What to look for when choosing a compass?

[Levi]

Only time I've actually used a compass/map combo was back when I was at school; they where just your bog-standard compasses, looking something like the Silva Ranger 3.

I think now is the time I should be looking to pick one up, before I start to go further for longer in places I don't know

So, what's the difference between the Hi-Tech/Gelert budget ones for <£5, the Silva ones for £10 - 25 and more expensive ones?

I obviously don't want to cheap out on a piece of equipment like this, but I don't want to be paying over the odds for a lot of unnecessary "features" either.

 

[Schwert]

Bare minimum for me is a Suunto or Silva brand with declination offset capability. If this was going to be my only compass then I would also make it a Ranger type with mirror cover.

My favorite is my Suunto Ranger type with global needle (this might be the MC-1...I think). This is more towards the top end of decent compasses but a purchase that should fill the bill for a long time, and not actually too expensive.

The British Army Silva Type 54 compasses (not Ranger type) with tritium marks and a sighting glass is one I would really like to have but prices over here are very high.

 

[Toddy]

I've got a Suunto, and, so far, touch wood, it's working fine Considering that I seem to kill compasses on a regular basis this a resounding endorsement

I can't recall the model right now, but I know it didn't break the bank and it's pretty straightforward.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Mikey P]

Depends what you want it for. If it's for a mini survival kit, small button compass will suffice.

For anything more, well, where are you taking it and how often will you use it? Declination offset and global needles can be overkill for hiking in the UK. Dec offset is useful but you can get away with 'Grid to Mag - Add; Mag to Grid - Get Rid'.

Some of the Suunto orienteering compasses are very good for basic nav - you wear them like a wris****ch but you need to be aware that the needle is the wrong way round (180 degrees out)! This makes it easier to run on a bearing but can be somewhat confusing to begin with.

If you are starting out, a small Silva or Suunto for between 7 and 15 quid should see you right. When you are confident with that, move up to a more expensive one if necessary. Just remember that all compasses do essentially the same thing - there are just more bells and whistle on some of them.

The reason that there is a significant price differenec between Suunto/Silva and other less-well known brands is that you get what you pay for. However, it's difficult to go wrong with a very basic model.

 

[Mikey P]

Some of the Suunto orienteering compasses are very good for basic nav - you wear them like a wris****ch but you need to be aware that the needle is the wrong way round (180 degrees out)!

Interesting 'naughty word filter', Tony!

 

[Bisamratte]

I was looking for a compass and saw some in a shop window.......I ended up buying one online because none of the ones in the shop pointed in the same direction

not a good way to sell compasses if you ask me

 

[Doc]

Buy a Silva, Suunto or Recta. Do not buy one of the cheap Silva clones.

There are places in the UK not far from you where you might have to follow a bearing to get off high ground in poor visibility. I would not trust my life to a cheap compass.

I have a Tracpac clone of the Silva type 4. It is simply not as good.
- the Silva baseplate markings are engraved and filled with black ink, the clone is simply printed and is unsurprisingly wearing away.
- The clone does not have a line to indicate the bearing!
- the cord is thinner and weaker with the clone.

The'standard' choice in the UK mountain envronment is the type 4. You can also buy military surplus type 4s which have tritium illumination (which fades by 50% every 10 years of course) but are calibrated in mils, not degrees.

The type 3 is noticeably lighter, has the same 2 degree markings but a smaller baseplate.

I use a type 54, which looks like a type 4 but has the ingenious sighting capsule accurate to half a degree. But the sighting capsule sticks up a bit so it is arguably easier to break.

The Ranger type 15 has the mirror cover for sighting. Very robust. Mirror also useful for signalling and removing ocular foreign bodies.

All the above are good compasses.

 

[Goose]

Another vote for the silva compass, type 4 does just about everything you might need and has romers on the face too. Would like a type 54 but they are expensive over here too!
The silva will last longer than copies for the reasons already given, the markings rub off on cheap ones, and the silva are oil filled and the needle swings better, on cheap ones I have used the needles stick unless you hold them dead straight, and tap them and are generally more hassle.
I paid about £20 or £25 for mine, I generally go for cheap copies on kit, (no point in paying five times the price, I will probably lose it!), but there a couple of noticible exceptions, compass being one, lowe alpine hat and zipka torch being the others where I have bought the quality item and found it is worth the extra.
BTW I beleive silva and sunto are the same firm, just different names in different countries.

 

[Humpback]

I bought a second hand Suunto RA-69 but have no instructions for it. It has what I think are 'mils' with 'degrees' inside the compass.
Now the scale shows 90degree to equal 16'mils' or 5.625degree = 1 'mil'
Does anyone have an explanation or a link to an explanation as to why the military use 'mils' please?
Alan

 

[Mastino]

mil is equal to a meter at 1000 meters distance. It is used also to determine the distance of objects. An object of an estimated lenght of 4 meters (e.g. car) and measuring 4 mil's (e.g. thru the reticle of a binocular) is at a distance of 1 km.

I find it useful to use a combined deg and mil's scale. Let's say that if a have to deal with an annoying ant hill, I can easily call in an air strike to deal with it

 

[addyb]

I recommend Suunto compasses as well. They're well made and durable.

 

[Pablo]

Interesting 'naughty word filter', Tony!

Just worked that one out
Pablo

 

[Greg]

I have used Silva since I was a kid in the Army Cadets, Can't fault them.

Go Silva!!!!!

 

[Levi]

Thanks for the recommendations; I just picked up a type 4 (think it's the NATO version, but not sure) on eBay.

Will see how I get on with it

 

[Goose]

I bought a second hand Suunto RA-69 but have no instructions for it. It has what I think are 'mils' with 'degrees' inside the compass.
Now the scale shows 90degree to equal 16'mils' or 5.625degree = 1 'mil'
Does anyone have an explanation or a link to an explanation as to why the military use 'mils' please?
Alan

There are 6400 mils to a circle, as there is 360 degrees. So it will be 1600 mils to 90 degrees. I liked mils as it was an easy number to divide, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4 etc, it was a sort of metricised system, degrees are split into minutes and seconds which is worse than using pounds, shilling and pence when doing maths! I know that for the most part you wouldn't really need to split a degree but you are even less likely to need to split a mil, and if you did you would use decimal( never had to do it really so there is some assumption there!) a lot easier to work with for people that would have to work to that accuracy.

PS I do remember £,S,& P, just, and I know people were used to it and didn't want to change, but decimal is far more straight forward! :BlueTeamE

 

[Levi]

I just got what looks to me like a 54B for a bargain price on eBay (I won't say how much, you'll cry). Used, but I'm hoping it will still be usable.

Pic:

Can anyone confirm ID?

The other one is defo a 4B NATO.

 

[Goose]

Looks like a type 54, a good one! It will, I assume , be in mils but IIRC it also has degrees on the bezel. Go on, how much?

 

[Levi]

Looks like a type 54, a good one! It will, I assume , be in mils but IIRC it also has degrees on the bezel. Go on, how much?

Oh, go on then: all of £15.01 (including P&P)!

 

[Goose]

Oh, go on then: all of £15.01 (including P&P)!

Not bad at all, check it isn't running fast or slow though!

 

[Levi]

Not bad at all, check it isn't running fast or slow though!

Don't know what that means, but I think it was cheap due to the lack of info in the listing (Item no. 120089119160 if you want to check it out) rather than any defect.