How to use a compass Like a Pro!

Using a compass in wilderness areas is paramount to your survival especially in weather conditions that prevent you from seeing where you need to go.

Trouble is the advent of GPS (though wonderful technology) in our opinion - is dramatically reducing our skills in traditional compass navigation skills. Our article below is based on the following theoretical situation on a high moor somewhere in England, that commonly suffers from poor weather that reduces visibility to less than 300 yards.

So you are group-walking on the moor and notice the weather is suddenly likely to deteriorate in the next 30 minutes. Miles from anywhere but secure in the knowledge you can rely on your GPS unit you carry on, not failing to notice that your GPS batteries are almost exhausted.

On you stroll, with your team looking to you for inspiration and confidence with the approaching storm all the while gathering momentum. Someone nervously laughs and says to you that it will be ok as the GPS will guide you all home. You take a glance to ensure you are on track and on schedule when you notice the GPS has auto shut down. You experience a slight sense of panic, you didn’t think to bring a map and compass as GPS technology in your opinion rendered that obsolete – not that you knew how to use one anyway. You curse yourself for failing to pack spare batteries for the GPS too.

So do you keep going and hope for the best (without telling the group) or stop and advise the group what has happened and check if anyone has a map and compass?

Half an hour later without GPS, potentially no map or compass and in weather conditions that are testing everyone to the limit you admit you've made a mistake.

Is this something you want to face?

So TAKE just 5 minutes and refresh yourself on how to use a compass

If you need to purchase a compass then check out the following link to the Silva Ranger 3 classic compass.... just a few pounds to help save your life in an extreme outdoor weather situation... worth thinking about, don't you think?

How to Calibrate A Compass

Magnetic north and true north are not the same points on the map. True north is where you will find the North Pole whilst magnetic north is where your compass will point to (due to its magnetic needle).

The distance between these 2 points can vary though this comes down to where you are in the world. For this reason we use a term “magnetic variation” which you will need to change on your compass in differing amounts – variation changes in different spots around the globe which will cause you to have to adjust the compass depending on where you are.

To accurately use a compass will require you toknow how many degrees to add or take-away when dealing with magnetic north or true north – this highly important information will always be found on your map however do note the older the map the less likely the variation will be accurate as this figure changes over time.

Place your compass on an Ordnance Survey map and line up the true north line on the map with the heading arrow on the compass and then rotate the housing until it is in line with magnetic north. Then turn the map until the compass is pointing north along the magnetic north line. The map will then be aligned to True North.

How to use a compass to safely reach your destination

Using a compass in wilderness areas is paramount to your survival especially in weather conditions that prevent you from seeing where you need to go.

Trouble is the advent of GPS (though wonderful technology) in our opinion - is dramatically reducing our skills in traditional compass navigation skills. Our article below is based on the following theoretical situation on a high moor somewhere in England that commonly suffers from poor weather.

So you are group walking on this moor and notice the weather is suddenly likely to deteriorate in the next 30 minutes. Miles from anywhere but secure in the knowledge you can rely on your GPS unit you carry on, not failing to notice that your GPS batteries are almost exhausted.

On you stroll, with your team looking to you for inspiration and confidence with the approaching storm gathering momentum. Someone nervously laughs and says to you that it will be ok as the GPS will guide us home. You take a glance to ensure you are on track and on schedule when you notice the GPS has auto shut down. You experience a slight sense of panic, you didn’t think to bring a map and compass as GPS technology in your opinion rendered that obsolete – not that you knew how to use one anyway.

So do you keep going and hope for the best (without telling the group) or stop and advise the group what has happened and check if anyone has a map and compass?

Half an hour later without GPS, potentially no map or compass and in weather conditions that are testing everyone to the limit, your team are looking to you. Is this the situation you want to be in?

TAKE 5 minutes and refresh yourself on how to use a compass

If you need to buy a compass then why not check out the following link.... just a few pounds might help save your life in an extreme outdoor weather sitation

The top features of a compass you really must know about!!

OK lets make this easy as possible.

A compass needle will always point north – magnetic north to be precise – and it's usually the red end of the needle that signifies magnetic north.

The piece of the compass that fits in your hand is known as the compass baseplate and this incorporates a basic rule to help you determine your position and calculate distance.

You should see an arrow printed on (or embedded in) the base plate. This is your heading arrow and it will always point in the direction you want to go.

The compass needle floats in a 360 degree turntable housing (if you see an air bubble in the compass then if it interferes with the operation of the compass it should be disregarded). The housing is meant to be rotated to allow you to alter your bearing from ground to map (true north) and map to ground (magnetic north). Inside this housing you will see True North lines (these when used are lined up with the North lines on a map).

How to find your location on the map in a few simple steps

A useful skill, finding yourself on a map only helps when you have some idea of where you are. If you do not know where you are then this technique is unreliable.

To find your location you will need to be able to visually see a minimum of 2 landmarks and use your compass to align on each, note the degrees, subtract magnetic variation and line up on your map each time. Then draw a line from each landmark and where the lines intersect this is your position!

The more lines you can draw the more precise your position will be.

Navigate skilfully to your next checkpoint

Take your compass, place it on the map in the direction you wish to travel; line up the map’s North grid grid lines to the North headings in the compass and remove the compass from the map. Then add for magnetic variation (usually 5 degrees) and line up the magnetic needle with the heading arrow on the compass. This will give you your direction of travel. Plod on!

However do take care in poor weather - even with a compass you can wander slightly off-route and miss your checkpoint. You may want to "aim-off" of where you are heading. This way when you reach a defined point you then know that you have to turn in only one direction to then find your checkpoint.

Obviously in clear weather you can use your compass to ensure you are heading in the general right direction and then use the features on the ground to confirm your location and progress.

Using a compass correctly takes a little practice but when you get it right and get to your destination you will find it ultimately satisfying. Trust on that one.

Happy hiking!