An ability to find your way with compass and map is an important skill, one that will save your life. Also, your map and compass can do many other helpful tasks such as telling you where to go, what is around you or the best way of getting to a particular place. The map and compass are both essential gears, whereas GPS receiver is optional. Dedicated cell phone apps and GPS receivers are some amazing tools, however, must never be entirely relied on to find the way out of the wilderness.
There’re four amazing features to look on while choosing the best compass:
- Sighting mirror: Move to the model with declination adjustment and with this feature in case you are planning to travel off the trail or need precise navigation.
- Declination adjustment: The capable compass for the hikers or other trail users must have this.
- Global needle: Suppose you are the world traveler or just going on the trip that will takeyou to the south of Equator, then get the model with the global needle.
- Clinometer: For backcountry skiing andmountaineering, the compass with clinometer will help you to assess the avalanche hazards. The field scientists or search-and-rescue experts like to have one clinometer.
Advanced Features of Compass
While all the compasses point in the designated direction, they also can have a wide range of additional features. Usually, the feature-rich compass will cost more, although build quality also factors in the price that you pay.
- Rotating bezel: The ring marked with the degrees encircles an outer edge of a needle capsule. Smaller an interval of degrees, easier it will be to navigate precisely.
- Magnetized needle: Generally, red end of the pivoting compass needle, this points to a magnetic pole. Most of the needles float in the damping fluid, which helps to steady their movement. Fluid will not freeze, but sometimes it forms bubbles that generally do not impact the needle movement.
- Magnifying lens: Some of the best compass has one set in its baseplate; it is quite handy to read map details.
- Orienting lines andarrows: Markings inside this needle housing or on baseplate have been used for various basic navigational tasks.
- Baseplate: The flat transparent base has the wide range of the navigational markings, which includes the ruler to measure the map distances.
- Luminescent indicators: Suppose you are starting before sunup and finding the way back after the sunset, you will be happy to have the compass that has got all these amazing features.
