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At the OMM last w/e my partner used her orienteering thumb compass. Running on a bearing seemed much more accurate than my old silva type 4 so I'm seriously thinking of getting one. They vary quite a bit in price through - from a tenner for a clear acrylic to £30 plus for one with coloured banding around the capsule.
Any advice??
ta
Frank
Yes, buy one!Quote:
Originally Posted by BrassMonkeys
Faster to set a bearing, easier to run on a bearing, less fiddly, less likely to drop when running, encourages you to thumb your position on a map making relocation easier. Only thing I don't understand is why people still use the old style one when racing?
Compass sports have a great selection. I have the tiny Silva Micro Racer thumb compass for easy navigation and generally in my bumbag as my obligatory compass. I also have a moscow 2l? thumb compass which is the one I would normally use in nav events.
http://www.compasspoint-online.co.uk...aineering.html
Use one for orienteering all the time and have used it for fell races / nav
however glad I didn't use it for OMM as the laminated maps are so cumbersome to fold I don't think I could have thumbed the map and held onto it properly. I much prefer the LAMM maps that are just as waterproof but much more pliable
Thumb compass with rotating bevel costs more but allows you to take a bearing rather than just keep it on the map and continuously update your bearing
I used one of these for the OMM for the first time and I have to say I really got on well with it. Although quite a few folk initially said that it isn't that accurate I founfd that in reality it seemed as accurate as I needed it - discrepencies were generally down to me not the compass.
I spoke to a very seasoned orienteier (sp?) before the event and like most things said if you're going to get one, splash out and get a good one - recommended the Silva Jet Spectra - looks like a load of cash for something that might have come out of a Christmas Cracker on the face of it - perhaps its the garish colours or something, but whats brilliant about it is the fluid inside - the needle points north no matter how much you joggle it around which is what you want when you're on the move rather than waiting for things to settle down all the time. Also always there to look at without impeding progress. No bevel on this one though - but thats good for a simpleton like me!
If you do get one make sure that you get one for the correct hand as they are left and right handed versions - right handed people generally wear them on the left hand and vice versa.
Hope this helps!