Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Good compass?

unclealps: "A compass isn't needed in the mountains" - then YOU have NOT spent much time at all "in the mountains"!
"Being in the mountains" is NOT the same as sitting on your ass in your recliner!
Take it from someone who knows and has spent countless days in the mountains over the last 74 years.
"Being in the mountains" is being in the mountains during snow conditions, blizzards, white-outs, fog conditions and on pitch black nights!
Take a compass and know how to use it when ever you go into the mountains - don't need one in a recliner.
Sheesh.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Yeah, your the guy that walks right by me and doesn't see me. Fires three shots because the sun is going down and scares away the elk. Then I save your ass from spending the night in the mountains and you follow me back to the road, and don't even realize its all in plain sight. You likely never even go a half mile from the road. I shoulda stuck your compass up your ass.

Uncle Alps
You seem to be very angry about something.

Anyway back to compass stuff. You should not have your nose stuck in a compass all the time, it is merely a tool. A good compass and knowing how to use it coupled with terrain association and awareness, map reading, sometimes pace count if needed to get to a particular location, section, resection, triangulation are only tools. Probably the most important is situational awareness and the ability to keep a cool head and not panic if confronted with a (hopefully) temporary loss of location. Knowing a panic azimuth or a back azimuth to a known location may avoid disaster

Obviously if you are going up or down really steep slopes where you are grabbing hold of bunches of grass or limbs to go up or sliding down on your butt using your rifle butt or ice axe for a brake such a thing as pace count would have little value but again it is just part of your tool kit.

As I mentioned earlier I will make a post regarding lanyards and how I like to set them up.

Just like a good "carry gun" a great compass, that has been left at home does you no good, a couple people have mentioned those little "pin on Ball" compasses and I have one on my "bird hunting" coat, now I also have a good compass in my pocket, but in places like the U.P. or southern New York where your chances of walking in a straight line for much over 100 yards is rare, because of the terrain, being able to glance down, and get your bearings to get back to the road is a God send.

I have seen some of those cheap compasses actually point S and some I have seen point different directions each time you take it out and look at it. I have one embedded in the end of a walking stick that is pretty good but that is a rarity in my experience for button compasses. I have read of really good ones from WW11 that were part of E&E kits but have never seen or used one.

For the most part I would stay away from them but if anyone has one make sure it actually works, your life might depend on it.

I have checked all mine including the E&E, they all point to magnetic north. I don't recall seeing one that didn't, though I don't really own any particularly cheap units.

I have seen some of those cheap compasses actually point S and some I have seen point different directions each time you take it out and look at it. I have one embedded in the end of a walking stick that is pretty good but that is a rarity in my experience for button compasses. I have read of really good ones from WW11 that were part of E&E kits but have never seen or used one.

For the most part I would stay away from them but if anyone has one make sure it actually works, your life might depend on it. Dont know how this duplicate post happened. Tried to get rid of it but no joy.

Cammenga and Silva.
Keep 'em away from your comms (phone and radios).
Two is one, one is none.

I have carried an Engineer Lensatic for as long as I can remember. Can confirm that low clouds/weather can make navigating in the mountains difficult.

I have had a Silva for 30 years. Been turned around a couple of times in flooded timber where it was flat and in the Ozarks where it was steep. Got my compass out and trusted it. Brought me out within sight of my ride. I do look at my heading when I leave the boat or the truck in unfamiliar places. I bought a couple of new ones a few years ago another Silva and a Brunton.

I've used a vintage USA made Brunton Pocket Transit (quadrant) for the past 8 years or so for field work (mainly geological) and a Made in Sweden Silva Type 1S I've had since '81 or thereabouts. The Brunton is a heavy pig, and the needle is very touchy, though it does have a needle stop/lock function, so I don't use it much anymore. I used it mainly for mapping and taking the strike/dip of formations. The Silva is excellent for orienteering. I've used it successfully on many a Sourdough hike:

Being competent and practiced in navigation and 1st aid are fundamental skills for the serious outdoorsman.

A Suunto MC2/D w/ adjustable declination and inclinometer lives in my pack and a Suunto M9 wrist compass is always worn when in the wilds.


mike r

In 45 years of travel throughout the mountains and deserts of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Mexico I cannot say that I've ever needed or used a compass. Many trips per year for hundreds of miles in the wilderness many times guiding clients.

A map, yes. A compass? No.

The only time I've used or needed a compass was for work as a surveyor.

If you cannot determine or know your position or which way is North then by all means wear your compass at all times. Having a map and paying attention to where you are going is better. It's not that difficult. Or better yet get a gps / locator beacon so we can find you when your wife reports you overdue.

sheriff toe is that you?


mike r

When I went through IOBC the first thing a lot of us did was to buy a Silva compass to use instead of the issue compass for map reading and land nav.

I can't remember the exact model but it was similar to this.

https://silva-usa.com/products/compass/silva-explorer-pro-compass.html

For those interested in acquiring a Cammenga 3H.

Be careful about where you buy it, the Tritium has a life of about 12 years and you don't want to buy one that has been on the shelf for a long time and has only has a few years of glow left. Probably the the best bet is to buy directly from Cammenga (link below). They do make Phosphorus treated ones but they have to be charged with sunlight or a flashlight but they are cheaper. The Tritium ones are they way to go in my opinion, once the glow starts to lessen the compass can be sent in for refurnishing. There are 3 numbers on the inside of the lid, and as I understand it, the first is the year of manufacture, the second is the month and the third is the lot number. Ex. 21-04-15. So, with that you can get a good idea of glow life. The one I had in the Army was Phosphorus ( don't know the manufacture,but it was a traditional military lensatic), and it seemed it had to be recharged with a flashlight it at the most inopportune times, so Tritium is best--no recharge always glowing.


The 3HJP model has less Tritium due to Japanese regulations, so in the US best stick with the 3H.

https://cammenga.com/

Note: There is a choice between N. and S Hemisphere models, as well as color and packaging.

I've used the Recta DP-6 for years. Recta was a Swiss company, but they were acquired by Suunto a while back. Looks like Suunto is making them in Finland now and calling it the MB-6, with a version for use in the northern hemisphere and a global model that is also good to go in both the northern and southern hemispheres.