Find your location using a map and compass with triangulation

Survival expert and former US Military SERE instructor Jessie Krebs writes free, easy guides for beginner preppers on The Prepared.

[mikeg]

I like that you made it simple and concise, but it would have been helpful to explain where the "tip of the compass" is and what "red fred" and "the shed" are.

[andreilukyanov]

Dear Jessie Krebs. Thank you immensely for your short and extremely informative videos. I have read multiple articles on how to do a triangulation with the compass, and NOT ONE SINGLE ONE mentionned the most important thing from the start. This is why I was failing in understanding how to do it. The most important thing from the start: ORIENT THE MAP ON THE TRUE NORTH.

[exothermal.sprocket]

Waterproof maps, good compass and some brains. None of these things are going to break when the worst happens.

[btpowers]

Very nice, thank you. I'm a scout from the 70s and 80s and remember this well. My son is now 9 years old and your video seems to be a very concise tutorial. Will have to check out your other videos.

My Gawd I just got back from the woods. I remembered this from a few years ago and it just saved my life. THANK

[camerons]

Thanks for this video. It really helped. I was stuck on mount mansfield for 6 hours last winter in 60mph winds with a friend and we became lost in the mountains. Next time, I will be prepared because I watched this video

[Sebjg]

Just what I needed, quick and easy to understand! Great, thank you!

[heterodox]

You have a genuine gift to make useful information easy to understand. Thank you. Do you offer classes?

[beeestuff]

This blew my mind, i need to get out more and learn this stuff ASAP!

[Davidhamnett]

🤣 knob hill, epic! Great and quickest example I’ve seen so far, thank you!

[theodoresweger]

This all good information and it works well. In my experience I'm either off map, and the features are to far to be accurate 4 degrees on something 5 miles away gives me too much error. My other problem too much trees or obstacle in the way. I suggest knowing where you start from and keep track of your direction and distance, identify landmarks as you go. Try not getting in a situation where this method is necessary. Try using it when you know where you are to get experienced for when you don't and you will see what I mean. Use it definitely when all else fails. My experience the Scouts, USAF, USCG.

[justinliu]

Is the third reading to make sure the two readings before is correct? Theoretically you'd only need the first two readings to make an intersection.

[barrylitchfield]

Great explanation! (Except I must have missed the part about Red and Fred.) Who are these guys, and are they there with you?

Are you still there waiting for me to save you from the bears? (I wish!)

[chevyn]

Saw your channel yesterday, thanks for what you do. Important to share that knowledge. 👍

[demandyng]

Great video! Easy to understand. I have one question: Is it recommended to get to higher ground to see more landmarks? Some places are surrounded by trees and it's hard to see.

[greenman]

When I'm lost, I don't say "red in the shed"...I say "red in the BED", so I can imagine myself finding my way home to a long nap.

[adrianojames]

Excellent!! Not only for the clear instruction, but i noticed to other important pieces of info... you carry a PENCIL complete with a big green ERASER !

[WillNGo]

When we're lost usually it's because we're not sure where we are, but only in respects to where we want to or need to go. The first thing we lose in that situation is a clear sense of where we came from. We can see the route we just walked on, but forget the turns. The concept of lost is according to a really good source I can't remember, is when what we see doesn't match the image in our minds. 'A mountain can be in the wrong place.' That last position in the video? that ridge? I don't know.

I've found that it's good to get lost as many times as you can do it safely. Then you have to figure out where you are and how to get where you need to go. I love paddling out in the ocean in the fog. I know the wave patterns, have a compass, GPS on my phone and I'm very experienced, and I've been doing this for 15 years. So I'm absolutely confident that I can be headed 90 degrees off course in about two minutes. A good two or three day hike using paper maps is an advanced course in wayfinding by map and compass. The only way to learn is to repeatedly do it wrong, and then realize it. It's so easy to make mistakes, your brain wants to jump on any solution you arrive at because it feels good (like junk food). Personally I think wayfinding, navigating, is not learning how to do it, so much as it's learning about all the ways you can do it wrong.

Also, I set the local declination on my compass before I go out. And with a flat compass like yours, hold it up and look along the compass towards the point you're sighting. It's very very easy to not point it in the correct direction while looking down at it. Why do experienced hikers get compasses with the mirrors? It's just best to site the distant point, while seeing the compass dial in the same view. (And compasses. A good Suunto or Brunton mirror compass costs about $50. It's worth it. I have a Brunton that's about 40 years old. There are three kinds of compass: northern hemisphere, southern and both (global). I bought a both. The needle dips and tries to stick. A bit annoying. So unless you're spending time on both sides of the Equator, just get your hemisphere.

[drpeemac]

excellent as always...salute to madame

[alexmaxwell]

This was the first video on you tube when I looked up map and compass, ironically I originally learned this stuff from her and a couple other folks way back in 2006... blast from the past seeing her again lol