In and Out Navigation: The Easiest Way to Use a Compass

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and as always....
Stay in the Woods,

Dan

[NHHUNTNH]

I got turned around one night hunting a very familiar area. Went towards the sound of running water, found the river and followed it to the road. I was about 3miles from where i thought i was. Getting lost is no joke.

[dearred]

Just heard a story about a hiker that got lost in the woods and survived for nearly 30 days but eventually died of starvation or illness. So I started researching how to not get lost in the woods and have spent the last 3 hours on YouTube watching videos about using compasses. Your video is by far the easiest to understand. Thank you. 👍😁

[jimtalor]

I've never been lost in the woods but i was once bewildered for 3 days! - Daniel Boone.

[kennethburge]

Thank you for not putting 2.5 minutes of music and self promotion prior to just telling us what to do. Very simple. Thank you!!

[r-pupz]

This is so important! People rely heavily on electronics but they can break, get lost, run out of battery, or otherwise become unusable. Knowing basic navigation (and practicing it!!) is a vital skill for everyone, but especially hikers, backpackers, and anyone who ventures into unfamiliar territory.

[sheerwillsurvival]

After many many years of teaching land navigation. The best tip for back azimuth is to use 10deg off set so that if you are going to a road or trail you can know to go left or right when you hit the road or trail. ie your back azimuth is say 120 you you travel back at 130deg so when you find road or trail you know you have to go left to find vehicle

[andrewmypocalypse]

I realized that when you are traveling on an azimuth, with "the needle in the doghouse", to go in the opposite direction simply turn around until the opposite end of the needle is "in the doghouse". Pretty darn simple.

[Carnyx_]

I was in the Army. We did land nav; it was easy for me. I was also the BN CMDR's driver and I never got lost in the field. I know, those two things will get me into trouble fast. Over confidence is a killer. The time between when you're absolutely certain you're right, and when you finally admit you were wrong (or didn't know), is all the time you have to save yourself.

[EPGunman]

One of the best points you made was to put away your pride!!! A compass don’t have much weight and is invaluable especially in unfamiliar areas or at night. Most things really look different in the absence of light. Thanks Dan

[jackieeastom]

When I was young, I was taught to look at the back trail on a regular basis because things look drastically different from the other direction.Also should mark your trail for easier return. A turned over rock, a scuff in the grass, a nick in the bark of a tree, a dead branch pointing out the direction, ect ect.

[AclockworkPurple]

There was some young country singer who just got lost on his own 30 acres of property 08/09/20 and had to be rescued. He was utterly, completely unprepared taking what he thought would be a quick 30 minute walk. Perfect example how a few simple pieces of gear, knowledge and prep make a difference.

[stephenRoach-pouo]

Best ever instruction on how to use a compass

[oldsoldier]

Dog legs, hand rail, terrain association-all great tools for land nav. When I was a young soldier, land nav used to intimidate me. Then, I had an SF mentor who helped me "cheat" a whole lot. There are many, many courses out there to take to learn these techniques, and most can be taught in a day or two. A great resource to practice these regularly is a local orienteering club.

[bmphil]

Another point you made....
Don't get your compass near metal when taking your readings. Metal buttons, zippers, screws on a picnic table etc can throw off your readings.
Hold the compass well away from any ferrous hardware.

[johnsnyder]

You have just made the compass make sense for the first time in my life. THANK YOU!!

[jaybayer]

Oh wow that makes total sense. I never knew this was how you used a compass.

[wayneeddy]

I used to love working with bearings & topo maps..👍
Never been lost in the wilds, only in cities..👍🙈

[seikomega]

Yeah also in scuba diving it's sometimes very useful knowing how to use a compass like that, even not only subtracting 180° but also doing right angles to follow a square path

[robertjschmalz]

Love the approach of this channel. I took the Sierra Club Wilderness class a few years ago and that was fine but these videos break it down better and keep it as simple as possible. I am more likely to remember and practice these tips.

[johnchastain]

Dan, thanks. The simple use of a compass is often overlooked. When I was much younger and hiking sections of the Appalachian Trail with two buddies we had a couple of situations when we were deep in the woods and we needed to know which way to go - left or right - even though we had the full trail guide with us. The AT was not as busy in the 1980s as it is now. Two of us pulled out our compasses and quickly knew with confidence the right direction to go. Our third buddy didn't have a compass and told us we were wrong. He wanted to go the opposite direction. We took off in the correct direction and told him that we would never see him again. He soon changed his mind and caught up with us. This simple use of a compass is also essential when scouting new hunting areas. I am much older now, but one day I was the one who messed up. I had a compass in my vest but did not check my bearing before I entered a section of woods that I was not familiar with. I made a couple of blazes on some trees and though it would be easy to reverse and get out. It was fairly thick near a stream and I drifted a bit. When I turned to leave I soon lost sight of my blazes. I ended up getting out on a parrallel line, but since I was not sure exactly where I was it was a bit sketchy. I did have my 5-Cs kit with me but I needed to get out. If I had just checked my bearing on the way in - like you showed in this video - it would have been much quicker and easier to get back to the truck. When I mention taking a compass into the woods or on the AT to my son or other young people in their 20s they look at me like I am a dinosuar. They do not understand that a compass can be used faster than the GPS. I had a GPS that day but did not use that either since it would take longer to use! The compass is still a required piece of kit in my book. It should be the 6th C!