Recommend a Good Compass

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  • winch

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 14, 2011
    1,326
    Towson
    Anyone have a cost effective compass they can recommend? The .mil ones are $86 on AMZ. I bought a cheapo one and it's worth every bit of the $13 that I paid for it LOL.
     

    Dovk0802

    Active Member
    Sep 20, 2017
    255
    DC
    I find that I rarely do serious map work or need to shoot a dead on azimuth.
    Particularly out east, I'm doing general orienteering; making sure I'm not walking in a circle in thick brush/woods. For that most of the time I find wrist compass more handy. I use a Suunto M-9 on my opposite wristwatch hand but, if my watch didn't have a metal bracelet, a little clip on compass would work fine.
     

    Huckleberry

    No One of Consequence
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 19, 2007
    23,313
    Severn & Lewes
    Always used a Swedish or American made Silva as a backup or alternative to my Army GI lensatic compass.

    Not sure about the newer Made in the PRC Silvas but you can still get Swedish made.
     

    nedsurf

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 8, 2013
    2,204
    A Silva Ranger has served me well for a few decades without breaking/malfunctioning. It functions in every way that a military compass can and then some. It is also much lighter. My favorite feature is that declination adjustment can be set on the compass for the area one is in then there is no more adding or subtracting declination for a map azimuth. IMO, only in tac. applications does one need the tritium indicators that the military compass has so its worth shedding a few ounces to go with a civilian model if not needed.
    https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/products.php?mi=12963&itemnum=37038&redir=Y
     

    E.Shell

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 5, 2007
    10,245
    Mid-Merlind
    A Silva Ranger has served me well for a few decades without breaking/malfunctioning. It functions in every way that a military compass can and then some. It is also much lighter. My favorite feature is that declination adjustment can be set on the compass for the area one is in then there is no more adding or subtracting declination for a map azimuth. IMO, only in tac. applications does one need the tritium indicators that the military compass has so its worth shedding a few ounces to go with a civilian model if not needed.
    https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/products.php?mi=12963&itemnum=37038&redir=Y
    Agreed.

    I have the Ranger as well as a military lensatic compass and never use the military unit due to the weight & bulk. I usually use the small, flat Silva 'Type 7' anyway, because I only need to not walk a circle most times and don't need the precision bearings offered by a lensatic model.

    One advantage of the lensatic units is that the cover protects the compass itself. I have broken several of the Type 7s over a 40 year span of using them, where they crack and lose the fluid. I know for sure I broke one mechanically and I believe the others were also inadvertantly broken, like the one that used to live in my tackle box, probably mashed it against something closing the lid. As cheap as they are, one can keep a few around for contingencies.
     

    2ndCharter

    Based dude w/ lovin' hands
    MDS Supporter
    Apr 19, 2011
    4,795
    Eastern Shore
    I own probably a dozen compasses, maybe more. Lensatics, Silvas, Suuntos etc. I personally like the Silva Ranger and Explorer Pro. I've taught orienteering to Boy Scouts and worked in the field with adults with them. Amazingly, to me, as a SAR Tech, I never used one but I'd probably have used what was familiar and stuck with a Silva. I have one in my backpack and daypack too.
     

    jamesp15

    Active Member
    Jul 16, 2018
    420
    Southern PG
    I keep a Cammenga Phosphorescent one in each car, as well as a Tritium one in each of my hiking and fishing packs along with a recent and local USGS Quad/Topo map printed on waterproof paper/ink of the area and surrounding areas I am going to. (I usually get them from here: https://www.mytopo.com/states/index.cfm)

    Its what I learned on, and used in the land-nav courses I have taken.

    Also have a couple of old boy scout compass from when I was a kid that I sometimes carry.
     

    cantstop

    Pentultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 10, 2012
    8,161
    MD
    I have a Silva Polaris, but honestly I use the compass on my emergency whistle more than that. I also use the compass app on my phone since, I've got that with me on most recreational hikes. If the SHTF, I'll be using the Silva.
     

    CIGuy

    Member
    Nov 4, 2008
    53
    Aberdeen, MD
    Totally agree with the other recommendations for Silva. Have one for the last 40 years and managed to never break it all through Scouts and the Army. Got the job done for me all over the world.
     

    Not Sure

    Member
    Jan 1, 2021
    15
    I cant think of a time when a simple compass such as the Suunto A10 was less than adequate. I still have the compass I used in LandNav school but only for memories. In the absence of a good map the compass might as well stay in the pack. Likewise, a good map without a basic compass leads the traveler astray.
     

    E.Shell

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 5, 2007
    10,245
    Mid-Merlind
    I cant think of a time when a simple compass such as the Suunto A10 was less than adequate...
    For most users, this is the bottom line. To work through a series of bearings, such as land nav exercises, the precision of a good lensatic unit is needed, but for 99% of civilian use, a simple compass does it.
     

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