Compasses just aren’t that useful

Cartography, maps, navigation, GPS and more.
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Koda
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Re: Compasses just aren’t that useful

Post by Koda » July 8th, 2016, 8:40 am

Lurch, thanks for the reply.

So basically in what you teach a GPS user will already have a fundamental base for map and compass work, so say if for some reason their GPS died in the field they could switch to manual map and compass work. This is the way it should be....

One of these days it would be fun to sit down in person and take a navigation lesson from you, in these forum discussions subjects that show up now and then I usually have questions that would be best covered in person. I learned basic map and compass work on my own, informally, after I got lost deer hunting about 25 years ago. I’m pretty good at it, or so I think so I always hit my waypoint… but my impression from these threads that show up now and then is there is a lot I can still learn that would make me more precise and efficient in the field.


And to summarize my impression of the subject article, I’m guilty of assuming the author was suggesting to lose the map and compass… OK I can see now he wasn’t, but there are several flaws in the authors answers that logically led to such an assumption. To this day most every experienced navigator I’ve hiked with always has a compass handy and in use and conditions don’t have to be perfect to determine your location. Old school map and compass use has never ignored the altimeter and the altimeter is not a “new” tool in the same category as a GPS cell phone or locator beacon and I would never recommend a cell phone altimeter app (we’ve proven there here in another thread). As proven by some replies in this very thread, people don’t need a GPS at all. Its concerning to me this new navigation mindset is being including in the Freedom of the Hills book, and setting the precedence for future instruction is in an effort to keep up with technology, the instruction on using said technology is clouding the fundamentals of the skill catered to a majority that never leave a well established trail system. My opinion of using a GPS is still that one doesn’t need to know anything about navigation to use it and most all of the features are luxuries that most people just simply love to geek out on, myself included.
lightweight, cheap, strong... pick 2

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kepPNW
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Re: Compasses just aren’t that useful

Post by kepPNW » July 8th, 2016, 9:40 am

Sometimes I really worry about people surfing the web when they've never even invoked a DOS interrupt 0x21 call to the file subsystem.

They're going to trash their systems, sooner rather than later, mark my words. And you know who they'll call then.

Long live DEBUG! :ugeek:
Karl
Back on the trail, again...

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-Q-
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Re: Compasses just aren’t that useful

Post by -Q- » July 8th, 2016, 7:47 pm

oh yeah, koda's post up there reminded me of my altimeter. I use it all the time. Very crucial item in my kit. I think I refer to the altimeter about 2x as much as compass. Maybe more since I am trail hiking most of the time

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texasbb
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Re: Compasses just aren’t that useful

Post by texasbb » July 8th, 2016, 7:58 pm

-Q- wrote:oh yeah, koda's post up there reminded me of my altimeter. I use it all the time. Very crucial item in my kit. I think I refer to the altimeter about 2x as much as compass. Maybe more since I am trail hiking most of the time
Most useful vs most used?

There's no question I consult my altimeter more often than my compass. But if I could only take one, you can bet it would be the compass.

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Waffle Stomper
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Re: Compasses just aren’t that useful

Post by Waffle Stomper » July 9th, 2016, 12:48 pm

Been lurking, interesting topic. Thought I'd throw this in just as being interesting. Good to have a backup plan, or as said in the article, good to have a balance.

Navy teaching celestial navigation again.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016 ... again.html
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir

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5th
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Re: Compasses just aren’t that useful

Post by 5th » July 11th, 2016, 9:37 am

I haven't used my compass in years except to refresh my compass skills. But I still carry one and I'm still prepared to use it.

Typically I find my position on the GPS and use that to locate my position on my paper map. Then I quickly scan for the the landmarks I see on my map and verify that I am roughly where the GPS said I was. I'm a fidgety hiker so I do this while walking 30 times an hour. I carry spare batteries, but if my GPS fails I know where I am and can pull out my compass to use with the map. I like the map better than the GPS because it's easier to read.

I believe that the compass and map have a proper place, but there is no reason for someone to actually take the compass out of their pack if they have a working GPS.

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Charley
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Re: Compasses just aren’t that useful

Post by Charley » July 11th, 2016, 11:26 am

I've used the compass off trail snow and in flat juniper forest. I even found a cave on a long loop hike, one time, by following bearings. I think it's useful. Usually our topography is obvious that a quick glance at a map clears things up, but, on snow or flats, things can get vague.
Believe it or not, I barely ever ride a mountain bike.

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Chip Down
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Re: Compasses just aren’t that useful

Post by Chip Down » July 19th, 2016, 8:51 pm

Longish topic, so quickly scanned posts above.

I've never used GPS for anything but altitude. Considering getting an old-school altimeter.

Carry a compass when I have reasonable belief I could want it, which is most of the time.

I just don't trust GPS. There's a lot at stake if it fails, and I'm not willing to trust some electronic device that I have no control over.

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kepPNW
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Re: Compasses just aren’t that useful

Post by kepPNW » July 20th, 2016, 8:24 am

Chip Down wrote:I just don't trust GPS. There's a lot at stake if it fails, and I'm not willing to trust some electronic device that I have no control over.
I find that to be simply bizarre. Do you trust cars? How about airplanes?
Karl
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greenjello85
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Re: Compasses just aren’t that useful

Post by greenjello85 » July 20th, 2016, 8:43 pm

I carry a compass and know how to use it but rarely pull it out. I use my phone Gps mostly as a map for identifying peaks and navigating fs roads. I can't remember the last time I pulled out a paper map. I'd use a compass and map if I was lost and my gps died but otherwise I just carry them as an emergency item. I could navigate with them but they have mostly been replaced by superior technology.

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