Pathfinder School: Compass UNDERRATED
Having a compass and, more importantly, the skill to use it is a must-have piece of gear. The good old lensatic compass has served me well for many, many years but since being outside the Army I’ve become a big fan of baseplate compasses for their simplicity and light weight. I’m personally a big fan of Suunto compasses, for their long-term durability and accuracy. The MC-2 is the gold standard, followed by my trusty MCB as an EDC.
I’d also check out MyTopo.com for maps and if you want the closest you’re going to get for a civilian-side Blood Chit, check out Burnt Point Lodge for silk printed maps.
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
About the Author: NC Scout
NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .
5 Comments
Comments are closed.
GUNS N GEAR
REI offers land navigation courses for pretty cheap, its worth checking out for some hands on learning
Yup..the basics, always have a compass, period…I never go into the bush stalking trout w/out one, and keep one, a trusted Cammenga Tritium Lensatic compass, https://www.opticsplanet.com/cammenga-official-us-miltary-tritium-lensatic-compass.html bombproof, day/night/rain/shine in my 1st line kit.
I am 100% confident in my ability to navigate pretty much anywhere with it, a topo, terrain association and pace count, just the way i was taught, and thankfully passed, what i thought was the hardest part of the Q course…
Being able to find fence posts from kilometers away and navigate the terrain was rewarding, for where i used to hike in the Sierras, one trips over contour lines and saddles, depressions, and other landmarks are easily identifiable, not so much in NC, at least around Mackall and the Uwharrie…
Much easier in WNC to figure things out.
i agree on rei course, good basic stuff, everyone should be able to use a compass and read a map.
MC-2 compass is superb.
Refresh you pace counting beads. It hurts more on the mountain slopes
As for some additional area map options, get a few FAA VFR sectional navigation maps from a pilot friend. The maps are updated about every 6 to 10 months and the older ones are not used except as teaching aids, backups, etc. Scale is 1:500,000 Topo in color, roads, creek, lakes, most power lines, towns, magnetic correction, useful frequencies.
Oh, should one order a MC-s, make certain your MC-2 is for the Northern Hemisphere if you live in the CONUS. Sorry…caffeine level is low..
How to use a compass & map reading was one of the first skills I learned when joining the Boy Scouts back in the early 60’s. The scout leader who trained us in these valuable skills was a hardened WW2 combat vet. He knew this stuff damn well! Told us that it could save our lives someday. In scouting terms, this is known by the name, orienteering. As I recall, to become a First Class Scout, you had to demonstrate certain skills in orienteering. There was also the orienteering merit badge which you needed to earn to become an Eagle Scout. Even with all the GPS on smart phones & even my Yaesu FT-3DR, it’s still good to know the basics, especially when your batteries die out.