UKH

I'm doing a fair bit of orienteering at the moment and looking to replace my fairly unstable cheap and cheerful compass. It'll mostly get used for orienteering but it will also get used for general mountain navigation so I'm not totally convinced about going down the thumb compass route.

I'd been looking at the Silva Jet series but they seem fairly pricey, are they worth it or would I be better off looking at a Moscow compass? I'd also be interested in anyone's experiences of using a thumb compass for general hill navigation. Scale wise my maps are a mix of 1:10k, 1:15k, 1:25k and 1:40k so I'm guessing I'll struggle to find all those scales on a compass small enough to want to run with.

Thanks

In reply to Reach>Talent: Ive had the same silva compass for the past nine years,cost £15,does the job.

In reply to blackcat:

Are you using it for running? I never paid an enormous amount of attention to my compass till I tried taking a bearing while running and felt seasick!

In reply to Reach>Talent:

Silva 4 is all the compass you'll ever need

In reply to Reach>Talent: If you are orienteering seriously then absolutely go for a Silva Jet (or similar). I haven't competed for over a decade but I used one when I did and the performance difference is significant.

A type 4 is brilliant for standard hill navigation and what I currently use, but only someone who knows nothing about orienteering would think it suitable for proper competition use.

I'd easily prefer to use a thumb compass in the hills than use a standard one orienteering. At least in the hills you've always got plenty of time to work around the limitations.

In reply to The Ex-Engineer:

Cheers, I was looking at a Moscompass series 2 or 3 as they are a fair bit cheaper than a quick Silva compass. I wouldn't say I orienteer seriously, more comedically but hopefully that'll change.

In reply to Reach>Talent:


I use a Moscow 3L all the time for running in the hills, but would take my Silva 54 for more critical navigation at walking pace. No problems at all with the accuracy of the Moscow, but you don't get the baseplate's long straight edges with detailed scales (just cruder 1cm marks). So probably depends on whether you're looking for quick fixes with eyeballed distances on ground where you can afford to be a degree or two out or ML-style micro nav, but my Moscow currently gets far more use than my Silva when it's perfect for the former and so much nicer to handle on the run. I got the 3 rather than the 2 for the additional stability, but find it plenty fast enough.

In reply to Reach>Talent:
I've use a Silva 6 jet spectra thumb compass for for running.

It's light, comfortable and easy to use, and I find it adequate for the vast majority of stuff. When running I tend to be constantly alert and aware, so typically just need something for general orientation, rough bearings and very approximate scale work (though i just tend to use my thumb/finger for the last). At a push you can follow a bearing and triangulate a location, but it all gets very rough and ready, so wouldn't be great for navigating in high consequence situations or in very blank, flat terrain. Taking some time to learn your pace on different terrain, get an eye for estimating distances at different scales, and learn to navigate confidently on contours and features are more important if you're using a stripped down compass.

If I'm out on more exploratory/serious outings, I tend to take a Silva explorer. Still pretty cheap (less than £20?) and compact, but with a proper baseplate and bezel. I never feel like I need anything more - certainly the compass is never the weak point in my navigation. They seem surprisingly robust given how cheap they are.

In reply to Reach>Talent:
I use the Moscow thumb compass model 2 which is as stable as the Silva 1 JET. The latest Moscow 2 has a better dial markings, the old version had the logo and details obliterated a lot of the dial.

I also have the Silva 1 JET with the replaceable scale which is very good for micro nav.

I use the Moscow thumb all the time and fall back on the JET occasionally.

Edit - both are incredibly fast

In reply to petestack et al:

Cheers. I ended up getting the 3L in the end and from a highly unscientific "waving it around" test it seems good. I'll retract this statement if I get horribly lost when I try it properly though.

In reply to Reach>Talent:

Only skim read this but my two pence would be get a "thumbpass" I have a Silva thumb compass, which I've used extensively orienteering and I now use it in the hills as well. May take a little getting used to taking bearings on, but for following bearings on the move I think it can't be beaten.

edit: just had a quick google and it's a silva 6, so sorry if it's already been mentioned