compass.

 

[CockedAndLocked]

Should be interesting to see what happens when the magnetic poles reverse.

 

[In God We Trust]

Any places that teach land nav. with a compass ?? Thanks

The Army!

Map and compass kind of sucks because it takes so much concentration to follow an azimuth through the woods. Kind of takes away from the enjoyment of nature IMO. It's also practically impossible to do intersection / resection in New England unless you are in the mountains with a good topographical map and a rough idea of where you are.

Night land navigation with map and compass SUCKS also. That's what always killed me.

 

[Billsail]

The Army!

Map and compass kind of sucks because it takes so much concentration to follow an azimuth through the woods. Kind of takes away from the enjoyment of nature IMO.

Agree, but if you're lost, and need to find a way out, enjoying nature is not your primary concern.

 

[4runner1443]

You can take the MA hunter education 10 hour map and compass course for $0 or the REI course for $80. The hunter ed map and compass course was pretty good and is offered four or five times between Spring and Summer.

 

[Halligan]

REI offers Nav classes ,
asymmetric training and assessment too

 

[GPP]

The Army!

Map and compass kind of sucks because it takes so much concentration to follow an azimuth through the woods. Kind of takes away from the enjoyment of nature IMO. It's also practically impossible to do intersection / resection in New England unless you are in the mountains with a good topographical map and a rough idea of where you are.

Night land navigation with map and compass SUCKS also. That's what always killed me.

Good god man . Night land nav was brutal.

 

[enbloc]

.

 

[In God We Trust]

Yep.

Even better with the red lens.

 

[hbennett]

You can take the MA hunter education 10 hour map and compass course for $0 or the REI course for $80. The hunter ed map and compass course was pretty good and is offered four or five times between Spring and Summer.

Took the Hunter Ed course twice, several years apart. The second time I took my son. I liked the course a lot. Morning was classroom, afternoon was practical, where we put the skills to use. We were broken into groups and had to follow a course and hit pre-designated markers in the State Forrest. Each team had a different set of markers to find or and or order to find them.. There was plenty of room, as the teams didn't bump into each other. The markers were hundreds of meters away from each other. Typical NE woods and swamp combo, up hills and down, and quite challenging for beginners. For the money you couldn't beat the training. The volunteers were also dedicated and very helpful and they accompanied each team, but wouldn't interfere unless the team was clueless. Plus, after the navigation problem was done, they give us a little bit of survival basics, firestarting, and what to carry.

I was amazed by one of the students (a middle-aged male) who was ticked off that he had to trudge through a swamp..up hills and down and get a little wet. My boy, on the other hand, who was 12 or 13 at the time, had a blast.

 

[ToddDubya]

Yep.

Why the hell are those made at a right angle? Is it so you can clip it to yourself?

As for red, I made the mistake of printing maps with the trails in red. With the red light on (to preserve that good ole night vision), it's a bitch to read. Gotta make some new maps.

 

[In God We Trust]

Why the hell are those made at a right angle? Is it so you can clip it to yourself?

As for red, I made the mistake of printing maps with the trails in red. With the red light on (to preserve that good ole night vision), it's a bitch to read. Gotta make some new maps.

We used to clip them on our LBV so they pointed kind of forward while you walked. You could also set it down at night and use it to light the area you were in.

 

[Yazz]

Where to get your Topo's.
http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/b2c/...5840910990894End;saplb_*=(J2EE8933300)8933350

 

[Artifact]

I was actually going edit the OP to add just that, thanks.

Where to get your Topo's.
http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/b2c/...5840910990894End;saplb_*=(J2EE8933300)8933350