Help Finding A Watch Strap Compass

My friends over at ITSTactical recently published a blog post about their search for a high quality watch strap compass to replace the now discontinued Sunnto Clipper. A quick Google search turned up a bunch of alternatives, many of which the readers at ITSTactical have already pointed out via the comments there. As this is [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Compass, Navigation, Readers

Reader Poll: Do you carry a compass?

I’ve written several posts recently about how to use a compass and how even to navigate effectively without a compass. It got me wondering, how many of us carry a compass on a regular basis? I thought I’d conduct a unscientific reader poll to see. Do you always carry a compass with you, only take [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Compass, Polls, Readers

Suunto M-9 Wrist Compass

For the past few months I’ve been testing the Suunto M-9 wrist compass to see how well it performs out and about on the trails. I was attracted to the M-9 wrist compass because of its size and weight in addition to the fact that it’s a wrist compass that I can wear and always [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Compass

Navigating Without a Compass – Part 3

This is the third post in my three-part series on navigating without a compass. In part one I described how you can use easily identifiable constellations to locate the north star, Polaris. In part two I showed how you can use an analog watch and the sun to quickly determine North and South. In this [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Basics, Compass, Navigation

Navigating Without a Compass – Part 2

Using an Analog Watch to Find SouthThis is the second part of a three part series describing easy to remember and reliable ways to accurately navigate without the use of a compass. In part one I described how you can use easily identifiable constellations to locate the north star, Polaris. In this second part I [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Basics, Compass, Navigation

Navigating Without a Compass – Part 1

This is the first post of a three-part series in which I want to share with you some easy ways to successfully (and accurately) navigate without the aid of a magnetic compass. There are many different and well proven methods of navigating without a compass, but I’m going to focus on the three techniques that [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Basics, Compass, Emergency, Navigation

Using a Compass – The Basics

I quite often run into fellow backpackers during my hikes and enjoy chatting with them about where they’re from and what they’re doing, the usual trail chit-chat.  A lot of the time our conversations include discussions about the current hike and conditions along the trail, where to find water and areas to avoid if necessary, [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Basics, Compass, Essentials, Navigation