How about compasses?

[papasan]

i've been looking for a good surveyor's type compass lately. all i've really used so far are some military-type lansatic compasses but i want something more surveyor-friendly. at a minimum with a level and inclinometer. the old brunton-style compasses like the M-2 would be sweet, but they are extremely expensive and a little large/heavy for backpacking and such. how about a brunton 8099? or perhaps something else that i am unaware of.

 

[Frank]

I've had a Silva Ranger for 12 years now. When I bought it, it was the only one in the store. It was around $45. I didn't realize what a good compass it is or how many features it had until I had it for a few years. I've beat it pretty good and it still works fine.

 

[Wolfen]

What's a compass? Is that like an old fashioned GPS?

( My old Scout Master would be ashamed of me if he saw this post)

 

[papasan]

a compass is a nice, useful tool that doesn't require batteries to operate =P. try surveying a piece of land or getting your bearings in a cave with a GPS.

 

[B@rt]

Makes you wonder how we ever survived the pre-electronics age...

I wonder how most of the globe was discovered ...Using GPS?

 

[JackBlades]

Like they say (No, I don't know who "they" are) a GPS with a hole in it is a paperweight. A map with a hole in it is still a MAP.........

 

[2dogs]

The Silva Ranger gets my vote. Check http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/
Their catalog is the best in the industry. In addition there are many surplus stores that sell the M-2, online and B+M. I would want to hold and check out any used compass before purchase. Take another compass with you. You may want to check out shotgunnews.com(couldn't make the link work) and subscribe to it, many good surplus stores put ads there.
Maybe Loink(sp) specialties sell compasses I don't know but they sell the best machetes around.

 

[Unforgiven]

I have a Brunton Nexus type 25 with light, a Silva ranger type 25, and a Suunto Tandem. All are excellent compasses. The Tandem is marked at 1 degree increments and has a place to attach a tripod but has no adjustment for declination. It does , however have a built in inclometer. The Ranger and the Nexus 25 both are mirror sighting compasses with inclometers built in. They both have an adjustment for declination and are easy to use.

The Brunton is my favorite of the three.
(Declination is the difference between magnetic north and true north)

I did include some links... I hope this helps

http://www.suunto.com/pls/suunto/suunto2.pubmainpage.frameset
(Click on products, search then choose catagory)

http://www.brunton.com/index.php

 

[dilettante]

There are some really good deals on the Silva Ranger HERE

Basically, as I understand it, Brunton bought Silva, but another company owns the rights to market products under the Silva name in the USA. That company would not sell those rights to Brunton at an acceptable price, so Brunton is in the process of trying to rebrand the Silva line in the US.

For you flashaholics, the 25TDCLE Elite on the linked page is a Silva Ranger Elite (declination adjustment and clinometer with built in battery illumination

Right now, you can get them for $39!

I'm not affiliated w/Brunton, Silva or the other company. I just thought this was a great deal . . .

BTW Papasan, I'm with you. I may get a Magellan Meridian Platinum in the near future, but I will never rely on it exclusively. I like my low-tech map, Silva Ranger compass and Thommen mechanical altimeter. Batteries or no batteries they will always tell me exactly where I am.

 

[papasan]

i noticed the deal on those silvas, 1/2 price is not bad at all.

how fast are these compasses? as i understand it the disc type compasses are alot faster than the older needle style. i'm curious because i brought up compasses with a friend who surveys caves and he says that the old brunton style pocket transits are way too slow. he and the guys he surveys with use brunton sight master compasses. the sight master types seem pretty nice but more specialized and not nearly as versitile as a good mirrored sighting compass.

 

[dilettante]

Can't really tell you. I use my 20-year-old Ranger mostly for orienting a topo while backpacking. I can't remember the last time I used it to follow a bearing. I catually find an altimeter more useful in the Cascades.

If I get a new compass, it will be THIS ONE for use with a GPS. Probably overkill, but what can I say I have a gadget problem.

 

[papasan]

that's the brunton 8099 that i mentioned in the first message, it uses a disc instead of a needle. nice compass.

 

[Blackbeagle]

Try this address for lots of compass stuff. They cater to the Orienteering crowd so they have lots of compasses for that sort of purpose as well as accessories that may be useful.

http://www.thecompassstore.com/info.html

 

[browntown]

been a while since i was in the orienteering crowd, way way back when i was in the scouts I coveted lensatic compasses, the military version of the brunton was the prize at the time. but for most people a nice mirrored one like the silva ranger is awesome. that brunton 8099 has got me drooling a little even though I have little use for a compass anymore. gotta goto gadget anonymous and ebay anonymous before im broke.