Pace counting

[Adi007]

Anyone else here use counting paces as a way of determining distance travelled?

For those of you that don't know about pace counting and pace counters, here is a great link:

http://therucksack.tripod.com/landnav.htm#pacecounting

I find pace counting really accurate and useful - and it's not as hard to do as it initially seems. Start off small and over known distances and build up. Soon, you'll find that counting paces becomes second nature.

 

[leon-1]

Yeah, I have, and to help keep count have used beads, and one of the clickers that are usually seen on club doors.

It is very effective once you have learned your paceing over the various types of terrain (rough, uphill, downhill, mixed and flat). It is also worth checking each time you go out, because your fitness levels and loads carried can effect it. :-D

 

[ESpy]

Another one for beads.

Don't hop, it only confuses things.

 

[GATOR]

I just started doing this a couple years ago/ I use GPS but still am very happy with my land nav results from map, compass, and pace count beads.

The hardest part for me was getting a good average for my stride, since it varies soooo much depending on terrain and who I'm with.

 

[ChrisKavanaugh]

Britain secretely sent pace counters to get accurate information about India and the surrounding regions. It is a very usefull skill. On a related subject, to many hikers get into the trap of setting a pace regardless of the terrain. I see these guys on trail with the mindset of a bulldozer needlessly wearing themselves out and misssing everything. But then if I was inthe Tour de France, I'd still be on the first leg following some girl on her bike. ):

 

[den]

Hi
Pace counting is a skill well worth mastering if you are map reading (without Gps) in the jungle, desert or Fog. If you can take a bearing from a map and can pace accurately you will be able to navigate on terrain where features are minimal or even nonexistent.
Moving through dense bush can also be misleading to how far you have travelled even on short distances. With no features to look up on your map how would you know if you have under/over shot your destination? Shall I keep walking?

If you are in a group it can be made more accurate by getting a few or all the members in the group to pace count.
I’ve had pace counters in the past but tend to use stones now. Say I was going 600m I’d pick up six little stones in one hand and drop one every 100m.

Once you know your paces you find yourself using it in everyday life. The next time someone asks you how far are 50 meters you’d be able to give them quite an accurate answer.

All you really need to know is 100m, which are 64 paces for me. Then all other distances can be made from that.

Cheers
Den :-D

 

[sargey]

in low visibility and/or closecountry it can be vital. another tool for dead reckoning distance travelled is your watch. either a digital with a stop watch, or, nice and easy to use, one of the divers style watches with a rotating bezel. it also means you can have a conversation on the way ):

cheers, and.

 

[leon-1]

Hi
Pace counting is a skill well worth mastering if you are map reading (without Gps) in the jungle, desert or Fog. :-D

That is a good point about jungle, but most navigation is not done off the contours of the ground, but off the jungle canopy ):

 

[den]

That is a good point about jungle, but most navigation is not done off the contours of the ground, but off the jungle canopy ):

Pace counting off the jungle canopy? ):

 

[leon-1]

Not the actual pacing, but the navigation. The jungle floor cannot be seen and as such the contours cannot be seen. The maps are taken from scaled air photographs so the contours are taken as a rough off the canopy.

Plus the fact that GPS that work under dense canopy are pretty much few and far between (if not non existent).

When navigating in the jungle you don't look at just the normal navigable features, but also the underside of the canopy itself as this is a good guide to the contours that you see on the map :wave:

 

[den]

Cheers for clearing that up for me leon-1
Leon not the related subject but I see you are from Paignton, Devon. Have you ever tried to collect shell fish on the beach where you are?
:-D

 

[leon-1]

Not in Paignton, but I have in Teignmouth (my family are from there). There is a part of the Teign estuary (between Teignmouth and Shaldon) which is exposed at low tide, at that point you can get out and about raking cockles and collecting mussels. ):

 

[den]

The beach in Paignton is great when there is a really low tide. I normally go there in March on a spring tide. I’ve seen dog fish get washed up when the tide is going out to fast. Cockles the size of tomatoes. Rough cockle I think. .Also loads of razor fish if you are into eating things like that.

:-D den

 

[falling rain]

Measuring distance using pace/time counting is a great skill to learn and with practice you become accurate to within a few feet. A good exercise to start with is to find a big open field. Mark your starting point and take a bearing, walk a few hundred double paces, add 120 degrees and walk the same amount of paces, add a further 120 degrees and walk the same amount of paces again and you should end up exactly where you started, or at least within a few feet of it. You will have walked in a big triangle. You can do the same with adding 90 degrees to walk in a square but will need to do an extra Side (square). You could also subtract instead of adding. You can also measure your paces and time over say a kilometre of straight road and work out how long and how many paces it will take you to walk half the distance or 10 times the distance etc. It sounds complicated but if you note all your personal figures down and keep them in a notebook with your navigation equipment it's really just a matter of some simple maths to work out distances. This as has already been mentioned is very useful for night navigation or poor visability. My pace is 65 double paces = 100 metres on flat, even ground. This of course varies depending on your size or length of stride. (You have to measure it yourself). So if I'm walking along a track and I know my position, i need to turn of the track in 1,500 metres which I can measure from my map scale and compass base plate, I can relax and know I need to start looking for that exit point in about 975 paces time. The metal counting machines are excellent bits of kit and you can relax and just click on each double pace. Very accurate. You'll obviously need to adjust your figures for steep, uneven or rough terrain. Lots of people have mentioned using GPS and it definately has it's uses, especially for people involved in conservation and animal survey. I personally get a great deal of satisfaction from navigating using a map compass and associated navigation skills. They're well worth practicing.
Measure a distance on your map to a point you want to get to, and work out how many paces it will take you to get there. It's a good feeling when you get it right to within a few steps :super:

 

[Kath]

Thanks for those suggestions. :wave: I'm going to use them with the kids! It'll be more interesting than just counting their paces back and forth...

 

[Carcajou Garou]

While I use pace beads & compass if I am traveling to a specific spot; most of the time I use a compass/watch count ei: travel in a certain dirrection for so many hours, days, weeks, just like Sargey.
just a thought

 

[sargey]

quite a few people have mentioned the difficulty of establishing the correct stride count. this is one area that GPSs are great for. the gps will measure the exact distance you've travelled winding backwards and forwards between clumps of gorse on moorland for example. it really speeds up the learning process, and you can check your pacing very easily too.

they're also good for checking your re-section or back bearing techniques.

cheers, and.

 

[Adi007]

quite a few people have mentioned the difficulty of establishing the correct stride count. this is one area that GPSs are great for. the gps will measure the exact distance you've travelled winding backwards and forwards between clumps of gorse on moorland for example. it really speeds up the learning process, and you can check your pacing very easily too.

they're also good for checking your re-section or back bearing techniques.

cheers, and.

I'll second using GPS to measure stride length. GPS is also a great tool to help learn to navigate too because it gioves an instant "yes, I'm right", "no, I'm wrong" or "I'm way out!" answer.

 

[gurushaun]

Does anyone know of a reliable feature (street lamp, road marking etc) that is 100m or a multiple of 100m apart?

Cheers

Shaun

 

[Adi007]

Does anyone know of a reliable feature (street lamp, road marking etc) that is 100m or a multiple of 100m apart?

Cheers

Shaun

Countdown markers and distance markers on motorways and dual carriageways. Not that handy if you want to walk it though. You could try the "Give Way in so many yds/mts" before junctions too ... might be safer to walk.