In the Wilderness Without a Compass?

There are many sayings about being in the wilderness. “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”, “May the wind always be at your back.”, “The sun rises in the East and sets in the West.” “Always face down stream.” “A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.”. These things all have meaning when outdoors.

Children from a very young age should be taught that the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West, that if you point your right hand to the East, your face will face North and your back will face South, that the direction of the water in a river is the direction towards the sea, that the Moon rises in the East and sets in the West, that if there is no moon there is a star that indicates the north and your latitude, that the more to the horizon you see the Polar Star, the closer you are from the equator, if you see a bird in the middle of the sea it is because there is land where it flies. Now say that you get out in the wilderness on a camping trip, hike, ext. and you realize you didn’t pack your compass. It’s too late to run back to the house miles away and grab it and you happen to be in a pickle like getting lost along the way of your hike! These common sayings and ways to remember direction could come in pretty handy. One thing is for sure, for your safety, and the safety of your party, never forget to take a compass with you, even if you might not even need to use one. There is a way you can make a compass out of a needle a floating leaf and a small bowl of water, but this takes preparation where you have to magnetize the sewing needle ahead of time. So, if you want, you can pack a magnet and a sewing needle, but you might as well pack the compass just as easily.

Now, using a compass can be a lot of fun and can definitely add to the genuine nature of your outdoor experience and give you a real since of experiencing the outdoors. Like all things there are different types of compasses, some that have features on them that other compasses don’t have, and there are also a great variety of makes and models from expensive fashion designs to less expensive but functional compasses. Whichever type of compass you choose to take with you on an outdoor trip, it’s better than taking a trip and forgetting to take a compass and getting lost.

There are Compasses, and then there are Compasses!

One brand of compass, FAROPS -Military Lensatic Sighting Compass is a functional compass that has all the functions you could need from a compass. Lensatic refers to a form of compass with a lens and a dial instead of a needle. This is also known as a military compass. What you do is look through the lens at a certain point off in the distance and the compass will give you the coordinates and the direction toward that location, but a lensatic compass can also be used to function just like a baseplate compass and just tell the general direction of north, south, east, and west. FAROPS compass comes with a carrying case, is waterproof and shake-proof and comes in the color army green. This is a must for any outdoor explorer to complement a well-prepared bag of gear.

“Wind and Weather” is a compass company that makes a more collectible style of compass. This is a type of compass for collectors to admire, they function but are really for decoration, and quite distinguishing of collectible item I must say. Antique Brass Poem Compass with leather case. This compass looks like an old explorer was searching for some buried treasure! This compass could tell north in the wilderness for you, or help you read a map, and make you feel like a historical icon at the same time.

Carabiner Clip-On Compass. This purchase you could make is a solid must if you’re just looking for the right direction through the woods and none of the fancy stuff. For an affordable price you get two clip-on magnetic compass key chains that will always tell you which way is north and south, east and west, and for an affordable price, two of them so that you are, like the Boy Scout motto, “Always Prepared.” These small yet durable compasses can clip on to a belt or a backpack loop or a boot string for that matter and simply always keep you from getting too lost out there.

Whatever you are doing, whether it be hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, it is easy to get turned around, disoriented, and confused as to which direction to go, when you are out in the thick. Be smart and take a compass.