Compass compassion

[Chako]

That last one looks very decorative. 

[39hotrod]

 

[Shuya]

Oh, that topic ticks me, too.

Since I go outdoors whenever and whereever I can, I have collected a bunch of compasses over time...

- Silva Metro: clipped to the shoulderstrap of my usual hiking backpack. Dont need much more when hiking in forests in germany on marked trails (usually just needed to rotate the map).
- Recta DP2: my first "real" compass, used for my first tracks. Missed the option of a transparend baseplate, so I moved on...
- Recta DS-50G: A workhorse, large, can do everything and more, reliable. When out and lots of compass work is needed, thats my tool of choice.
- Silva Ranger (older Version I guess), my usual mountain compass that I toss into my backpack whenever out in the mountains or in terrain without marked trails.. Gets the basic work done and can be used in whiteout (had this only once, luckily).
- Silva Ranger SL: first bought for my girlfriend, this is the least used one. Wanted to replace my usual Ranger with it, but the fact that the lid doesnt fold down to a flat surface for map work is a big NoGo. Still ok for basic map work,
- Recta Clipper: impusive buy for some survival thingy use, no use for it now, dont like to carry that on my watch anymore.


Have to collect them all today when heading home for a group pic.
Is there a compass badge? 

So, Somehome I forgot about this topic, so I here are the pics I promised.

Funny to see them all point to different directions, as mentioned before here by someone else.
When used alone, they work fine.

[39hotrod]

 

[Barry Rowland]

 

[Top-Gear-24]

That's a nice collection you have there Shuya  .

Those Recta/Suunto "matchbox style" models are my favorite, small and easy to carry, rock solid construction, and the compass sits well protected in its own case.

And, let's face it, sliding them open and having the mirror drop out, ready for use, is fun to do (almost as much fun as deploying the pliers on a Gerber Multiplier, Leatherman Free P4 or Victorinox Swisstool ).

I also bought three of those Keychain Silva compasses for my kids, black for the boys, but our little girl insisted on a pink one  .

The Silva watchwristband compass is also great, I own the one with the black "dial", does the white one glow in the dark?

It's so awesome to see how a lot of people who are into SAKs and multitools, also have a thing for compasses (and also watches)...

Gives me the prove I needed to show my wife that all my "obsessions" with these things are quite common  .

[pfrsantos]

That's a nice collection you have there Shuya  .

Those Recta/Suunto "matchbox style" models are my favorite, small and easy to carry, rock solid construction, and the compass sits well protected in its own case.

And, let's face it, sliding them open and having the mirror drop out, ready for use, is fun to do (almost as much fun as deploying the pliers on a Gerber Multiplier, Leatherman Free P4 or Victorinox Swisstool ).

I also bought three of those Keychain Silva compasses for my kids, black for the boys, but our little girl insisted on a pink one  .

The Silva watchwristband compass is also great, I own the one with the black "dial", does the white one glow in the dark?

It's so awesome to see how a lot of people who are into SAKs and multitools, also have a thing for compasses (and also watches)...

Gives me the prove I needed to show my wife that all my "obsessions" with these things are quite common  .

She's smart. Those are easier to spot if you drop them in the wild.

 

[Top-Gear-24]

She's smart. Those are easier to spot if you drop them in the wild.

 

Not in the world seen in her drawings...

[MadPlumbarian]

My grandfather always had a compass mounted to his dashboard, even when we took a trip and rented a car one of the first things we did was stopped at Kmart and bought a big compass so he could mount it on the dash, when he retired the one thing he never seen was the US, he was in the air force for 27yrs and got shipped off to diff country’s but never saw the US, even when stationed in Texas only like 10mi from the Alamo he ever saw it, so when he retired they sold the house and bought a trailer and truck and traveled for 7yrs! Each year during my summer break I’d get to take a little trip with them and my grandmother always loved that backseat because she could put her feet up, which meant I got to ride along in the front! And by doing so he thought me how to read all the road atlases, and understand how live by that compass!
I have a few but the one I like best is on my hiking staff, it used to be one of the ones Chako’s got posted in the center of his pic, it used to be one with a pin so you could clip it to your shirt, but I broke it off and mounted it to the top of my fav hiking staff, countersinking it, the nice thing is no matter how you point it, it always floats up and points in the right direction very quickly! I don’t have a pic but I’ll take one,
JR

[Top-Gear-24]

Great story MadPlumbarian  .

Can't wait to see the pics of that compass you mounted on your hiking staff.

[MadPlumbarian]

Well here, it’s like the ultimate walking staff, yeah it has the bubble compass on top, but, paracord handle, the paracord sling for a wrist support, it’s marked on the lower half up to 2ft in inches, and the first inch or so in lower measurements, the odd flashlight, but still a little something, and the few things you can’t see that are wrapped under the paracord handle, there’s fishing string and hooks, a razor blade taped over, a small hacksaw blade, and zip ties,, the foot on the other hand is rubber but comes off and there is a spike,, of course you can see it’s got my little JR,
The other staff on the other hand isn’t that great, it’s just a dinky little compass, but the staff will take the abuse being a heavy replacement shovel handle, I did the same with the paracord and sling but nothings under the grip,,
JR

[39hotrod]

 

[buggs]

As a Geography teacher, I do have a thing for compasses. Here is the majority of my compasses, but I do have a few others not in this photo. Most notably, my fathers 1960s Silva Huntsman Compass. I also have a simple Victorinox compass as well...but that one is with the SAK collection currently.

20210120_142006A by Chako, on Flickr

From top - left to right:

Suunto MCB compass in yellow, Engineering lensatic compass, Generic compass with glow dots, a pair of Silva Type 7 NL, Sylva Ranger Type 15.

From bottom - left to right:

Schrade Tough Navi-Tool, Coghlan's pin on hunter ball compass.

The Ranger 15 is an awesome compass. The Suunto MCB suffers from a plastic hinge. The engineer lensatic compass is a good design. The Schrade Navi Tool tends to go out with me on hikes attached to a backpack. The ball type hunter compass is a good backup that doesn't take any room at all. The others are of the type I tend to use to teach students on how to use compasses and map reading (these are my personal copies). 

Any chance you teach orienteering in your Geography classes?  Way, WAY back I had physical geography in Grade 11 and orienteering was part of the class that I really loved.  It came in very hand about ten years later when I was in grad school.  I have a couple of Silva's I still have to this day from the early 90s; I'll post a pic later of them. 

I've tried to teach my daughter to rely on more than her phone.  Thankfully she learned to drive before nav apps became so prevalent and without a backup camera so she has some sense of direction.  She's quite into hiking, but everything relies on the phone.   

[buggs]

That's a nice collection you have there Shuya  .

Those Recta/Suunto "matchbox style" models are my favorite, small and easy to carry, rock solid construction, and the compass sits well protected in its own case.

And, let's face it, sliding them open and having the mirror drop out, ready for use, is fun to do (almost as much fun as deploying the pliers on a Gerber Multiplier, Leatherman Free P4 or Victorinox Swisstool ).

I also bought three of those Keychain Silva compasses for my kids, black for the boys, but our little girl insisted on a pink one .

The Silva watchwristband compass is also great, I own the one with the black "dial", does the white one glow in the dark?

It's so awesome to see how a lot of people who are into SAKs and multitools, also have a thing for compasses (and also watches)...

Gives me the prove I needed to show my wife that all my "obsessions" with these things are quite common  .

Get the boys a small piece of flagging tape to put on their compasses.  1000 times easier to find if you drop it in the woods or off a trail.  i have flagging tape on most of SAKs and on one of my compasses (the one without a lanyard). 

[Chako]

Yes, we still do a small orientation bit in 9 Geography, albeit, that is now mostly a Human Geography course and is no longer a Physical Geography course these days.

[buggs]

Yes, we still do a small orientation bit in 9 Geography, albeit, that is now mostly a Human Geography course and is no longer a Physical Geography course these days.

Blargh, human geography.  Physical way more fun and interesting.   

My two compasses mentioned earlier.  Though the "nicer" looking one still looks brand new it spent the better part of two years in the forest with me. 

[Chako]

 

Reason why I majored in Geography and Biology...Geography being an earth science and all. 

[ThundahBeagle]

Blargh, human geography.  Physical way more fun and interesting.   

My two compasses mentioned earlier.  Though the "nicer" looking one still looks brand new it spent the better part of two years in the forest with me.

Very nice. I have yet to find a compass with features as easy to use and well thought out than the Silva Ranger Type 15

[Barry Rowland]

They may have reached as close to perfection with that one as they're going to get T-Beagle 

[ThundahBeagle]

They may have reached as close to perfection with that one as they're going to get T-Beagle 

If so, then I hope to stumble across a case of them, NOS, in controlled atmosphere storage.

I put mine up against the Suunto MC2. While that Suunto is great, the features and configuration of the old Silva Type 15 are just a cut above the rest.

[Barry Rowland]

  Me too my friend!! 

[Chako]

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Has anyone tried any of the new Silva line? Chinese made to Swedish (now Swiss) Standards.

If the features are the same as the old ones, I might. Be convinced to give one a try.

[Top Dog]

I don't go into the woods or out in the water in my canoe w/o a compass. And before going in,always take a compass reading. Same goes for SCUBA diving.

My late father in law,up in Canada always had a compass mounted on the dashboard for his car.  He used to travel far and wide up in the north country.

A number of years ago,the SILVA company had a book on orienteering,I don't know if it still available but it was very good for training with a compass.

The compass that I use for my woods and water treks is an old Marbles compass,pretty much like the one Charles Linburgh used on his flight across the Atlantic.

                                                                                                                                        Top Dog

[buggs]

I don't go into the woods or out in the water in my canoe w/o a compass. And before going in,always take a compass reading. Same goes for SCUBA diving.

My late father in law,up in Canada always had a compass mounted on the dashboard for his car.  He used to travel far and wide up in the north country.

A number of years ago,the SILVA company had a book on orienteering,I don't know if it still available but it was very good for training with a compass.

The compass that I use for my woods and water treks is an old Marbles compass,pretty much like the one Charles Linburgh used on his flight across the Atlantic.

                                                                                                                                        Top Dog

We got trained on underwater compass navigation near Airlie Beach, Australia.  We did all our training during the day in pristine waters.  For our testing for Advanced Underwater Diver our instructor took us to the beautifully named Mandalay Bay (a name that seems to be in every country on earth).  The name is misleading.  Turned out to be a mud bottom bay that was used for ship repair, with two massive iron rails at the bottom.  Visibility was about the length of your arm at best.  And we did the testing at night.  Can you say "thrown for a loop?"  Holy moly the damn needle was spinning like a circus top as we went over the rails.   

[Top Dog]

Buggs,
Here in the northeast,underwater visibility,at best is about 8-10 ft with most of it less than that!!

Doing,a compass course,at night,in very low visibility would be....."interesting"  Add the iron/steel into the mix,I am surprised that you knew which way was up or down!!!

I also found out very early on,when you dive in the ocean......................................you are no longer "the tope of the food chain"

I have heard that in Australia,you even have sharks in the bathtub!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                                                                                  Top Dog

[in_sympathy]

[Barry Rowland]

Nice pic!!

[in_sympathy]

Nice pic!!

Thanks

[Tasky]

I have a couple (with one or two duplicates in reserve), but there are several other models I'd like to add one day...

 

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