Thumb Compasses

[BOD]

Has anyone used these for trekking or walking?

http://www.silva.se/templates/Products____106.aspx?epslanguage=EN&productId={68EECE64-791D-4D80-A3D1-1D17D0670FF6}

http://thegearjunkie.com/the-thumb-compass

What do you think of them?

I rarely carry a protractor compass or GPS unless I am going to an unfamiliar area or need to mark a specific location and only carry a button compass on my watch.

The trouble is that my eyes ain't too good anymore for reading and its hard to see the pointer on the button sometimes especially under a canopy or at dusk.

Would this help a half blind old man find his way when he needs to frequently refer to a compass but doesn't want the fuss and bother of taking out his reading glasses every time or carrying a protractor compass around his neck or stuffed in a pocket?

Welcome your advice

 

[Tiley]

They're great for orienteering because the needle moves very quickly and is easily visible when running. I'm sure they would work for more sedate activities but, for those moments when you're following a defined bearing through clag or other unmentionable conditions all too familiar to us, they might not be quite as sharp as a good ol' type 4 or type 54.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Darn it BOD,
I thought from the title, this would be a thread about something akin to the "Hand Dial" time prediction method!

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[BOD]

Darn it BOD,
I thought from the title, this would be a thread about something akin to the "Hand Dial" time prediction method!

ATB

Ogri the trog

Sorry mate. promise to find something new. maybe wiggling thumbs to find North perhaps?



Tiley, are they a nuisance to strap on and do they stay on?? can you do things with that hand while it is strapped on??

I might be using a parang in one hand and have the compass on the other and don't want to shaeth the parang because the other hand is unable to do anything.

Easy to read is good.

Unless you need reading glasses you cannot imagine what a nuisance it is to put on glasses to read a compass especially in the jungle when they steam up!

I'm not worried about definate bearings as i'd only use it for general direction and or for bailing out to a check feature like a lake or road

 

[Ogri the trog]

Sorry mate. promise to find something new. maybe wiggling thumbs to find North perhaps?

Not quite but something I have now got used to doing,
If you can find north and you have your hands free....
http://sundials.org/links/local/time_at_your_fingertips.pdf

Sometimes its very accurate - other times not so.

Give it a whirl and see how you get on.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Tiley]

Tiley, are they a nuisance to strap on and do they stay on?? can you do things with that hand while it is strapped on??

They were designed for elite orienteering folk who like to have map in hand with compass on the same thumb to give them incredibly fast bearings to the next waypoint. They are not awkward to put on but I would have pretty drastic reservations about wielding a parang in a jungle environment whilst wearing one. Although not large, it could well get in your way to some degree - something I'd not recommend. That said, time spent practising with it and getting used to it might well help you decide whether it works for you or not. Silva make some other, hand-held orienteering compasses which are as easy to read (if not more so) than the thumb ones but can be dangled round your neck or stuck in a pocket while you clear the vegetation.

I'm sorry that this is not more definite but it's not a usage that I'd foreseen .

 

[jamesraykenney]

Tiley, are they a nuisance to strap on and do they stay on?? can you do things with that hand while it is strapped on??

They were designed for elite orienteering folk who like to have map in hand with compass on the same thumb to give them incredibly fast bearings to the next waypoint. They are not awkward to put on but I would have pretty drastic reservations about wielding a parang in a jungle environment whilst wearing one. Although not large, it could well get in your way to some degree - something I'd not recommend. That said, time spent practising with it and getting used to it might well help you decide whether it works for you or not. Silva make some other, hand-held orienteering compasses which are as easy to read (if not more so) than the thumb ones but can be dangled round your neck or stuck in a pocket while you clear the vegetation.

I'm sorry that this is not more definite but it's not a usage that I'd foreseen .

I think he meant wearing it on the hand NOT welding the parang.
There is so much high carbon steel in a parang that you would not be able to trust the readings you got from a compass near it anyway. I think he wanted to know ifr you could use the other hand for other things while the compass was strapped on.

 

[gregorach]

Silva make some other, hand-held orienteering compasses which are as easy to read (if not more so) than the thumb ones but can be dangled round your neck or stuck in a pocket while you clear the vegetation.

And the Type 54 can be pinned to the front of your shirt for hands-free (although not hugely accurate) use.