As a Forester, I use a Silva Ranger 15. I keep the lanyard through the top button hole in my shirt and keep it in the front pocket when I'm wearing a cruising vest. When wearing the vest, it goes through a loop-hole designed for a compass. Set declination properly and get used to reading the needle while level and you'll always keep the compass level. I always line the needle, the reference line, and the sight notch on the top of the mirror, sight on the object furthest away I can see, then fold the compass away and walk towards that point (pacing). When I get there, repeat the process on another point.
Hand to cheek method has worked for me for years when shooting an azimuth but the important thing is you have to find what works for you. Land navigation is an art once you get the basic principles down.
I learned land navigation in the army in 2004. Its sad that in 2017 when i got out 99% of Soldiers and NCO's were not capable of completing land nav courses. 2 people finished within the alotted time in my company. Those 2 people were me and a Soldier who tagged along with me. (I turned it into training for the Soldier he before did not know how to read/orient the map, shoot azimuths, and had zero clue how to identify land marks, didnt know what a pace count was either. With me teaching him we were still the only ones to complete the course.) During the AAR I brought up how sad this was and the response was sad as well. "We dont need this anymore, we have Blue Force Trackers now."
I'm a 22 Year USMC & US Army Vet and I taught Land Nav to a lot of Infantry Soldiers (and ROTC Candidates and Boy Scouts) over the years. My lensatic compass lanyard was always looped through my top BDU button Hole and NEVER came off (if you lost'em, you had to buy'em!). I used the Army's Steady hold (both pointer fingers alongside the Compass like a pistol) method and made sure my wire line bisected my pivot point. Even though I considered myself (past tense) an expert in Map Reading and Land nav, its good to get a refresher, b/c its a perishable skill. Thank you. (SFC, USA Retired).
Appreciate you sharing your knowledge What compass would you recommend if a person is not in the military? Of your recommdation of compass why that model(s) Thank you for your reply
The lanyard trick is a new one to me (the reason behind it, that is). It seems really obvious now, but I had never considered it before. Very cool tip! Dan is my friend, he said so! I'm having some proud now!
So, after probably more than 35 years of land nav, I just learned something new. Using a lanyard as a distance limiter. I came from 20 years using a lensatic compass in the army, and am still most comfortable with it. BUT, I have gone to a more civilian one, and never once thought of using the lanyard like that. Gonna work on that with my civvie one!! Lensatic still works best cheek method :).
Singing and Compass twirling got a laugh and thumbs up! 🤣😂😁 One my Scouts twirled his compass and broke it on a rock. His fellow Scouts ribbed him mercilessly. I had my own Ranger Compass and a GI Lensatic Compass. Semper Fi!
@@jonpatterson5668 Thank you so much. i think it’s one of those things, once you get it, you can’t understand how you didn’t get it before lol. I’m getting better for sure. But still A LOT to learn. I need to just practice more, and some lessons would only help me speed up the process.
Great tips. I know how to use a compass but hadn’t thought about consistency. I figured I would always do my sightings consistently by habit. Now I know how to assure they are consistent. Thank you.
Good basic info for people Dan. Thanks for sharing. Quick tidbit of info for you......the furthest from a road a human can get in the entire state of Pennsylvania is 2.7 miles. It’s roughly a 2 hour hike one way from the most remote spot in the state out to a road. Enjoy sir and stay safe!!
With the tritium lensatic compass we were issued in the Army we were taught to hold it up to our face, holding it like a pistol...but it has a wire in the sight window to use, performs the same function as the line down the mirror. Another tip, don't hold your knife in your hand either! LOL Or any metal object nearby!
Yeah actually he covered all that stuff in an older video on navigation, actually it was a series. Belt buckles, phones, an axe head it's an easy one to forget and then you're wondering why the compass seems to keep changing its mind
Very good tips. Especially for using a mirror compass. Outdoorers from US often make the mistake to use a mirror compass like an old lensatic type as the military cammenga. Hand to cheek method or trying to read the bearing while aiming are not recommended with a mirror type compass.
I would have never thought about the lanyard use beyond just keeping it around my neck! I recently bought my first compass and I'm still trying to figure out all its features. There is no mirror on mine, but it does have a level...so, bubble in the center of the circle and I know it's level. That's one feature of mine that I greatly appreciate.
I learned to read A compass in 4 th grade. We had to go from point to point. Got friends in their 50's like me. They have no idea how to use one. Very simple but great piece of gear. Get out of truck see where your at, no matter where you go you can get back
I always add a small lenght of orange fluo flagtape on my lanyard. Nearly all compass are dark and camouglage very well with the ground, so if one use it on a map to get a bearing, there is little chance to 'forget' it on the ground with that bright color flagtape. I learned long ago to put flagtape on all my field accessories, it is always a pain to go back because I have forgot the notebook on an outcrop 100 yards before. :P
Land nav is my favorite, I taught land nav in the Army for awhile. You covered great beginner points. I would love to see you do a series on land nav. Compass reading, pace count, map reading. There is so much to learn. I love it!
@@sport07-o2l I thank you both for your service. In the Army it seems you're either very good at and love land nav or you're bad at it and hate it. No in between, that's my experience anyway. Again thank you both.
Great tips I never realized before. Kind of like learning to shoot a recurve bow. Repitition and consistency in compass holding form and you will have a better shot. Or should I say " best" shot. Thanks for the great vid. I will be working on these tips. God bless.
Thank you for reminding me to drill navigation even when I'm hiking familiar spaces. I've gone a few YEARS without needing those skills at this point, and they've definitely slipped. Thank you.
These are things that I haven’t seen before. I thought that leveling and squaring your vision would be self evident, but not everybody thinks of those things. The consistency of site pictures using the lanyard around the neck never occurred to me. I have studied the astrolabe and like things like that. Have you done a segment on distance? Be Well and Good Journey Richie
Always great tips and to the point. I do t believe although has been a while that these issues were ever talked about in the siva Bjorn compass navigation book, although it's been along time since I have read it. Learned truckers hitch by your video..could figure it out using other people's methods, your a great instructor. Do u recommend this particular compass? Or do you prefer another. Ive though of getting an intl compass but I see a lot of negative reviews of the Santo intl needle sticking etc? Thanks again for all your reaching.
Never saw a compas with a mirror. Always had a lid with a clear lens and line. That mirror would be awesome to line up with. Great, I'm sure I will get one in my arsenal.
Thanks Dan good video, in the Army we did a lot of map reading and navigation in the day and a lot at night . Through the woods and the swamps . Does anybody remember those days ?
Had to pass land nav in all the NCO leadership schools. That was way before GPS for me. Although, in 1984 NAVSTAR started testing the first GPS systems on Ft Campbell while I was stationed there. The first units were a little bigger than a PRC77 radio. Only one vehicle in our infantry company had GPS in Desert Storm.
In the Boy Scouts I always won the map and compass courses. Then as a Scoutmaster I taught my Scouts how to navigate with a compass. I made it fun by turning it into a game and offering a prize to the winner. They tried really hard in order to win a nice full tang knife with leather sheath and a sharpening stone.
In my Scout Troop, we made bamboo backpack frames. The knot tying knowledge was the crux of the lesson. I can still tie a clove hitch & a bowline. Now that you got my memories churning, I feel like volunteering with my old troop, if it still exists.
@@savage22bolt32 Savage the Scouts did a lot for me so I tried to pass on some of what I learned, including the very important act of knot tying. At the Jamboree at Andrew's AFB my troop was voted #2 out of 38 troops. I was pretty proud of my guys.
@@theprophetez1357 Girls should not be in Boy Scouts & visa versa. I know when I was in junior high, if we had girls camping with us, the whole experience would have degenerated.
@@savage22bolt32 We had an area where the Girl Scouts camped on one side of a lake, and the Boy Scouts on the other. We did canoe over, but were told not to go ashore, and we didn't.
Great rips. BUT..... it got too model centric. How do you do these things using a lunatic style compass? Or the solid plastic base/w rules that doesn't have a wire? Might add 3 minutes to video but apply to more people.
I don't see or hear of anyone doing orienteering anymore..... When I was a kid we had navigate in areas like LBL and out in rural areas....kind of like a treasure hunt. Then we had to bring back the items we found....and do it fast....to "win". Usually for something like a better meal at dinner at camp....or a candy bar. It was a blast and a fun way to learn.
Really appreciate the tips. Navigation is a subject I really need to learn along with topo maps. I obviously need a better compass as well. Mine was inexpensive and has issues. Don't think the one on my phone ok quit laughing is any better.
tell the stay away from brown spots on rocks (most likely rust) throws you way off i have a brunton tru arc 3 and 5 a brunton type 7 (nexus) and a brunton 9077. and my gps , spare batteries no screwing around. its a lit of fun but going home is mandatory have a good day
I’m a land surveyor. Sometimes we use a hand bearing compass to establish angles for line cutting. I’ve got an eye condition(?) that causes my readings to many degrees off. I can’t recall the name of the disorder, but it’s embarrassing.
@@asmith7876 Basic compass use is to teach how to sight on a distant object and set your directional bearing! I all ready know how to hold a compass. 🤣🤣🤣
Do you have to have a compass with a mirror? I understand the dual functionality of having the mirror for hygiene and rescue. But aside from that what are the pros and cons? I kind of feel like the mirror would get in the way?
There are many videos about compass choices. If you don't like the mirror, search for lensmatic compass. I have both & prefer the Sunntu or similar style. But you will have to spend many hours with each one to decide what is best for you. I only paid $5 for my chinese mirror compass. I'm ashamed to admit that, but I wanted something cheap to learn with. It's a couple of years old & I haven't had any problem with the cheap thing. The lensmatic compass was purchased at a military surplus store. Also cheap chinese with crappy instructions. The first compass I bought 50 years ago was made in W Germany. Just a plain, brass cased liquid filled compass that can keep you on track. It's my favorite!
I have that compass, it's nice but it feels a bit flimsy, now i see how you open it and close like nothing, i feel like i would break it if i open it too much xD
