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Walk with a friend and make sure your mobile phone is well charged and you’ll soon have the confidence to stride out on less well-trodden routes. When it comes to walking in the countryside, a compass is the most accurate way of following a map. So here’s our beginner’s guide to using a compass.
- Introduction
- Orienteering Compass Parts
- Directions and Degrees
- Bearings
- Declination
- Compass Dip
- Triangulation
- Navigation Tips and Tricks
- Other Outdoor Tips and Tricks
- Summary
The basics of compass usage are surprisingly simple and can be mastered quickly; and once learned they will certainly become an invaluable skill for any hiker, mountaineer, back country skier or suchlike outdoor enthusiast. However, if you are anything like most of us, chances are you have been packing a compass around for years, on your outdoor ad...
Let’s begin our introduction to compasses by taking a look at a standard, modern day, orienteering compass, and identifying its parts. As figure 1 shows an orienteering compass typically consists of three main parts: a magnetic needle, a revolving compass housing, and a transparent base plate. The magnetic needles north end is painted red and its s...
Before beginning to use a compass one should familiarize himself with basic directions and their degree readings. The four cardinal points are all 90 degrees apart, with East being at 90 degrees, South at 180 degrees, West at 270 degrees, and North at 360 degrees (or zero degrees). Identifying the degrees by 45 degree increments gives us the eight ...
One of the most important uses of a compass is taking, and following a bearing. A bearing is the direction from one spot to another, measured in degrees, from the reference line of north; in other words it’s one of the 360 degrees of the compass rose. To take a bearing hold the compass in front of you with the direction of travel arrow pointing at ...
A compass needle is influenced by the earth’s magnetic field which causes it to line up with magnetic north. Maps, on the other hand, are typically oriented to the North Pole (which is truth north). The difference between these two norths is called declination, and must be accounted for when using your compass in conjunction with a map. There are p...
As learned in the declination section, magnetic needles are affected by the horizontal direction of the Earth’s magnetic field. Bearing that in mind you might not find it surprising to learn that they are also affected by the vertical pull as well. You see, the closer you get to the magnetic north pole (located near Bathurst Island in Northern Cana...
It was mentioned early that one of the most important uses of a compass is for taking and following bearings. Equally important is using a compass to pinpoint your exact location on a topographic map. If you can look at a map and determine a line you are on, such as a road, hiking trail, or mountain ridge, you can pinpoint your location with only o...
Understanding Maps: To be truly strong at orienteering and navigation, one must become very familiar with maps, and the abundance of information they contain. Unfortunately, it would require a separate article to fairly explain maps, but it’s still worth looking at some map basics here. Know the scale of your map. All maps list their scales in the ...
Estimating Remaining Daylight: If you can see the sun and the horizon you can estimate the remaining daylight time. To do so, hold your hand up so it appears that your pointer finger is just touch the bottom of the sun. Then count the number of finger widths to the horizon. Each finger is worth about 15 minutes of time. For example, if you can fit ...
In summary, a compass is an invaluable tool that every outdoors enthusiast should understand how to use. Two of its main uses are to measure bearings, and to pinpoint locations. When working with bearings one needs to be aware of declination and how that causes map bearings and magnetic (field) bearings to differ. Remember it’s simply a matter of s...
Dec 20, 2016 · In this REI Expert Advice Video, we teach you what you need to know to navigate easily, safely and with confidence. Watch to learn the parts of the compass, how to set your declination and how to...
- 7 min
- 3.2M
- REI
May 23, 2016 · When you face true north, magnetic north is going to be left, or west, of you by about 14°. When you point your compass towards true north, your compass needle is going to point a little to the west. So its declination would be 14W.
Apr 3, 2024 · Learning how to navigate with a map and compass promotes you from walker to explorer. In addition to boosting overall confidence, it's one of the key skills required for more challenging winter hikes when visibility can be very poor. It's also necessary for night hiking.
Sep 10, 2021 · Below, we will walk you through the most precise method of using a lensatic compass. Step 1: Unfold the compass and hold it in your preferred hand. The cover should stand at a 90-degree angle and the lens at 30-degrees.
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In this article, we will walk you through the essential steps of map and compass navigation, empowering you to conquer any terrain and embrace the thrill of exploration. Say goodbye to getting lost and let us guide you toward becoming a proficient map and compass navigator in just a few simple steps.
