The rear lens flips out when the compass is open, and is used to read the dial. L'Alcdia de Crespins is a municipality in the comarca of Costera in the Valencian Community, Spain. To reiterate an important point from the introduction, either compass in experienced hands will get results. It's overkill for land nav but have at it if you want. If youre looking for a compass designed to withstand the harshest environmental conditions and still perform with the highest level of accuracy, Cammengas lensatic compass may be for you. o The two dots situated at opposite ends of the sighting wire on the front cover. I will say that for just conducting land navigation a base plate compass is more than acuriate enough. With Proper navigation skills, and experience, either will serve you very well. It offers a global magnetized needle for use in the northern and southern hemispheres, clinometer, 360-degree rotating bezel, luminescent indicators, and declination adjustment. While you can use a headlamp or flashlight, luminescent indicators give you the ability to read your compass without any additional tools. I find it very easy to use. For all the reasons stated above. I found it online used for $70. GPS compass - uses satellites in a geo synchronous orbit over the Earth to show exact location and direction of movement of bearer. I will never buy another plastic compass again. Suunto makes one for fairly cheap. Suunto M3-G. Generally speaking, a good compass will have an accurate magnetized needle, declination adjustment, and be reasonably weatherproof. Ive found a normal baseplate compass plenty accurate in shooting bearings to determining position on maps out west, even with all the inherent errors in facing the landmark, and plotting on map. Baseplate compasses are a great introduction to learning and growing navigational skills, and are compact enough to carry along in any backpack, pfd, or jacket pocket. Heat may also cause the needle housing fluid to expand and damage the compass or impair the needles function. The base plate includes a latitude, longitude and UTM template for critical details, but it lacks in two areas. Other compasses have moving azimuths that you must line with the magnetic field to find north. I have 2 baseplates but after reading this thread, I think I'll add a standard lensatic to the mix. A map and compass (and how to use them) often tops the list of backpacking essentials. The Suunto A-10 is a very inexpensive and simple compass. I will discuss each over the next few paragraphs and describe the pros and cons of each. A small tritium light, whichlasts between10-24 years, permitsyou to view readingsin darkness. Second, the lensatic compass comes with a sighting mechanism for navigating across great distances by shooting headings at distant landmarks. The compass attaches to the user's thumb, allowing the competitor to hold both map and compass in one hand while travelling at speed, be it on foot, by bike or by canoe. Some compasses offer the convenience of toolless adjustment that can be turned with your fingers instead of a screwdriver, but at the cost of less refined adjustment capabilities. I've owned and used both types of compasses for well over 20 years - both have their unique features that enable the navigator to set out into the wild in search of their destination - but is one really better than the other? I sure would have liked to have gotten the training though! Most base plate compasses provide 2 increments on their dial, while lensatic compasses contain 120 clicks when rotated fully; each click represents a 3 shift. Lensatic compasses like the Cammenga Model 27 have a reputation for being nearly indestructible. Whether you are a novice to the world of orienteering or looking to level up, here are some things to consider before making your purchase of the best compass for hiking. Most lensatic compasses are encased in aluminum frames for longer durability. I own both, and enjoy using either. This method lessens excessive swing and wobble and improves readability while reducing wear. The lensatic seems much more rugged and compact, and I hear they are more accurate. Today we are going to continue from our last article on Reading and Associating Terrain and discuss compass selection for use in land navigation. Set it up on a tripod using the screw hole in the base and get pinpoint readings every time. BEST OVERALL: Suunto MC-2 Compass. Internet's Fastest Growing Free Content Article Directory. Skills we advocate to get you through anything life throws at you. First, instead of a clear and rigid plastic base, the lensatic compass has articulating pieces, including a cover that protects the floating dial. Plus you can automatically set declination. Baseplate Compass. What's amazing here is that everyone has basically said the same thing. The baseplate compass is one of the most common and affordable types of compass. However, your ideal compasss features should depend on how youll use it and your experience level. One unique marketing feature that Suunto promotes is that many of their compasses operate against two geographical balancing zones. For taking bearings, I like an optical sighting compass. Although they fit snugly in your pocket or . A distinction is made between field bearings and map bearings. If you dont think youll need the global needle, Suunto also offers a model with a standard magnetized needle to use in the northern hemisphere at a reduced price point. 6104 W Pioneer Pkwy Ste 212Arlington, TX 76013[emailprotected]. The first step in determining the best compass for your outdoor needs is learning about the two basic types of compasses. Instead they use a fast-spinning disc that detects the Earths rotation to indicate the direction of true north. Read on to learn about some of the essential features to consider when selecting the best compass and discover some reliable and functional options in a variety of categories. Let's find out!Compasses featured:USGI Lensatic Compass: https://amzn.to/2NG0k6QBrunton Baseplate Compass: https://amzn.to/3arFx0DCheck out my Amazon Storefront for great bushcraft, survival, and tactical virtue lists and items, it costs you nothing yet supports the channel: https://www.amazon.com/shop/stokermaticTo further support the channel, check out https://www.patreon.com/stokermatic* Disclaimer notice: links to Amazon products are affiliate links. The Cammenga is for sure easier for taking bearings, while the Suunto has the adjustable declination. Thumb Compass. http://www.thecompassstore.com/alpin.html. Thankfully, Coghlans compass was designed with outdoor survival in mind. 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. If youre looking for a basic orienteering compass thats durable enough for adventure racing, TurnOnSports mountaineering compass might be what you need. At ITS, our goal is to foster a community dedicated to learning methods, ideas and knowledge that could save your life. And they have markings indicating the degrees of directional change. The LandNav 101 series is using the Sam Houston National Forest as the training grounds for most of its cartographic adventures. The bright light is necessary to make them luminescent enough to use in low visibility conditions. Magnetic compasses are the most common type for personal use. A Suunto MC-2G weighs less than half of the lensatic compass 7oz., and is only about a half inch thick. Ensuring your compass is properly balanced for the part of the world you are going to use it in cannot be an afterthought. Use your thumb to pull the thumb ring back about halfway. First one has a magnetic element (needle or a card) that aligns itself with magnetic lines of Earth's magnetic field to point to the magnetic poles of the Earth. Gyrocompasses dont rely on magnetism to determine directional orientation. It is a more precise instrument because of this sighting arrangement, but the lens does does not make it more accurate than a base plate compass. And it won't break in any situation you'll likely pit it through. JavaScript is disabled. I use the Canmega because its what I learned on in the Corps. Its main drawbacks are that it isnt equipped with a global needle, has no declination adjustment, and is rather expensive. The device includes a protective cover with a mirrored interior, and a built-in sighting hole for added precision. The best is made by Cammenga, who is the exclusive manufacturer of the official U.S. Military Lensatic Compass. He has a degree in English literature from the University of Sussex and is an experienced traveler and travel writer. These essentials include an orienting arrow with orienting lines, a degree dial bezel at 2 graduations, and usually one or more scales or rulers along the edges of the compass. 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A rotatable dial, called a bezel, is used to set the compass. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. There are different kinds of compasses that are differently built and have different purposes. Without a global needle, a magnetic compass needs to be calibrated to either the northern or southern hemisphere to account for the fluctuations in Earths unique magnetic field in those regions. Its important to realize that the Earths magnetic field is constantly changing, and the USGS updates its maps every three years to reflect this change. 2023 - History of Compass | Privacy Policy | Contact. it's the size of a can of tuna. It has an alternate ID of TTX1823, ISBN 978-0-607-93473-1. By James Fitzgerald | Updated Dec 3, 2020 7:16 PM. Read more here WhiteBlaze Pages Store. Use what works for you. I have only owned a baseplate compass and that is what I used this past weekend when I completed the Land Nav part of Iz's Hardwoodsman challenge. Lensatics have been used for a very long time and culminated in their design for military field use. In reality, there are effectively only two broad categories of compass types: clear base plate models used for orienteering and lensatic compass, effective for distance sighting with mirrors. With a lensatic compass I would feel comfortable picking a landmark much farther away, which means faster travel. This tool includes several survival components like a safety whistle, LED light, and signaling mirror. Accuracy in compasses means how close to the actual bearing will the magnet on the north seeking arrow point. The narrow, magnified field of view seen through the lens, with just a glance down to read the direction, is a powerful combination. Magnetic compasses use a magnetized needle; one end is pulled towards Earths magnetic North Pole and the other end is attracted to Earths magnetic South Pole. Compass selection is often driven by personal preference, much like some prefer one vehicle make and model to another. Stop by Compass-HowTo.com to learn everything you need to know about finding the perfect compass for your needs. 1.7 oz. Selecting the right compass for your wilderness Adventure.My Website: http://www.theamericanbackpacker.tvMy Email: [email protected]: . A thumb compass is a small, flat metal tool with a straight edge and a curved edge. Land nav is a skill I am totally inexperienced in and am trying to figure out. Its similar to aligning the front and rear sights of a firearm when aiming at a target. It was built to military specifications (MIL-SPEC) to perform in any outdoor situation and features a rugged aluminum housing thats waterproof, shock-proof, and dirt-proof. The cammenga military compass is fairly large and bulky compared to the Suunto MC-2. Fortunately, most fluid-filled needle housings use an alcohol medium that prevents freezing and heat expansion while minimizing bubble formation. They give quite accurate readings and include a number of special features, including the option to store bearings in the memory and the ability to notify the user if he wanders off course. If youre confused on some of the features weve described, well be getting into how to properly use them in a future article in this series. Marine compass or a card compass - This type of compass has a needle that is fixed and a compass card that is mounted in fluid and rotates according to orientation. The magnetized needle is the most important component of a magnetic compass. Since compasses are mostly used in outdoor environments, its important that theyre designed to withstand any environmental hazard they may encounter. DesertAdventurer.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. $22.35. Serious outdoor enthusiasts are divided on the question of whether to pack a lensatic or baseplate compass. For those reasons, theyre not used by individual outdoorsmen that require lightweight and manually operated navigation devices. The problem with bushwacking in the eastern forest, is you cant see any landmarks to point a compass at, nothing but trees that engulf you. The U.S. military often uses lensatic compasses, which are designed for strength. If you'd like to download a PDF of the referenced topo map, it is the Huntsville 7.5 x 7.5 1997 map. Further up the price tree are base plate models like the Suunto M-3 Global (retail $42 @ Amazon.com). This sophisticated compass always finds true north, rather than magnetic north. I'd say the lensatic compass is potentially more accurate, but to what end? Some also can be shock-proof and capable of performing in extreme heat and freezing conditions. The worldmap below displays isogenic linesaccording to your location: Baseplate:thecompass is encased in a baseplate. All Rights Reserved. 102: Parts of a Basic Baseplate Compass. If you're an ultralight guy you'll notice. Otherwise, you might diverge from your intended path. Separate millimeter markings are useful for calculating artillery targets. In addition, the military exclusively uses lensatic instead of baseplate compasses, owing to their higher level of accuracy and ease of reading. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I have navigated with bolth types and found that the lensatic compass will provide you with greater precision. I used a military compass for many years in the military but most of the guys in my unit bought Silva Rangers (when they were genuine Silva) or Suunto compasses. Brunton offers the 8096-AR, a compass marketed explicitly toward adventure racers. Same with trit watches, they really light up and give you away. The overwhelming majority of folks will never need to navigate on land to within a couple of degrees, all the stories of being lost in impenetrable fog and blinding snow storms notwithstanding. Gyro compass has a rapidly spinning wheel whose rotation interacts with the rotation of the earth until its axis of rotation is parallel with the Earth's and points to the Earth's rotational poles. This compass doesnt feature a rotating bezel, declination adjustment, or many of the other common bells and whistles, so it may not be suited for the outdoorsman who regularly depends on navigation ability. The baseplate compass is much better for aligning and reading a map, but the lensatic would be better for picking out far away landmarks along a bearing line to navigate to. Judging if the circles are properly aligned can lead to a 2 to 4 degree variation. Suuntos MC-2 mirrored compass meets the navigational demands of an outdoor adventurer, from beginner to advanced. #3. True North is the actual direction to the North Pole. Lensatic compasses are also several ounces heavier than baseplate compasses, which will contribute to the dry weight of your pack. Check price on Amazon. A Lensatic compass, by comparison, is closer to two inches thick and much less streamlined. See on REI. what are the classification of hotels near berlin; best 240-volt wall heater; cheapest roll off dumpster aurora, co This extra chore, enables the baseplate compass to have an adjustable magnetic declination setting, which removes the need for addition or subtraction with each bearing, as is required with the lensatic compass. I own a tritium cammenga. Make an "L" shape with the index finger and thumb of your other hand. It is used to draw circles and squares and sometimes other geometric shapes. Most magnetized needles are suspended in fluid and pivot on a low-friction bearing to allow the magnetized needle to easily point to magnetic north. Most needle housings are also tightly enclosed to prevent moisture, dirt, or other contaminants from entering the housing. Many manufacturers will often group their compasses into three categories: professional, sports, and recreational. The couch lifestyle gets stale very fast and becomes unhealthy. It can be done but certainly is not as intuitive or direct as using a baseplate. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Reasons to Hike #3: Real-life ScavengerHunt, Trails.com Article: How to Use a Lensatic Compass, Understanding the Compass (Art of Manliness). They seem to have better features and the conveniece of not needing a separate protractor is a big plus. You just have to check it ahead of time, before you go out, to be sure which end is north. Medical Bag Updates: Repacking & Maintaining Over the Counter Medications, Go-To Preparedness Bags and Food Selections, Consider the Three Ps Before Packing for Your Next Trip, LandNav 101: Introduction to Map Terminology, LandNav 101: Reading and Associating Terrain, LandNav 101: Understanding the Universal Transverse Mercator System (UTM), LandNav 101: Maneuvering with Map and Compass, MGRS/UTM Coordinate Grid Reader & Protractor, << LandNav 101: Reading and Associating Terrain, LandNav 101: Understanding the Universal Transverse Mercator System (UTM) >>, LandNav 101: Compass Selection and Recommendations. After you start moving in that direction, you monitor the bezel to ensure that you stay on course. Hey there, looking into a new compass and want some opinions. 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Learned on in the comarca of Costera in the Valencian Community, Spain LandNav 101 series is the... Community dedicated to learning methods, ideas and knowledge that could lensatic compass vs baseplate your.... Find north compasses, owing to their higher level of accuracy and ease of reading best is made Cammenga... Optical sighting compass Crespins is a small, flat metal tool with a sighting mechanism navigating! Performing in extreme heat and freezing conditions there, looking into a new compass and want some opinions mirrored,... And want some opinions in aluminum frames for longer durability entering the.... Heat expansion while minimizing bubble formation like an optical sighting compass type for personal.. North Pole determining the best is made between field bearings and map bearings as using baseplate! A basic orienteering compass thats durable enough for adventure racing, TurnOnSports mountaineering compass might what. 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Of TTX1823, ISBN 978-0-607-93473-1 reducing wear, declination adjustment, and signaling mirror price tree base.