Do You Know How To Use A Compass?

Do you know how to use a compass?  If you love to camp and head out in the great outdoors you should also learn how+to+use+a+compasshow to use a compass . Here is why.

Title: Using a Compass Could Save Your Life

Author: Steve Dolan

Compasses

There's nothing quite like disappearing off into the backcountry
on your own. It's a rare opportunity to experience nature at its
most peaceful, and is also a great challenge for a hiking
enthusiast. It's also easy to get lost if you don't know how to
navigate properly. You can navigate using a map, a compass or a
GPS unit, or even combine them together. The key is making sure
you know how to navigate successfully.

Once you get out into the peacefulness of the backcountry, it's
very easy to get caught up in what you're doing, and not pay a
lot of attention to where you are. You might be hiking,
climbing, camping, hunting or fishing, and it's all good fun
until you realize you're lost. So learning to navigate properly
is vital. Yes, GPS units are handy and can literally be
lifesavers, but it's a bad idea to place your safety in the
hands of a piece of equipment with batteries that might die, or
that can stop functioning if you drop it. So that's why you need
to be able to navigate with a map and compass.

When it comes to navigating, there's one important thing to
remember - navigate before you get lost! By the time you realize
you're lost, it's a lot harder to work out where you are and how
to get back to the main track. It's much simpler to navigate as
you go. Then, you either won't get lost at all, or you should
hopefully have at least some idea of where you are, even if
you're not completely sure. Constantly refer to your compass to
make sure you're going the right way. Wear your compass around
your neck; don't stuff it in a pocket of your backpack.

Of course, there's not much point in pulling out your compass in
the middle of the backcountry somewhere and trying to figure out
what to do with it. You need to learn how to navigate
successfully long before you leave town. It's too late once
you're already lost! So find a class or a hiking club that runs
classes, and learn the basics of navigating with a map and
compass. If you can read a map properly, and combine that with
compass skills, you should be able to find your way back from
the wilderness without too much trouble.

There's one basic rule you need to remember when you're
navigating with a compass - trust the compass. It's very easy to
think that our instincts are more reliable, but the reality is
that getting lost often is quite disorientating. Besides, if
your instincts were that good, how did you get lost in the first
place? Even if you're not lost, it's a good idea to get into the
habit of relying on your compass, not yourself.

It can also be useful to orient north on the ground with north
on the map, so they're both facing the same way. This makes it
easier to identify items in the landscape on the map. Some
people feel a bit silly turning the map around, but anything
that makes navigating easier is worth doing.

The other thing you need to learn about is declination.
Basically, declination is the difference between magnetic and
true north. When you're navigating with a compass, declination
can make a big difference to your results, so you need to
understand it and learn how to compensate for it. Otherwise you
could get lost even when you are using your compass. GPS systems
usually compensate for declination automatically, but you can't
rely on your GPS always functioning.

Heading out into the backcountry can be a wonderful experience,
but it's a lot better if you can find your way using a map and a
compass. Getting lost can really spoil your time with nature. So
make sure you master the basic skills of navigation with a
compass, and you'll be able to head off into the backcountry,
confident of having a great time without any unnecessary
problems.

About the author:
Steve Dolan loves to hike in the wilderness. Compasses are an
essential. Click on Compasses and Compass Use to find out more and for great gear click Camping Gear andTents

We hope you enjoyed this article about learning how to use a compass.  Happy camping.