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Phoenix7
05-30-2009, 10:17
Curious if a compass is really a must-have?

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-30-2009, 10:21
Nice to have if you get lost lol. As small and light as they are there is really no reason to not have one. I have seen people glue the small ones that you buy online for a quarter a piece to their walking sticks, flash lights, water bottles, pretty much anywhere you can stick a nickel sized piece of plastic lol.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-30-2009, 10:29
of course now that I posted that I can not find the site with the glue on compass lol

Phoenix7
05-30-2009, 10:38
Thanks Phoenix, I see that Campmor has a decent 1 oz. compass so I guess it can't hurt.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-30-2009, 10:43
No Prob. BTW The bear whistle has one on it too, which BTW I have never needed to use mine but a bear whistle seems like a smart idea lol

emerald
05-30-2009, 12:43
hikeSafe - The 10 Essentials (http://www.hikesafe.com/index.php/planning_your_hike/gear_list/the_10_essentials)

When you can just make out the map in your hands through the thick fog, it's kind of tough to orient it without one!

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-30-2009, 12:46
hikeSafe - The 10 essentials (http://www.hikesafe.com/index.php/planning_your_hike/gear_list/the_10_essentials)

When you can just make out the map in your hands through the thick fog, it's kind of tough to orient it without a compass!
That's not fog that is Smog in Reading lol

emerald
05-30-2009, 12:57
I was thinking of New Hampshire when I posted, The Presidentials in particular.

Reading's air quality isn't bad compared to many small cities. I've seen statistics on it recently. It's been said the view from the North Lookout at Hawk Mountain is 70 miles on a clear day. I don't know how often it occurs these days, but I'd expect our air quality is better than many places near the AT.

Light pollution and advertising pollution along our highways is a bigger issue. Sometimes I miss Maine and Vermont, where one can drive most of the time without these ugly distractions.

Shutterbug
05-30-2009, 13:29
Curious if a compass is really a must-have?

The times I have needed a compass have never been on the hikes where I anticipated needing one.

Doctari
05-30-2009, 13:32
IF you have a map, the compass is a big help, vital even.
If you DO NOT have a map, it can cause you more headaches than it is worth!! Many Many times the AT goes South for Northbound hikers & vice versa if you are SOBO! Sometimes it's only for a few hundred yards, sometimes for miles, but if you are using the compass to remember which way to go in the morning & forgot to "shoot a bearing" the night before, you may hike miles before you figure out that you have already hiked that stretch.

Dogwood
05-30-2009, 13:41
Is a compass necessary on a trail where there are blazes every 1/4 mile while on a well used obvious trail during typical thru-hiker season, especially if one has the AT maps? - I don't think so! If it makes you somehow feel safer add it to the GPS unit, sidearm, and snakebite kit.

Phoenix7
05-30-2009, 13:55
No Prob. BTW The bear whistle has one on it too, which BTW I have never needed to use mine but a bear whistle seems like a smart idea lol

Yeah, I think I'll take some dehydrated water along as well:banana

Panzer1
05-30-2009, 14:26
you should have a map and a compass. The compass does not have to be a big one. A small compass would do just fine.

Panzer

emerald
05-30-2009, 14:53
If you DO NOT have a map, it can cause you more headaches than it is worth!!

I always thought maps were a good value too!;) The the term compass ordinarily follows map for a reason.:-?

There are plenty of good reasons to carry both in the county where I reside. AT hikers will travel north and south in Berks County, but most of the time they travel east or west. Northbounders must remember to hike south when they leave Port Clinton unless they want to end up in Pottsville.:D

It's almost guaranteed a mapless hiker will have no clue what rules apply here either.:confused:

Sidewinder
05-30-2009, 14:59
Curious if a compass is really a must-have?

All the cool kids will laugh at you if you don't have one.

weary
05-30-2009, 15:20
Carry a compass. On some walks you will never need it. But when a compass is valuable, it is very valuable. I always carry a compass -- even if I don't carry a map -- which happens sometimes on trails that I know very well.

But on the AT carrying both a compass and a map is wise, IMO. Wise hikers leave the trail from time to time -- to answer calls of nature, or out of curiosity about a bird, flower or animal.

Weary

Rifleman
05-30-2009, 15:37
This reminds me of some of the recent threads on 'protection' devices not being needed on the AT. You will probably never use a compass on the AT. However; if you need a compass (or any other life-saving device) you will REALLY need it and a ranger or anyone else will not be there to help you.:eek:
Be prepared!

Colter
05-30-2009, 16:00
It is really easy to get confused on direction under some conditions, regardless of your level of experience. If you get a fairly short distance off the trail for camping, call of nature, etc., you may find you are unsure of what direction to head to get to the trail. Even if I'm clueless what direction to head I can stay oriented and go in a straight line, returning each time to my starting point as necessary, until I'm back on the trail.

One tiny compass will work for the whole trail. I always try to bring a compass in the backcountry.

clured
05-30-2009, 16:16
As far as I'm concerned, a compass is only really necessary if you're doing technical orienteering. You will never do this on the AT.

Phoenix7
05-30-2009, 16:17
First of all I would NEVER go without maps. I've done a few section hikes and never needed a compass but I'm sure every once in awhile hikers stray from the path and backtracking might be inadequate. So I will carry a 1 oz compass and maps. Thank you!

kayak karl
05-30-2009, 16:19
Is a compass necessary on a trail where there are blazes every 1/4 mile while on a well used obvious trail during typical thru-hiker season, especially if one has the AT maps? - I don't think so! If it makes you somehow feel safer add it to the GPS unit, sidearm, and snakebite kit.
whats typical:D
used my compass more times then i can remember.

TOW
05-30-2009, 21:45
Curious if a compass is really a must-have?
the only time you need one is when you are taking a crap in the dark......:banana

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-30-2009, 21:54
I was thinking of New Hampshire when I posted, The Presidentials in particular.

Reading's air quality isn't bad compared to many small cities. I've seen statistics on it recently. It's been said the view from the North Lookout at Hawk Mountain is 70 miles on a clear day. I don't know how often that's true these days, but I'd expect our air quality is better than many places near the AT.

Light pollution and advertising pollution along our highways is a bigger issue. Sometimes I miss Maine and Vermont, where one can drive most of the time without those ugly distractions.I lived there for a good while, Birdsboro for a couple of years, Shillington for about a Year, and 10th and Greenwhich for 3. I worked north of town for H.R.Guard and swear I never could see Hawk Mountain from there lol. Everytime I would go back I could feel the life being sucked out of me lol. On the Plus side the area is full of some of the most amazing women as well a some extreme psychos lol. Sorry don't mean to bad mouth where your living, hope you have a good sense of humor.

Phoenix7
05-30-2009, 23:09
the only time you need one is when you are taking a crap in the dark......:banana
LOL!!! That would indeed be a bad way to get lost.

emerald
05-31-2009, 00:20
Sorry don't mean to bad mouth where your living, hope you have a good sense of humor.

Some claim I lack a sense of humor, but they are mistaken. I don't live in Reading, but you had better hope shelterbuilder doesn't see what you posted!:eek::D


I worked north of town for H.R.Guard and swear I never could see Hawk Mountain from there ...

People who have lived here know Hawk Mountain is hidden behind The Pinnacle when viewed from Reading. You couldn't have seen it under perfect atmospheric conditions.

vamelungeon
05-31-2009, 10:16
Yeah, I think I'll take some dehydrated water along as well:banana
I always carry a whistle on the other end of my compass lanyard, but not for bears. I take it in case I'm injured off a trail and someone is searching for me. It's a whistle like coaches and refs use.

World-Wide
05-31-2009, 11:13
Curious if a compass is really a must-have?

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:qt6U5aQjeS7iNM:http://www.illustrationsof.com/images/clipart/xsmall2/721_school_boy_trying_to_figure_out_how_to_use_a_c ompass.jpg (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.illustrationsof.com/images/clipart/xsmall2/721_school_boy_trying_to_figure_out_how_to_use_a_c ompass.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.illustrationsof.com/details/clipart/721.html&usg=__sYG5aP41NwCHHwYUeL7PwUGF0Rs=&h=350&w=245&sz=66&hl=en&start=436&um=1&tbnid=qt6U5aQjeS7iNM:&tbnh=120&tbnw=84&prev=/images%3Fq%3Da%2Bfunny%2Bcompass%2Bpicture%26ndsp% 3D18%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7TSHB%26sa%3DN%26start%3D432%2 6um%3D1)


Comes in handy if you have somewhat of an idea of what your bearing is!. If you don't know where you're at because you don't have a map, a compass is almost useless if you're on a path that travels in all directions for miles at a time. Take it from someone who's done several 6-hour night-navigation courses. (still wouldn't leave w/out one!:))

10-K
05-31-2009, 12:58
I left Tri-corner knob shelter in the smokies in the middle of a snowstorm last year and my mind started playing tricks on me... After I had hiked for a half hour or so I started thinking that I had turned the wrong way on the AT when getting back on the trail and was hiking in the wrong direction. Within an hour or so I was convinced I was going the wrong way - I would have bet money on it. I'd say to myself, "I remember walking by that stump, I remember walking by that fallen tree", etc.

Then I remembered I had a compass and when I pulled it out and oriented myself with my map I discovered that I was indeed going the right way.

Had I not had a compass I would have turned around and hiked all the way back to the shelter for nothing.

I have always carried a compass after that.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-31-2009, 13:06
Some claim I lack a sense of humor, but they are mistaken. I don't live in the Reading, but you had better hope shelterbuilder doesn't see what you posted!:eek::D



People who have lived here know Hawk Mountain is hidden behind The Pinnacle when viewed from Reading. You couldn't have seen it under perfect atmospheric conditions.
I miss the area sometimes, but I am still glad I left.Whats funny is I still haven't made it Home to Asheville, I left Reading in July of 07 and was heading to Asheville with a few short stops, almost 2 years later and I still haven't made it home lol.

SteveJ
05-31-2009, 19:36
I guess this is obvious, and probably should go without saying, but.....

.....some instances when you really need to use a map and compass may not be ideal: getting dark and you're in a hurry, about to storm, foggy, etc.; if you haven't actually oriented a map in the wilderness, practice, and figure out the details beforehand....

Heater
05-31-2009, 20:45
I left Reading in July of 07 and was heading to Asheville with a few short stops, almost 2 years later and I still haven't made it home lol.

Wow! Sounds like you could definately benefit from a map and compass! :D

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-31-2009, 21:36
Wow! Sounds like you could definately benefit from a map and compass! :DOr a less needy set of family and friends, I got conned into baby sitting 3 nephews for a while, then went to visit my mother and fell through her kitchen floor, so I rebuilt her kitchen from the dirt up, then decided I should fix the bathroom as well since it was not far behind the kitchen. After that I hooked up with some contracts in different cities and have been on the move ever since

RITBlake
05-31-2009, 21:38
Curious if a compass is really a must-have?

It's definitely a must not have

emerald
05-31-2009, 21:56
provided everything goes according to plan.

kayak karl
05-31-2009, 22:05
As far as I'm concerned, a compass is only really necessary if you're doing technical orienteering. You will never do this on the AT.
never, its this type of advice that caused me to have to have compass, crampons, and boots mail dropped to me on the trail. a compass IS needed in snow and extreme fog. way to easy to get lost, like someone else said about tri-corner shelter. very confusing location.

Phoenixdadeadhead
05-31-2009, 22:14
never, its this type of advice that caused me to have to have compass, crampons, and boots mail dropped to me on the trail. a compass IS needed in snow and extreme fog. way to easy to get lost, like someone else said about tri-corner shelter. very confusing location.
Heck tricorner you get lost going to the Privy or the water hole lol j/k, but seriously that is a wacky shelter, and it is even worse when you have 24 hours of blinding pouring rain.

10-K
06-01-2009, 08:11
never, its this type of advice that caused me to have to have compass, crampons, and boots mail dropped to me on the trail. a compass IS needed in snow and extreme fog. way to easy to get lost, like someone else said about tri-corner shelter. very confusing location.

Yeah, and another thing is to trust the compass no matter what your brain tells you. I was SO sure I was going the wrong way out of tri-corner that for a few minutes I was wondering if my compass was busted.

Nasty situation - it was snowing like crazy, couldn't find the sun - really should have stayed at the shelter looking back on it.

Crazy_Al
06-01-2009, 08:20
Everyone should carry a compass and map.

I hiked in Georgia and predominately I was hiking from North to South. My compass read I was hiking North. I wondered how could I have hiked the wrong direction. I asked other hikers if I was going in the correct direction on the trail, and I was. The maps do not show the exact path. Sometimes going up mountains the trail makes many switchbacks, etc that can fool you.

NCYankee
06-01-2009, 08:26
I didn't carry a compass on the AT because I figured with it being so well blazed and well travelled that I would never need it. Coming off Blood Mountain in GA (day 3) in a thunderstorm and trying to follow the blazes painted on the rocks was tough. On top of that you couldn't walk on the rocks because it was too slick. I guess I followed a run off and wound up in the middle of the woods with no idea of where the trail went (everyone in out group got lost that day coming off Blood).

I know that when you get lost the first thing you do is backtrack but there was NO WAY I could hike back up that rock in that weather. After taking several falls and shedding my fair share of blood on Blood Mountain someone finally heard my yelling for assistance and directed me over to a blue blazed trail.

With no sun to figure out the direction I used my map to figure out my general location but then hiked for 30 minutes in the wrong direction before I ran into someone who told me I was going the wrong way.

Tired and almost 3 hours behind my partners I arrived at Neels Gap moments before Mountain Crossings closed and bought the last compass they had in stock. It was $16 and I would have paid 5x that at that point.

I will NEVER leave without a compass again.

(BTW: That is also the day that I cemeted my trail name: Wrong Turn... and none of my group will let me shake it)

DAJA
06-01-2009, 08:27
A compass is only useful if you actually know how to use it... Nothing more useless than a compass in the hands of a person who has no clue how to use it. It is a very lite and easy to use tool. Learn to use one, and you'll quickly learn to never leave home without it. I always have a small pocket knife and compass on me at all times, but i'm in the woods everyday..

10-K
06-01-2009, 09:10
A compass is only useful if you actually know how to use it... Nothing more useless than a compass in the hands of a person who has no clue how to use it. It is a very lite and easy to use tool. Learn to use one, and you'll quickly learn to never leave home without it. I always have a small pocket knife and compass on me at all times, but i'm in the woods everyday..

With a good book you can get the basics pretty quick.

Not to veer off the topic of compasses too far but being able to read the contour lines on the maps is a real bonus.

Another thing I noticed on my last hike (by looking at the maps) was how many water sources I got near enough to get to that were not listed in guidebooks. Very useful.

weary
06-01-2009, 09:48
As far as I'm concerned, a compass is only really necessary if you're doing technical orienteering. You will never do this on the AT.
I've never seriously done "technical orienteering" on the trail or anywhere else. But I've found a compass of value thousands of times.

Weary

Dogwood
06-01-2009, 15:43
whats typical:D
used my compass more times then i can remember.

Typical is during typical AT thru-hiking months or when the AT experiences the most amount of hikers out on the trail which is typically between late March/early April and the fall months of late Oct/Nov. I made this statement because this is when a hiker is less apt to experience significant snowfall which is when the AT may be harder to follow and a need for a compass or navigational skills becomes more important in my opinion.

If you stay on the AT, avoid bushwacking, and are carrying AT topos I don't see the absolute need to have a compass on the AT. If one wishes to have a compass because it makes them feel safer on the AT or they are just the kind of hiker on the AT that has to know exactly where thay are at all times then carry stacks of maps and a compass and know how to use them. I think many who carry a compass will feel little need for it on the AT. You however may feel different. Thousands have thru-hiked or section hiked the AT safely with no compass.

gravityman
06-01-2009, 16:27
I made it with a compass and no maps. Never used the compass. I don't think that I would carry maps if I were to do it again. But maybe I would... They are fun to look at, and I might need them someday...

G

kayak karl
06-01-2009, 16:28
Heck tricorner you get lost going to the Privy or the water hole lol j/k, but seriously that is a wacky shelter, and it is even worse when you have 24 hours of blinding pouring rain.
it must always rain there:). it was pouring when i was there. the water flowing through was frozen, but defrosting quick. the trip to the privy should of been on funniest home videos.:D

10-K
06-01-2009, 17:48
I think many who carry a compass will feel little need for it on the AT. You however may feel different. Thousands have thru-hiked or section hiked the AT safely with no compass.

I think you could hike the AT safely without a compass - sure. In my case I wasn't in any danger - it just saved me from walking all the way back to a shelter for nothing.

In over a 1000 miles of AT hiking I've never needed my first aid either kit but I'm going to keep carrying it.

Phoenix7
06-01-2009, 18:01
After reading 3 pages of replies, I've concluded that I will carry a compass-but only a lightweight 1 oz. jobby.

leeki pole
06-01-2009, 18:09
Funny, even though us rednecks and country folks (for the Yankees) know exactly where they're going, I've never met one of my buddies who didn't have a map and a compass even on a dayhike or a hunting trip. Seems to me the city folks don't carry map or compass, and know how to get around better than us. Must be a mental or spatial issue, I guess. 'Course they're the ones that want to look at a map, right? That being the city folks, yep. Fancy that.

gravityman
06-01-2009, 18:17
In over a 1000 miles of AT hiking I've never needed my first aid either kit but I'm going to keep carrying it.

On the other hand I've used my med kit fairly often. Benadryl for allergic reactions to stings (nothing terrible, but it helps a lot) and something I get occasionally from food. Pepto chewables. Immodium. Bandaids. Nail Clippers. Ibuprofen.

I wouldn't say daily, but at least once a week.

Gravity

emerald
06-01-2009, 18:21
Typical is during typical AT thru-hiking months or when the AT experiences the most amount of hikers out on the trail which is typically between late March/early April and the fall months of late Oct/Nov.

Does typical also include typical treadway conditions or anything that might be encountered? When people post about how easy the AT's treadway is to follow and how it's overblazed, my mind generates images which cause me to recall when it wasn't and imagine other scenarios when it wouldn't be.

I think of wilderness areas where there are less than the typical number of blazes, treadway obscured by recently fallen leaves, unplanned night hikes, turns unmarked or missed, poor visibility ....


If you stay on the AT, avoid bushwacking ...

Isn't it necessary to leave the AT to complete an AT through hike?


I think many who carry a compass will feel little need for it on the AT.

Especially those who are apt to need a compass most.


Thousands have thru-hiked or section hiked the AT safely with no compass.

I won't dispute your claim since I don't have the information you would have us believe you have, but I think those who have hiked without a compass should all count their blessings. A compass is carried in anticipation of the unexpected, but they are useful in other ways to those who carry them.

clured
06-01-2009, 23:27
I've never seriously done "technical orienteering" on the trail or anywhere else. But I've found a compass of value thousands of times.

Weary

Yeah, I mean, to each his own. I tend to think that a compass on the AT is kind of like an Ipod - ten years ago nobody missed them, but once you try one out, once you own one, you suddenly can't imagine life without instant access to your music library wherever you are; suddenly, leaving the house without the Ipod feels like a huge mistake.

When I hiked the AT in '07, I honestly just didn't ever think to carry maps or compass - honestly. It wasn't a "decision," I just assumed that they wouldn't be necessary. I never missed them. I lost the trail twice, and both times I backtracked and found the trail within ten minutes. I had zero hiking experience before the first day on the AT. A southbounder gave me an old map for Maine, and I thought it was fun, but I never "used" it.

But whatever - map and compass are like any other gear item. If you want it, take it; if you don't, leave it behind. No biggie.

emerald
06-01-2009, 23:47
But whatever - map and compass are like any other gear item. If you want it, take it; if you don't, leave it behind. No biggie.

If the conclusion readers are to reach is whatever, few who posted wouldn't have bothered to take a position and argue it. It's not the kind of decision to be made by flipping a coin. Maps and a compass weigh little. Whether or not you carry them could make a difference.

jersey joe
06-02-2009, 10:32
While I see no harm in carrying a 1oz. compass, it really is not necessary on the AT. There are trail markers galore and for the most part you can orient yourself and your map with natural features, like the sun, mountains and elevation.

RITBlake
06-02-2009, 10:44
While I see no harm in carrying a 1oz. compass, it really is not necessary on the AT. There are trail markers galore and for the most part you can orient yourself and your map with natural features, like the sun, mountains and elevation.

Compass is only as good as the person operating it's ability to read a map properly. No map...compass basically useless.

Colter
06-02-2009, 12:55
It's interesting how our individual life experience profoundly affects our view of the world.

I have spent countless hours in the backcountry, off trail and with no maps. Much of that time has been hunting where I'm just going with the flow for hours at a time with only a vague notion of where I am. Dozens of times I've used a compass to find my way to a road. I am certain that I would have spent many nights alone in the woods if I hadn't been carrying a compass.

Choosing gear is largely about weighing the pros and cons and the odds of needing a certain piece of gear, the consequences of not having it vs the weight and expense of carrying it. A person simply cannot carry everything they might possibly need (pistol, hatchet, Sat. phone, or an EMT size First Aid kit.)

On the AT, I think it's been proven that if you stay on the trail and use your head you don't really need a compass. Many of us, however, purposely go off the AT during our hike. I enjoyed camping in quiet areas off the trail. I distinctly remember one morning crawling out of my tent in the 100 Mile Wilderness. Usually I have an awareness of directions. I pay attention. But when I looked around me I realized I wasn't sure which way to head to get to the trail. (Again, even with no map or without knowing which way the trail is, you can use a compass to search in different directions and return to your starting point until you find the trail.) It's very easy to become disoriented in the clouds or fog or snow in the Whites if you've lost the trail.
A tiny compass is extremely light, like this one that weighs .14 oz, (http://www.survival-gear.com/button-compass.htm) 1/7 of an ounce. That's the kind of compass I carry on the AT. I carry a bigger and better one if I'm going to do some serious orienteering.
.

clured
06-03-2009, 00:05
If the conclusion readers are to reach is whatever, few who posted wouldn't have bothered to take a position and argue it. It's not the kind of decision to be made by flipping a coin. Maps and a compass weigh little. Whether or not you carry them could make a difference.

Yeah, map and compass are essential in many cases. Last summer I hiked through the Pyrenees on the border between France and Spain - nothing much of a trial, lots of fog, snow, whiteout, etc. Not having map and compass up there would be unbelievably dumb - there were many days up there when I'd guess that I made 50+ routefinding decisions with the map and compass.

On the AT, I made zero. Never missed having a map for the whole trail. Is it possible that I could have stumbled into a freak situation in which a map and compass would have saved my life? I'm sure it is - but in any such situation I would be much better served by having a hiking partner, rather than a dinky little toy that points towards north, and which, in and of itself, does nothing at all. If safety is the concern, the let's be honest about what makes thru-hiking dangerous, to the extent it's dangerous at all (not all that) - it's the being alone in the woods, not the being alone in the woods without map and compass. In the case of physical incapacitation, a SPOT device would be far more useful, but you don't see anyone advocating for those in WB.

SunnyWalker
06-03-2009, 22:36
I agree about taking a light compass. What do I use if for mainly, when I'm on a trail? Take a bearing on the ay I want to go in the morning, or which fork to take after a nap. When strikinf off the trail take a bearing, then walk it backwards to return to trail. Pretty helpful. There were times my emotions told me my compass was wrong, but my head told me it had to be right. It was. I like it for this. But I'm getting old. Maybe my memory by morning time is not so good??? Have a great hike.

peakbagger
06-03-2009, 22:50
I live in the whites and have used a compass to find my way above treeline a couple of times when the summit ridge is socked in. Even though there are rock cairns at frequent distances, when the wind is roaring and the visibility s zero, a compass comes in real handy as its easy to get turned around quickly when the wind is picking you up and throwing you a few feet every so often. I have also used a compass on Katahdin many years ago on the tablelands for the same reason.

I suppose if you are willing to wait out the weather and not go out on exposed areas when there is potential for nasty conditions, than you dont "need" a compass, but there have been many times up above treeline in the Presis when the clouds came in and the visibility dropped to just about zero in about 20 minutes, which is a lot faster than I could reasonably get back below treeline.

For the majority of the trail I dont think the compass is as essential, but over the years of sectioning, we used map and compass a couple of times to find back up water sources when the existing water sources were dried up.

emerald
06-07-2009, 11:10
On the AT, I made zero [route-finding decisions with a map or compass].

Is it possible, clured, you made no route-finding decisions on the AT with a map and compass because they were at home thus eliminating that option?

garlic08
06-07-2009, 12:18
Curious if a compass is really a must-have?

Some may consider it the height of foolishness to hike without one or two of the highly-regarded "ten essentials". But if I go out for a few mild summer daylight hours on a well-marked, well-known footpath, I may not bring any of them. If I hike unknown, untracked wilderness for weeks, I'll bring them all plus spares--my next birthday may depend on them. An AT thru hike falls somewhere in the middle. Go with your experience and comfort level.

DavidNH
06-07-2009, 12:46
Curious if a compass is really a must-have?

You don't need a compass to thru hike the AT. The trail is very very well marked and for the most part hard to lose. However, A compass can be fun to have for practice and curiosity if nothing else. Additionally, it is one of the lightest items you carry. Leaving it home won't help that much in saving weight.

David

YoungMoose
06-07-2009, 16:39
hey you will never get lost without it. Just hike north. Hehe. I dont bring a compass when i go backpacking though

clured
06-07-2009, 17:02
Is it possible, clured, you made no route-finding decisions on the AT with a map and compass because they were at home thus eliminating that option?

Well, yes, but that's a stupid point. I managed to hike the trail in 84 days as a novice; I lost no time to navigation errors, the worst mistake being losing the trail for about ten minutes twice, once in PA and once in Maine. Both times I turned around, which fixed the problem!

emerald
06-07-2009, 17:25
Well, yes, but that's a stupid point.

It was your point, not mine! Glad to see you called the point stupid, not the person who posted it. I still say you were just lucky!:D

mweinstone
06-07-2009, 17:48
yes you definatly must have a durable acurate compass. me and johnney thunder and chaco taco and wakapack and wolf and gypsy and the only wanderer and trail angel mary and froliking dinasaur and kinnikinnik and missing kink and red wolf and phatchap and a whole lot of us rely heavily on compassas for thruhikeing. it must be used at eash point marked on a map to ensure your route. trails and blazes just arent enough for even exsperienced hikers. wee willy carrys three. pirats pipe has a small compass as a wind cap he can look down on without useing his hands cause hes a seal and knows how to roll. i dont know of anyone presently hikeing the at without at least one.

harryfred
06-07-2009, 23:22
I have a Silva I've had for over 25 years and I won't even go for a day hike up a trail I hike several times a year. I have no idea what it ways it weighs, hangs around my neck and saved my life years ago. a fire in southern California ( surprise) forced me to bushwack out. I have used it on the AT because
The trail isn't always as blazed as well as it could be.
It with a map tells me where I am and how far I've gone
I take a lot of side trails and some of them are really bad
Pink and beige look white to me sometimes (don't laugh some of you have the same problem)
You just never Know, Like a first aid kit

Wags
06-07-2009, 23:48
it's funny how many members of this site encourage people to not carry this and that or that and this in a 1st aid kit, tell people not to treat their water, but get all fired up about carrying a compass. it's the AT. hardly mountaineering

Wags
06-07-2009, 23:49
that said i carry a compass, but sheesh. some of you need to check yourselves and what you're typing

ShelterLeopard
06-10-2009, 22:48
It depends when and where you are. Mostly there are plenty of other hikers who know where to go. I did nearly get lost in the woods where the AT white blazes were really similar to the hunting boundary blazes- same color and size. I don't think it's necessary.