Do you know how to use a compass?

[Irving]

I assume that many people on here know how to use a compass, especially those trained in the military and/or scouts. I did not know how to use a compass, other than knowing that it points North.

http://www.squidoo.com/howtouseacompass

I found this very helpful link that lays everything out in pretty easy to understand steps. The page has links to a map reading page, and then a page about combining a map with a compass. I thought it was great info to pass along.

[rondog]

Hell, in this age of GPS, it's hard to find anybody that knows how to read a MAP!

[Irving]

There is a 3 part team race that some of my friends do that sounds pretty fun. You get two people, and you have to stay together the whole time. I think you start out swimming, then mountain biking, then orienteering, then finally running. The challenge is that if one person is the better runner, while the other person is the better mountain biker, you have to still stay together the whole time. I guess there are four parts. Either way, it sounds pretty fun. My friend said that a lot of people would totally screw the pooch on the orienteering part of the race.

[vim]

The biggest thing I found with map/compass work is that you only really understand your skill level when you HAVE to rely on the tools. No GPS for a "second opinion," no wandering through familiar terrain.

[Irving]

A good compass is next on my list to build my BoB; and there is a great mountain that I'd like to try out some navigating on.

[Ah Pook]

Yep. Ever since I was 10yo.

[StagLefty]

Since GPS it's getting to be a dying skill. When batteries die or GPS on a cell isn't available people are screwed nowadays. It's a good basic survival skill that should be known by anybody that believes in SHTF.

[d_striker]

Orienteering is very easy provided you understand a few basics. The primary being the difference between true north and magnetic north.

The hardest part of navigating with a map and compass is making sure you're adding/subtracting correctly for declination when going from map to compass or vice versa.

An easy way around this is to buy a compass that you can adjust the declination on.

[Wulf202]

I'm planning a small basic orienteering survival co-op in the spring

[glock21]

I'm planning a small basic orienteering survival co-op in the spring

that would be good, i have no idea how to read a compass. i would like to go on a 2-3 day survival camp this next summer to get a real experience.