Compass ???

[BowHuntingFool]

Well I had a buddy and his kid get lost last night in the woods and ended up spending the night under a pine tree in a swamp with the temps in the 20's and a storm dropping 12 inches of snow on them. They went in the woods at 1:15pm Sunday and got rescued this morning, Monday around 9:00am! I hunt the same woods and have for the past 10 years. I got turned around in this same cedar swamp after dark for a minute or two earlier this year. So I now want to get a good compass, what kind do you all use, looking for suggestions on a good one!

[always89]

I would suggest the SUUNTO Navigator Compass or You can look at the army navy surplus store and get a CAMMENGA lensatic compass. Both are durable, time tested (and battle tested) tough pieces of equipment. The Suunto has a mirror that can be used for signaling if need be.

[always89]

Nice buck by the way!

[trashwood]

my favorite compass is the Sunnto DP-65 Matchbox compass. this one had the Suunto global needle.   you can get it for around $60

rusty

[bearfootin]

Ever use a GPS? I still bring my compass and Topo map, but a good GPS is something you might want to think about. It's got me out of trouble a few times. ,...Lloyd

[jacobsladder]

I learned from lots of coon hunting that a compass is a must at night.

[TaterHill Archer]

I like a Cammenga military style compass or a Brunton 8099.  Neither are much good without a good map of the area you'll be in.

I also like a Garmin GPSmap 60CSX to mark my truck. need to make sure you have extra batteries, just in case.  

I would never recommend carrying just the GPS.  You never know when your batteries will go dead and you may lose the extras.  Keep the compass on a lanyard around you neck to keep it handy.

['46]

Any compass that points north!... and checking it before going in...works! It's only common sense!

[sweet old bill]

a cheap compass that is less than 10 bucks that has a 2nd dial to show you the way back to your car or camp is just the thing to have on at all times. I have it tied onto my backpack. I also had one time stay in a cedar swamp, with the snow coming down and could not tell were I had come in to the swamp and how to get back to camp. I have now used the compass in the big woods up north of NY, and it sure helps to make sure you get back to my SUV. As in some cases the roads can be several miles away.

Bill

[freefeet]

I use a cheap Silva compass, the flat see through kind for map reading with.  Been using them all my life and wouldn't change a thing.  Very simple, very cheap and very durable.

I would never use GPS.  Too much to go wrong and control of the whole system is in the hands of the Pentagon.

[Ron Haines]

I went to the local outdoor store, I believe it was Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) and bought the basic compass there.  It is gold colored military style compass.  I believe it cost under $20.  It has worked great for me.  I use it every year in the swamps of Maine.  I also carry a cheap gps, Garmin Etrex.  GPS to point me in the right direction and the compass for keeping me on course while walking.

[dirtguy]

An inexpensive compass will do.  One with a mirror is worthwhile as was mentioned above.  I have used a Silva for about 30 years.  

No insult intended to anyone, but there is no point in carrying a compass if you don't know how to use it.      

By this I mean at a minimum doing basic navigation with a compass and map (USGS topo), knowing how to adjust for declination, and being able to plan and walk a route on multiple bearings.  If you spend much time in the woods, taking a basic orienteering course is a good idea for that one time when you get turned around.

That being said, the most important thing of all is "staying found"  a compass doesn't help you much if you don't know where you are to start with.  At that point, it becomes a tool that enables you to walk in a straight line - which is good if you know the general direction to the road where you parked.

[Flinttim]

Except maybe the ones they used to put in Cracker Jacks, they'll all work. The fluid contained types are good but some of those will freeze so be aware. Keep in mind, GPS is nice but there are places it simply won't work. In those same places a compass will work and everywhere else. In what could have been a very easy place to get lost, John Nail and I had a GPS go dark on us. The hollers were too narrow and deep to pick up 3 satellites. We had a compass and topo map and a Ranger school grad with us (John).

[Cherokee Scout]

Get a GPS and a compass. You will probably never get lost using both. You can get a quallity GPS for under $100.

[Zenzele]

I know it's a bit gimmicky!  :cool:  I just got a Casio Pathfinder that has a digital compass, altimeter and barometer! These beasts are used by experts and joe public alike. Havnt gotten lost yet, but hope it will do the trick!
 http://www.casio.com/products/Timepiece/Pathfinder/

Hope this helps.    
J

[Clay Hayes]

Silva Ranger.  It, in conjunction with a topo map, is the only navigation tool I use.  It won't run out of batteries, get confused under a cannopy, be less acurate when all your satalites are bunched up in one part of the sky, or any of the other problems that GPS users encounter.

I know I'm biased.  GPS's are very good tools, and relyable.  I just can't stand the thought of carrying one while hunting.

ch

[Gaff]

thats some serious stuff... gettin lost in the woods and spending the night. i carry a compass, but the only way i know how to use it is to get me in the direction of a road.
i also carry a bunch of strike anywhere matches in a air tight vial the my company produces.
i hope i never have to use them, but its a little piece of mind.

jamie

[woodchucker]

Silva makes a cheap "key fob" compass that is simple and very reliable. I have bought several over my 30-some years of hunting,and have used them without fail,from little swamps and woodlots,to the "Big Woods" of N.Y. and Maine.

Just use the key ring to hook it on the zipper of your jacket. (I replaced the key ring with a leather thong and I just loop it through the belt loop on my pants) It is handy and always right there in front of you. Basic North&South, East&West, should easily get you out of anything but the most remote back country.

It's easy to get "turned around" in the woods,but in reallity we rarely ever hunt areas that we haven't "scouted out" and are fairly familiar with. So acually we are never "lost" just "Fearsome Confused for a month or so" in the words of "Jack Frapp"

(Brian Keith in "The Mountain Men")

A cheap compass should serve you well. Keep it handy,and use it often.

[donw]

any good compass and a gps.

i also have a liquidless strap on the wrist compasss that was in a survival kit i once purchased from a surplus store that works great, too.

remember when bear used to come with a compass embeded in the handle?

[nutmeg]

I also use a Silva Ranger and have for 30 yrs.  But, like others said, doesn't help a bit if you don't know to use it. Also, Murphy's law is always in operation, be prepared for the unexpected and to spend a comfortable night in the woods. Stay put and you will be found. (nut)