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Posted: 1/23/2021 12:07:26 AM EDT
I need a good quality solid compass, for land nav.
Suggestions please!  ETA I'm not looking for a Wally world special, and I know jack all about which brands are quality, and which are china-mart knock offs. |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 12:10:46 AM EDT
[#1]
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Posted: 1/23/2021 12:20:39 AM EDT
[#2]
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Posted: 1/23/2021 9:21:39 AM EDT
[#3]
I used a Cammenga in the Marine Corps and keep one in my GHB for rainy days. I have used it at work a few times for pointing satellite dishes or aligning antennas. Some of the younger kids act like I am a dinosaur when I break that one out.
My son has one similar that has a bubble level on it. Since he doesn't have as much experience using it he likes that he knows it is level and can a more reliable reading than if it was canted. The clear plastic ones are easier to get an azimuth off a paper map. You can lay the compass directly on the point and twist it until it points toward the place that you want to be. 2Hut8 |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 10:22:49 AM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryFor backpacking, the weight sucks, but for deployments, serious patrolling, and hard-use, Cammenga Lensatic all the way... Another option I've been impressed with that is a little lighter is the Suunto MC2 compass:  ROCK6 |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 10:27:59 AM EDT
[#5]
A Suunto A-10 will do everything you need while being light, small, and rugged.
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Posted: 1/23/2021 10:34:55 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: For backpacking, the weight sucks, but for deployments, serious patrolling, and hard-use, Cammenga Lensatic all the way... Another option I've been impressed with that is a little lighter is the Suunto MC2 compass: https://www.vikingopticalcentres.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/351244_enlarged.jpg ROCK6 That is the one I got along with a small protractor. I've been doing local land nav ( I was Navy so new to me) and purchased some waterproof and laminated maps for my area. The maps I ordered are 1:24,000 so I like the fact the MC2 I got has that scale built in. |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 12:04:01 PM EDT
[#7]
Suunto compasses set the bar.
Tie the compass to one of the button holes on your jacket so you don't lose it. |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 12:21:48 PM EDT
[#8]
Quoted: I need a good quality solid compass, for land nav. Suggestions please! ETA I'm not looking for a Wally world special, and I know jack all about which brands are quality, and which are china-mart knock offs. Define 'solid'. If you mean accurate, I can recommend the Suunto MC-2G especially if you travel/want to use it while globetrotting https://besthiking.net/best-compasses-hiking/ If you mean 'tough', then the GI style compasses have rugged cases, but the downside is that they're ~3+ x the weight. The MC-2G is a "buy once for life, don't bounce it off rocks" kinda deal. |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 8:27:46 PM EDT
[#9]
Suunto, hands down.
Military-type lensatic compasses are crap (yeah, I said it) for civilian applications, especially for someone who doesn't use a compass regularly. I have a Suunto M2 (or M3?) baseplate compass, as well as one of their watchband models. |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 11:31:11 PM EDT
[#10]
The mc2, g or otherwise are more suited for maps and do have adjustable declination. The military compass is great for presision aiming but poor for drawing lines on maps and doesn’t have adjustable declination.
Mc2 , not g, (global) is for northern hemisphere only. It’s got to do with the way they balance the needle for where the magnetic north is in relation to where you are. The g model works both north and Southern Hemisphere but is more expensive . |
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Posted: 2/3/2021 8:03:45 PM EDT
[#11]
I use a Suunto KB-14/360RG lensatic.
A protractor isn't a bad idea, either. |
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Posted: 2/3/2021 9:07:52 PM EDT
[#12]
Silva Ranger is the industry standard.
Or Suunto's clone. |
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Posted: 2/3/2021 9:10:25 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I use a Suunto KB-14/360RG lensatic. A protractor isn't a bad idea, either. The KB14, while a very fine instrument, is overkill for land nav. Plus you can't set a bearing and run it. |
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Posted: 2/3/2021 11:55:43 PM EDT
[#14]
Another vote for Suunto.
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Posted: 2/4/2021 1:46:19 PM EDT
[#15]
I use the one on my iPhone. Seems to work well.
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Posted: 2/4/2021 2:04:57 PM EDT
[#16]
dated info, but I used a Silva Ranger when I was still in.
it's a good compass. I loved land nav. the M2 has it's place if you're into crew served weapons, but too bulky, imho for land nav. |
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Posted: 2/4/2021 9:58:01 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryThis |
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Posted: 2/7/2021 7:21:17 PM EDT
[#18]
Actually you need at least three. One tied on to you, one in your pocket and one in your pack. They are cheap and like anything can be lost or broken.
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Posted: 2/8/2021 8:37:38 AM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Suunto, hands down. Military-type lensatic compasses are crap (yeah, I said it) for civilian applications, especially for someone who doesn't use a compass regularly. I have a Suunto M2 (or M3?) baseplate compass, as well as one of their watchband models. I agree! I have a couple USGI compasses in my preps but they are not user friendly compared to civilian models. It is much easier to use a flat base compass with a map to get oriented and get a bearing to head. If you spend the time, you can learn to do far more with a USGI but it’s way overkill. I like Silva and buy the highest model you are comfortable spending. It will last a lifetime if you don’t loose it. |
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Posted: 2/8/2021 1:16:31 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: If you spend the time, you can learn to do far more with a USGI but it’s way overkill. I've got decades of experience with the issued lensatic compass and own a few (prefer the new Cammenga ones with tritium); however, you're right. They are overkill for basic map reading and navigation. They are bomb proof because they are issued to morons routinely in the service and they get tossed and banged around all the time. So, unless you plan to do a lot of orienteering and navigating mine fields, you can find a much simpler compass that both weighs and costs less. I do agree, for the price of a quality base-map compass, it doesn't hurt to have one stashed in your pack, one in your fighter or second-line kit, even one in your cargo pocket or at least a good wrist compass (again, love Cammenga for the wrist compass). Maybe somebody can find it on YouTube (I can't access at work), but Dave Canterbury just did a video on the MC2 compass as a "multitool" device and actually identified some things I hadn't thought of (or didn't realize about my MC2 compass). ROCK6 |
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Posted: 2/14/2021 5:24:13 PM EDT
[#21]
+1 for Cammenga. Not cheap, but the illumination is nice. I have mil spec lensatics and protractor models. Never had issues with either.
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Posted: 2/15/2021 4:35:37 PM EDT
[#22]
Here's the vid from Canterbury. The "boring" compass is now a sexy multitool
  Compass UNDERRATED ROCK6 |
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Posted: 2/25/2021 7:17:17 PM EDT
[#23]
I depend on a Silva type 4/54. Totally reliable.
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Posted: 3/26/2021 7:36:14 PM EDT
[#24]
Are there any other tritium lit compasses besides the Cammenga ones?
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Posted: 3/26/2021 8:58:48 PM EDT
[#25]
silva ranger.
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Posted: 4/3/2021 11:59:28 AM EDT
[#26]
The military lensatic is bulky, heavy, and a giant pain in the ass to use when compared to the standard clear plastic baseplate compasses. Get something with Silva or Suunto on it.
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Posted: 4/5/2021 12:16:42 AM EDT
[#27]
 Sportneer Compass I got one of these when one of my friends who is ex-mil started teaching me land-nav. He said it was pretty solid for being not USGI. The "Flourescent dials that stay lit after dark so you can soldier on" part is a joke. It is bright for a couple minutes when you hit it directly with a bright flashlight to charge it. But it is readable under red light. The thing he liked was through the magnifier it shows your heading, and then below it displays the back azimuth so that made it a bit faster to get a back azimuth should you need it. I have one of the see through Suunto compasses, and a protractor/scale with a paracord gut string for using on topo maps, it's much easier. But the Sportneer compass I have is hooked to my chest rig and easy to pull out and read when on the move, and it was concurrent with his Tritium USGI Lensatic from when he was in. |
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