View Full Version : Which Compass?
TheChamp
05-30-2008, 12:08
I've ended up with two compasses by mistake, and need to decide which one to keep. They both have similar features, but does anyone have any personal use or long term use opinions?
They are the Suunto MC-2D Navigator and the Brunton 15TDCL.
Any opinions?
4eyedbuzzard
05-30-2008, 12:38
Toss-up. I've had a Suunto MC-1 for many years. The needle still points north. It mostly sits in a drawer gathering sock lint. I could see taking it on a hike out west or if I was going somewhere off maintained trails.
A little mini button compass is adequate for the AT.
Take the simplest of the two IMO (sorry..too lazy to look up the specific models. :D
No Belay
05-30-2008, 16:02
Just my preference but I wouldn't carry either of them. Too heavy, expenive, and over featured for the AT. There are a lot of cheaper ($12-20) and lighter models made by Silva and Suunto that offer all the features you'll need for blue blazing or bailing on the AT. If you want to carry something that heavy, I'd suggest a compass/altimeter combo. Great for those socked in days.
I take a simple ~$10 compass myself.
A type like this: http://www.rei.com/product/727086
It was what I've used in my various hikes.
I take a simple ~$10 compass myself.
A type like this: http://www.rei.com/product/727086
It was what I've used in my various hikes.
EDIT:
I just looked up the two models in question. Egads! Overkill indeed for the AT and most other backpacking to be honest. :O
4eyedbuzzard
05-30-2008, 17:36
I just keep one of these strapped on my hiking staff http://www.thecompassstore.com/51clipl.html
http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/thecompassstore_2003_25985059
TheChamp
05-30-2008, 19:56
Should have prefaced this by adding this is not for the AT, rather the CDT. Forgot that everyone here thinks the AT is the only place to hike! (although it is an AT forum)
4eyedbuzzard
05-30-2008, 20:14
Should have prefaced this by adding this is not for the AT, rather the CDT. Forgot that everyone here thinks the AT is the only place to hike! (although it is an AT forum)
Then yeah, a sighting type compass would be appropriate. I've never hiked the CDT but I understand it's not anywhere near as well blazed or marked as many other LD trails and that reckoning can be necessary. Both are of about equal quality compasses. I think you could get equally lost with either. ;)
No Belay
05-30-2008, 21:09
Forgot that everyone here thinks the AT is the only place to hike! (although it is an AT forum)
That's a pretty shallow generalization. I think if you took the time to get to know some of us you'll discover a lot of us have hiked places you've never heard of. :rolleyes:
Should have prefaced this by adding this is not for the AT, rather the CDT. Forgot that everyone here thinks the AT is the only place to hike! (although it is an AT forum)
I took the same simple compass on my CDT thru-hike.
If anything, I find off trail navigation easier in the West than the East. Granted, those sighting compasses are more accurate. However, I have yet to find the ~$10 compass inadequate for the hiking I've done. The $50 compass, IMO, is heavy, complicated and overkill for general backpacking (including the CDT).
Wise Old Owl
05-30-2008, 22:00
Tough call, sell the one you dislike most, both being a sighting compass is a bit awkward as on the AT most of the time in the woods you cannot pick up other hills to get a fix on your location. a bit overkill. I never did get the mirror part as I grew up on the Marine version with the wire, all to heavy for hiking nowadays...
too late to take it back ? put it up for sale here on this website.
For hiking a generally well blazed trail like the AT, just bring along the simplest and lightest one available. Mine is like a zipper pull type.
I've ended up with two compasses by mistake, and need to decide which one to keep. They both have similar features, but does anyone have any personal use or long term use opinions?
They are the Suunto MC-2D Navigator and the Brunton 15TDCL.
Any opinions?
I've used the Suunto M3 for many years now. Reliable. Robust. No problem.
This particular model also has a small screw on the back with which you can set the declination for the area you are operating in - bit less mental arithmetic.
http://www.angelfire.com/trek/nz_usa/suunto.jpg
Jim Adams
06-11-2008, 00:40
Unless you are traveling cross country in the bush, leave the compass home. Most trails, even poorly marked ones will be fairly easy to follow as a worn path and USUALLY will take the path of least resistance from point A to point B. Also, unless you are more than a day or two from a road, river, house, etc. (difficult to do in America!) watching the direction of sunrise and sunset will get you out of most jams. Most people panic and either walk in circles or for some reason take the more difficult route. Once you lose the use of common sense, even a $100 compass won't help much.
geek
NorthCountryWoods
06-11-2008, 08:21
Common sense is leaving a compass home? :confused:
Have to respectfully disagree there. On the AT they're probably not 100% necessary, provided you stay on the trail.
A compass (and map) when outdoors in an unknown area is always a good idea, but like any other gear, is only as good as your knowledge of their use. Those saying not to carry one just probably haven't found themselves in a situation where they needed one (white-out or fogged in on flat terrain with no trails).
Hang around a surveyor, forester or someone with military experience and you'd be amazed what can be done with a Lensatic compass in the hands of an experienced user and how much of it can be useful in the bush.
As to the original question, I've had good luck with both the Suuntos on the small scale and the Bruntons on the larger marine type as far as quality goes.
Unless you are traveling cross country in the bush, leave the compass home. Most trails, even poorly marked ones will be fairly easy to follow as a worn path and USUALLY will take the path of least resistance from point A to point B
Er..not good advice on the CDT.
I also used my compass two weeks in a row in a well know area. (Easier to go cross country rather than try to follow a snow covered trail).
Rain Man
06-11-2008, 14:31
Er..not good advice on the CDT.
Yeah. Sometimes I have to remind myself that you get both good and bad advice on public bulletin boards.
Rain:sunMan
.
Incahiker
06-12-2008, 11:26
Use the Suunto! I love that compass. I also have Bruntons, and actually use the Brunton Adventure compass the most, but thats because its just simpler. If I was going somewhere where I knew I would be bushwacking a lot, I would take a suunto. I don't know why, I just like that compass better. Also, get the one with the global needle.
Also, get the one with the global needle.
Good point! I first discovered that compasses can be manufactured for a particular hemisphere only after buying a 'bargain' compass from a surplus store and then finding that the needle point insisted on dragging and sticking across the compass card. :confused:
Something to be aware of if you intend travelling in differing world zones.
I have another compass that has a 'global needle' . Still don't quite understand how they get the needle to perform globally, (though I have read one explanation) but it also reacts more steadily if being used whilst on the move.
The Suunto models have the letter 'G' after their model number. I don't think Silva make a global compass though I may be wrong there.