In this day and age of electronic navigation, I still like to use a compass. Besides a safety feature if a phone should fail, sometimes a compass is quicker than a GPS-enabled device for taking a simple bearing.
I’ll often find out where I am by some map reading, pulling out my compass, and following a bearing rather than taking my phone or unfolding a map.
A compass often confirms the alignment of archeological features with the sun or other landmarks, too.
Alas, compasses do wear out. After use, hanging out in a pack or my sweat-stained front shirt pocket, the numbers become unreadable, and bubbles develop that make the arrow action wonky, or too much Utah sand gets in the compass bezel and causes friction in the action over time.
I needed to replace two of my stalwart Silva Starter 1-2-3 compasses and purchase an additional one for a SAR “go-bag.” I like a simple and light compass and find it easier to adjust declination in the field; one fewer thing to worry about and fail.
At $18 each, that would be nearly $55 for something simple.
Then I remembered my budget day hike article and the compass I suggested.
Upon looking at the compass and now using one in the field, I found Coghlan’s Map Compass to be an excellent budget choice at about a third of the price of the Silva brand.
You can probably find it in the camping section of many discount stores, local outdoor stores, or even small grocery stores and hardware stores camping sections in many outdoor towns.
It’s liquid-filled, the bezel turns with little friction, and the compass needle swings easily enough. It’s also easy to read; I like the larger needle vs. the Silva, and it even has the appropriate measurements on the baseplate for specific map-types.
It’s slightly larger than the Silva, and I miss the rounded bottom for easier placement in the hand. However, that’s a minor inconvenience for a quality product at a reasonable price.
But, Paul, how can you trust this cheap, made-in-Taiwan product? Because while it is inexpensive, Coghlan did not produce a cheaply made compass. CHUAN CHING (C.C.) of Tawain, a company that has made precision navigation compasses and tools for nearly forty-five years, makes the compass.
In the end, if you need an inexpensive, practical, and surprisingly well-made tool, consider the Coghlan’s Map Compass for $8.
It works.
It may even be next to the green propane bottles and hot dog tongs in the Moab area hardware stores!
A Chacoan road is pointing north to a well-known feature on the landscape. Many Ancestral Pueblo archaeological sites pointed towards cardinal directions.
Want to learn map, compass, and GPS use? The Columbia River Orienteering Club (CROC) makes an excellent YouTube series you can digest in eighteen, 10-minute, or fewer lessons.