[pct-l] compass wasWatches

[Maria (Ria)]

Hmmm...interesting question. I do know the Coast Guard has classes in navigation which I believe includes learning how to read a compass; but I'm not sure if that would be the same. I did learn how to read a compass while living aboard and cruising on a sailboat. I wonder if REI offers any classes for this?

Ria...the no trail-name lurker....

Sandi <bowed1heart at yahoo.com> wrote: This is an interesting thread.  I am lousy when it comes to coapass reading/following.  I sort of learned in Girl Scouts back in 1970 something...but I didn't learn to well because y team never got to the spot we were supposed to end on.
   
  Are there classes anywhere?

"Eric Lee (GAMES)" <elee at microsoft.com> wrote:
  Wheeew wrote:
>
Also- is it wise to have you compass as part of the watch, or is a separate "manual" compass better or necessary in addition to a watch compass?
>

That depends on how much navigation you're actually going to do with it. If you've got a decent map and you want to navigate with it (either to triangulate your position onto the map or to figure a bearing from the map), a hand-held compass with a see-through base and rotating housing is very useful. See  this link: http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/manual/mapcompass3.shtml#Together. I've never owned a watch with a compass function so I don't know if there's a way to do the same sorts of things with one of them, but I would think it would be more difficult at a minimum. Maybe someone else can correct me on that.

You probably wouldn't need to do this kind of navigation on the PCT much, except maybe in serious snow cover where you lose the trail.

If all you want it for is to get a quick sense of which way is north, then it should be fine. And of course, a $20 dollar watch and a $10 dollar compass is a lot cheaper than a $200 compass watch, though it guess the former would weigh slightly more.

Eric

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