I was in the Army 20 years when a map and compass were the only navigation aids. Your explanation was exactly correct. It is so refreshing to see that someone can actually navigate by using their God given talents. Great video.
Hi, All I want is a liquid free compass with global needle that shows me accurately/precisely the magnetic north, that lasts, preferably a lifetime, does what I want exist? If yes, can you recommend me some products(brands, product names)? Thank you
Christina, great video of a subject that was and to some extent close to my heart. I'm ex British Army, where we used both the prismatic and Silva compasses. I presented this subject on training days in my regiment and to new recruits during basic training. I still carry a Silva compass and maps with me when my wife and I travel, but being 66 years old and what we call a grey nomad (towing our caravan), down here in Australia, we just stick to the roads, using map reading skills. It's so refreshing to see a young person like yourself using the older ways.
Adding my voice to the many comments of praise. I’m an absolute newbie and have struggled understanding these concepts after watching so many videos. You are a great teacher. Direct and to the point. Clear explanations. No extra junk thrown in. Brava!
Six of the seven years that I spent long distance hiking on the National Scenic Trails and survival living in cold climate National Forests across the USA I used nothing more than my old Army compass and paper maps I acquired along my travels..... It wast til my seventh year that I purchased a phone with the Gut Hooks trail GPS map aps ... I never did buy or use one of the SPOT devices. I'm pleased to see a video showing the skills of land navigation explained so clearly.... Very well done young hiker 👍 ❤ 👣 The only information that would also help in this video would've been that every person wanting to learn this form of land navigation, would be to learn the types of land formations on a map and to be able to recognize said land formations by visual sight
I've watched a dozen or more YT videos looking for the simplest guide for land navigation using a compass. Yours is the most straight forward and includes some gotchas that other don't mention. I like that you don't spend 30 minutes explaining magnetic declination but just simply adjust for declination based-on your map. It may have been worth mentioning the declination screw adjustment that comes on many compasses. The only other thing was that I really wanted to see how you go about finding your current coordinates on the map. I'll have to look to see if you have a video on triangulation to find your location on the map. It is also useful to line up your map and compass facing Grid North and look around in the real world for any landmarks that may appear on your map... that can give you a pretty good idea of where you are on the map.
My brain took me to another video to explain declination because I hoped she had explained what it was haha unfortunately that person just said "it's because north isn't true north"- in about 30 minutes 😆 And now I'm off to another video to explain why it isn't true north... sigh
I have been trying to learn how to use a compass and this is the best instructional video I have seen. Easy to understand and how to use the compass. Great job. 😊
Excellent video. The whole concept was explained clearly and was so easy to follow and understand. The “bras with underwire” comment, though very salient, absolutely cracked me up!
Thank you so much! I took a course and was totally baffled. I guess I am a visual learner because it FINALLY made sense watching you do the process from map to actually hiking it.
In a recon platoon in vietnam we used the shoot a point and count steps method, often only a few yards between points.Two or three guys were counting steps, putting rocks from one pocket to another to keep track every hundred steps.we were able to hit small clearings after moving thousands of kilometers of dense brush and jungle.Important as these were assembly points for widely separated troops.
Fricken Awesome. I have been looking at TH-cam videos and you're the only one who I have 95% learned its the declination of 15 degrees I am a little foggy about. But you are flat out awesome. Navajo Nation Reservation dweller. Big Water Clan.
Nice job, Christina! Clearest explanation to date I've seen, and I really appreciated the tips of things to watch out for. Good job on the flipped direction, too. Keep it up!
It's the best video I have ever seen on understanding compass, bearings, declination, elevation and use of compass for orienteering... Concept simplified to the core...👍 Thank you!
I've seen plenty of videos that purport to teach viewers map-and-compass navigations. Although I've seen a couple that did it correctly, not one of them was as clear and succinct as your excellent explanation here. Beautifully done. A happy coincidence for me is that I'll be hiking in the White Mountains over the next few days. Cheers!
Best video I have found on how to use a compass! The reminder to keep the red outline on top / up north is very useful - was mistaken myself once. Thank you very much!
We used to play Orienteering games in the Army. It brings a little stress into finding your way, which is good. Who would not want to do this in the fall in Bavaria? What a beautiful place.
I'm a middle school teacher introducing students to hiking and orientation.. this is by far the best video I've found... LOVE your content and hope you produce more! Great resource for my students!
TIP: Don't eyeball trying to get the lines on the bottom of the dial parallel with the index lines on the map. Slide your compass back and forth along your course line until one of those lines is under the dial. Now you get it much more accurate. No guesswork needed.
Sliding the compass is going to be just as inaccurate as eyeballing since small movements off the original course are going to occur as you're moving the compass.
The best compass video I have seen on TH-cam. Land navigation is something I have always been interested in. From my stint in the Army, to hiking trails and bushwacking. Great video work showing the process and good verbal how to descriptions. Everything you need to know it 11 minutes.
About 60 years ago we used a compas about one half inch in diameter recessed into a small nut....Acorn, walnut I just don't know but we used it to navigate our hunting in and out of the woods and everglades west of Miami, Florida....It was small but worked every time....Thanks for your video.... Very well done....
Really good, thanks sweety. I gave up long time ago because every time I warch compass video, I do forget how to use it very soon. I had no compass, no map and no chance to practice. Now I got all that and with your good simple explanation I got it at last! Loved example going down the map from N to S and at 8th minute your explanation, cruicial! I did struggle to understand where to look for that bearing for couple of sec.and had to rewind few times. It’s were you add declination, better to point out with green arrow or finger or word it were to look for those numbers on compass. Too many numbers there :) Many thanks for teaching us.
Excellent explanation, as others have commented. Great that you covered the piece about picking a landmark, like identifying a tree, putting the compass down, walk to the landmark, stop, pick another landmark etc. Indeed, it can be good fun! When navigating in difficult situations where you may be unable to see your final destination, it is important/critical that you identify and navigate to intermediate points on the bearing line. Examples being in woodland, in fog. I well recall an early experience of mine in fog on an almost featureless gently curving hilltop, where I had to negotiate difficult ground around boggy areas - in that instance I had to sight to tufts of grass 100ft or so ahead as my landmarks, walk to that, stop, sight a new tuft on the bearing, move on etc. It was important that I did not drift off to one side or the other. This go-stop-go was slow progress, but I was chuffed to arrive at the right final destination point about a mile across the hilltop.
This is the simplest, clearest explanation that I've seen. Thank you. There is a mnemonic that is helpful to remember whether to add or subtract for declination: "Declination East, compass least" and "Declination West, compass best".
I love how you cover compensating for declination. Great for a newbie like myself! Even though your compass appears to be adjustable (the small internal red scale on the dial) you showed us in simple terms. Thank you!
Just to add on, the best video we've found. Clear, concise, can't wait to get out and start picking landmarks. We're hiking the back country of Scotland in a few weeks and I now feel like we can actually use a compass and map if necessary! Thank you!
This is the best compass tutorial I've seen. This was time well spent for me, I finally understand how to use a compass for more than just determining direction. Thank you!
Subscribed! ive watched about 10 videos on this topic and this is by far the best explanation. You are a very good teacher. thanks for sharing your knowledge
Christina, you're the absolute bomb. My good ol' friends and I are going to head out into the wilderness that is crown land and explore our beautiful nation.
Great video, and I envy you living in NH. All your explanations were so clear. Couple of quick clarifications: first, if you are accounting for declination without adjusting it on your compass, it matters if your declination is West or East. Either way, you start with this rule of thumb: if you are transferring a bearing taken in the field to the map, you add the declination value to your bearing. If you are transferring a bearing taken from the map to the field, you subtract your declination value from your bearing. Importantly, if your declination is West, you have a negative number, and if it is East, your number is positive. So, if you are transferring your bearing from the field to the map and your declination is West, you add the negative declination value to your bearing--which, of course, means that you're subtracting it because you are adding a negative. If you are transferring your bearing from the map to the field, you are adding your negative declination value from your bearing, because you are subtracting a negative number. The solution to all this field math is to use a compass on which you can make the appropriate adjustment. Then, once you set the declination, you don't have to worry about it when you take your bearings, either in the field or from the map.
What really matters with declination is if you are east or west of the agonic line (zero declination) and if you are converting a true bearing or a magnetic bearing. If you are east of the agonic line, you will have a westerly declination. If you are west of the agonic line, you will have a easterly declination. I was taught a saying...."Declination west, compass best (meaning add because you're east of the agonic line); Declination east, compass least (meaning deduct because you are west of the agonic line)". This is true except for when triangulating your position on a map. Because in triangulation you are going from a magnetic bearing (on your compass) to a true bearing (on the map). Therefore, you reverse the quote above..."Declination west, compass least (meaning deduct); Declination east compass best (meaning add)". Another way to easily adjust for declination is to orient your map with the declination already set on your compass. Then, as long as you don't move the map, all your bearings taken from the map will already be adjusted for declination.
Very nice job. I’ve watched many videos on how to use a compass. Your video is the best.I love the way you explain things to make it easy to understand. Thank you so much.
That was good. You might have pointed out two things. The vertical lines on the map are longitude. I think most people would know that, but if they don’t it wouldn’t hurt to learn. The other is that most good compasses can be adjusted for declination so north points north without making a second calculation. Of course, it needs to be kept up to date, and if you go to a new area you’ll need to reset that adjustment, but google declination for whatever area you’re in and you’ll get the figure.
Excellent video Christina. I will be going over it a few times so that I have the steps etched in my mind. Nice to be able to figure out which way to go without GPS (with need a power source to operate).
Wow! I-ve seen about 10 videos already (this will be my first time using this type of compass) and yours was the first one I really understood so easily and clearly. Better than all those military guys kkk.
I used to know how to land nav when I was in military but watched another video that had me thinking I had know idea how to. Thank God I watched this video to confirm I'm not crazy.
I was in the Army 20 years when a map and compass were the only navigation aids. Your explanation was exactly correct. It is so refreshing to see that someone can actually navigate by using their God given talents. Great video.
Hi, All I want is a liquid free compass with global needle that shows me accurately/precisely the magnetic north, that lasts, preferably a lifetime, does what I want exist? If yes, can you recommend me some products(brands, product names)? Thank you
@@incorectulpolitic Yes, your moral compass !
They teach this in middle school geography class lol....
It's not a god given talent, It's a learned skill, she wasn't born with it
@@avleathercraft648
Exactly and she had map n compass made by man..
bruh i watched 10 videos and this is the only one that made sense. thanks
Yeesssss
Christina, great video of a subject that was and to some extent close to my heart.
I'm ex British Army, where we used both the prismatic and Silva compasses.
I presented this subject on training days in my regiment and to new recruits during basic training.
I still carry a Silva compass and maps with me when my wife and I travel, but being 66 years old and what we call a grey nomad (towing our caravan), down here in Australia, we just stick to the roads, using map reading skills.
It's so refreshing to see a young person like yourself using the older ways.
You did an excellent job explaining map and compass one of the best videos I’ve seen yet
Adding my voice to the many comments of praise. I’m an absolute newbie and have struggled understanding these concepts after watching so many videos. You are a great teacher. Direct and to the point. Clear explanations. No extra junk thrown in. Brava!
You're a natural born teacher (clear and concise, focus on the facts, no rambling, excellent and pleasant speaking voice). GREAT JOB CHRISTINA!!!!
I had forgotten how to use a compass with a map,thank u for helping me remember why i didn't want to get lost
Hi christina greetings I love your vedeo it's wonderfull
You did a great job with this video. Clean, simple, and no BS. Well done!
Six of the seven years that I spent long distance hiking on the National Scenic Trails and survival living in cold climate National Forests across the USA I used nothing more than my old Army compass and paper maps I acquired along my travels..... It wast til my seventh year that I purchased a phone with the Gut Hooks trail GPS map aps ... I never did buy or use one of the SPOT devices.
I'm pleased to see a video showing the skills of land navigation explained so clearly.... Very well done young hiker 👍 ❤ 👣 The only information that would also help in this video would've been that every person wanting to learn this form of land navigation, would be to learn the types of land formations on a map and to be able to recognize said land formations by visual sight
I've watched a dozen or more YT videos looking for the simplest guide for land navigation using a compass. Yours is the most straight forward and includes some gotchas that other don't mention. I like that you don't spend 30 minutes explaining magnetic declination but just simply adjust for declination based-on your map. It may have been worth mentioning the declination screw adjustment that comes on many compasses. The only other thing was that I really wanted to see how you go about finding your current coordinates on the map. I'll have to look to see if you have a video on triangulation to find your location on the map. It is also useful to line up your map and compass facing Grid North and look around in the real world for any landmarks that may appear on your map... that can give you a pretty good idea of where you are on the map.
My brain took me to another video to explain declination because I hoped she had explained what it was haha unfortunately that person just said "it's because north isn't true north"- in about 30 minutes 😆 And now I'm off to another video to explain why it isn't true north... sigh
Finally a video with instructions I can understand. Thank you!!!
The best instructions on how to use a compass on YT! Thank you! Greatings from 🇫🇮
I have been trying to learn how to use a compass and this is the best instructional video I have seen. Easy to understand and how to use the compass. Great job. 😊
Excellent video. The whole concept was explained clearly and was so easy to follow and understand. The “bras with underwire” comment, though very salient, absolutely cracked me up!
Planning to use your video in an English second language class. You are easy to follow, understand and there is no background music. Good work!
Thank you so much! I took a course and was totally baffled. I guess I am a visual learner because it FINALLY made sense watching you do the process from map to actually hiking it.
In a recon platoon in vietnam we used the shoot a point and count steps method, often only a few yards between points.Two or three guys were counting steps, putting rocks from one pocket to another to keep track every hundred steps.we were able to hit small clearings after moving thousands of kilometers of dense brush and jungle.Important as these were assembly points for widely separated troops.
Mate, 1,000s of kilimetres would put you in Mongolia.
10 klics naw thousands😂
Well done. About the most thorough and complete instructions I've seen in videos.
Fricken Awesome. I have been looking at TH-cam videos and you're the only one who I have 95% learned its the declination of 15 degrees I am a little foggy about. But you are flat out awesome. Navajo Nation Reservation dweller. Big Water Clan.
The way you explained it is much easier to understand than all of the videos I watched. Thanks a lot!
Nice job, Christina! Clearest explanation to date I've seen, and I really appreciated the tips of things to watch out for. Good job on the flipped direction, too. Keep it up!
Thank you so much for this! I was so confused until I watched this video. You explained it in a way that totally clicked for me, thank you!
BEST and SIMPLEST description I have ever seen for using a compass with a map. Thank you!
Thank you, Christina. This is way easier than my Land Nav days in the Corps.
It's the best video I have ever seen on understanding compass, bearings, declination, elevation and use of compass for orienteering... Concept simplified to the core...👍
Thank you!
Hands down the best explanation I've seen so far, thank you very much!
From 3 years in the future, this was the most concise and helpful video ive seen so far. Thanks
Best explanation so far. Even better than Corporals Corner's, imo. Greetings from Brazil!!
Thank you for your "Here's how to do it, now do it" approach. I've been practicing, readying for a trip to Iceland. I appreciate your clarity. Thanks!
I came back to watch this a second time as it is made so simple by a great teacher. Thank you young lady for a great vlog.
The simplest and most complete video about how to use a compass within a map. Thank you!
one of the better videos on this. You explained it better than the REI video did.
Lmfao. That video was basically saying "its bad to get off track" didn't teach anything. Fuck REI. Their shitty videos and their mask policy
I've seen plenty of videos that purport to teach viewers map-and-compass navigations. Although I've seen a couple that did it correctly, not one of them was as clear and succinct as your excellent explanation here. Beautifully done. A happy coincidence for me is that I'll be hiking in the White Mountains over the next few days. Cheers!
Have watched a lot of compass videos. You have the best most clear one. Thank you.
The best video on compass/map navigation You are a natural teacher simple and concise
Best video I have found on how to use a compass!
The reminder to keep the red outline on top / up north is very useful - was mistaken myself once.
Thank you very much!
best basic map /compass navigation video I have seen, excellent.
I like the zeroing out first, set my orientation. And was a good reminder of earliest tutoring. Cheers!
We used to play Orienteering games in the Army. It brings a little stress into finding your way, which is good. Who would not want to do this in the fall in Bavaria? What a beautiful place.
Thank you for the video! you explained it the simplest out of all the videos i've seen! Can't Wait to hit the trails!
I'm a middle school teacher introducing students to hiking and orientation.. this is by far the best video I've found... LOVE your content and hope you produce more! Great resource for my students!
I had fun doing this in school.
Never.Eat.Shredded.Wheat.
Nuce
Great explanation! You're a natural teacher. Thank you for this.
TIP: Don't eyeball trying to get the lines on the bottom of the dial parallel with the index lines on the map. Slide your compass back and forth along your course line until one of those lines is under the dial. Now you get it much more accurate. No guesswork needed.
Sliding the compass is going to be just as inaccurate as eyeballing since small movements off the original course are going to occur as you're moving the compass.
@@SergeantExtreme I did say "along your course line."
That was so good! Enjoyed it thoroughly! Thank you so much! 😊
Beautifully clear explanation, especially when walking south. Thank you
The best compass video I have seen on TH-cam. Land navigation is something I have always been interested in. From my stint in the Army, to hiking trails and bushwacking. Great video work showing the process and good verbal how to descriptions. Everything you need to know it 11 minutes.
Thanks so much, this is a great video for beginners, the best one I've seen. I'm still not confident on the declination but I'll do some rewatches.
About 60 years ago we used a compas about one half inch in diameter recessed into a small nut....Acorn, walnut I just don't know but we used it to navigate our hunting in and out of the woods and everglades west of Miami, Florida....It was small but worked every time....Thanks for your video.... Very well done....
Really good, thanks sweety. I gave up long time ago because every time I warch compass video, I do forget how to use it very soon. I had no compass, no map and no chance to practice. Now I got all that and with your good simple explanation I got it at last! Loved example going down the map from N to S and at 8th minute your explanation, cruicial! I did struggle to understand where to look for that bearing for couple of sec.and had to rewind few times. It’s were you add declination, better to point out with green arrow or finger or word it were to look for those numbers on compass. Too many numbers there :) Many thanks for teaching us.
great video, long time forgot the compass, refresh me the old tools but easy to follow, love you. hanks
Very nicely done and good explanation of adding the westerly magnetic declination to your compass bearing off the map.
Wow...this is a really well done, instructional video...thank you CC, for taking the time to share your teachings with us.
Excellent explanation, as others have commented.
Great that you covered the piece about picking a landmark, like identifying a tree, putting the compass down, walk to the landmark, stop, pick another landmark etc. Indeed, it can be good fun!
When navigating in difficult situations where you may be unable to see your final destination, it is important/critical that you identify and navigate to intermediate points on the bearing line. Examples being in woodland, in fog.
I well recall an early experience of mine in fog on an almost featureless gently curving hilltop, where I had to negotiate difficult ground around boggy areas - in that instance I had to sight to tufts of grass 100ft or so ahead as my landmarks, walk to that, stop, sight a new tuft on the bearing, move on etc. It was important that I did not drift off to one side or the other. This go-stop-go was slow progress, but I was chuffed to arrive at the right final destination point about a mile across the hilltop.
Very well done video, instructions were very well explained, Good job!!!
This is the simplest, clearest explanation that I've seen. Thank you. There is a mnemonic that is helpful to remember whether to add or subtract for declination: "Declination East, compass least" and "Declination West, compass best".
I love how you cover compensating for declination. Great for a newbie like myself!
Even though your compass appears to be adjustable (the small internal red scale on the dial) you showed us in simple terms. Thank you!
Great video...very clean, and even a noob like me could follow it. Thanks for that.
Great job! Clear and concise instructions.
Great job. I'm trying to get the hang of maps and compasses and you've helped a bunch!
An easy to follow description. Good teaching! Thanks!
Great job. Very clear and well presented.
Nice video, still helping others 3 years later :)
Excellent job! Much better explanation than the hard core woodsmen provide! :) Thank you.
A nice concise explanation,for a beginner to understand.Thank you.
Nice video, this is one of the best I watched about navigation with a compass, thanks a lot!
Super easy to follow and helpful video. Thanks Christina!
You did a great job explaining this! Thanks for taking the time to make this video.
At last I understood from this video after much trouble with different videos , Thank you very much 😀🙏
This is the best map & compass video I've come across! :)
I agree with previous comments. I’ve been searching for a simple guide to navigation for beginners and this is the best one I’ve found! Thank you
Just to add on, the best video we've found. Clear, concise, can't wait to get out and start picking landmarks. We're hiking the back country of Scotland in a few weeks and I now feel like we can actually use a compass and map if necessary! Thank you!
This is the best compass tutorial I've seen. This was time well spent for me, I finally understand how to use a compass for more than just determining direction. Thank you!
Getting my kid ready for Cub Scouts: this has been a great video for them to understand the concepts of using a compass.
Thank you Chistina, it's nice video explaining the basic skills to use a compass very well. Great job.
Subscribed! ive watched about 10 videos on this topic and this is by far the best explanation. You are a very good teacher. thanks for sharing your knowledge
Thank you so much, super clear and useful!! Greetings from Poland!
Thanks Christina ..... nice and basic ... exactly what I needed .... great video !
Thanks for your time making this video. I’ve searched several video but your explanation is so easy to understand! Thank you!
Christina, you're the absolute bomb. My good ol' friends and I are going to head out into the wilderness that is crown land and explore our beautiful nation.
Great video, and I envy you living in NH. All your explanations were so clear.
Couple of quick clarifications: first, if you are accounting for declination without adjusting it on your compass, it matters if your declination is West or East. Either way, you start with this rule of thumb: if you are transferring a bearing taken in the field to the map, you add the declination value to your bearing. If you are transferring a bearing taken from the map to the field, you subtract your declination value from your bearing.
Importantly, if your declination is West, you have a negative number, and if it is East, your number is positive. So, if you are transferring your bearing from the field to the map and your declination is West, you add the negative declination value to your bearing--which, of course, means that you're subtracting it because you are adding a negative. If you are transferring your bearing from the map to the field, you are adding your negative declination value from your bearing, because you are subtracting a negative number.
The solution to all this field math is to use a compass on which you can make the appropriate adjustment. Then, once you set the declination, you don't have to worry about it when you take your bearings, either in the field or from the map.
What really matters with declination is if you are east or west of the agonic line (zero declination) and if you are converting a true bearing or a magnetic bearing. If you are east of the agonic line, you will have a westerly declination. If you are west of the agonic line, you will have a easterly declination. I was taught a saying...."Declination west, compass best (meaning add because you're east of the agonic line); Declination east, compass least (meaning deduct because you are west of the agonic line)". This is true except for when triangulating your position on a map. Because in triangulation you are going from a magnetic bearing (on your compass) to a true bearing (on the map). Therefore, you reverse the quote above..."Declination west, compass least (meaning deduct); Declination east compass best (meaning add)". Another way to easily adjust for declination is to orient your map with the declination already set on your compass. Then, as long as you don't move the map, all your bearings taken from the map will already be adjusted for declination.
It all makes sense. Will have to give it a try. Thanks for making it all seem so simple.
Very nice job. I’ve watched many videos on how to use a compass. Your video is the best.I love the way you explain things to make it easy to understand. Thank you so much.
That was good. You might have pointed out two things. The vertical lines on the map are longitude. I think most people would know that, but if they don’t it wouldn’t hurt to learn. The other is that most good compasses can be adjusted for declination so north points north without making a second calculation. Of course, it needs to be kept up to date, and if you go to a new area you’ll need to reset that adjustment, but google declination for whatever area you’re in and you’ll get the figure.
Excellent video Christina. I will be going over it a few times so that I have the steps etched in my mind. Nice to be able to figure out which way to go without GPS (with need a power source to operate).
I love the way you explained it. I have seen other videos on it, but they just confused me. Greatly appreciated.
This is the best video I have found on using a compass! Thanks!
Awesome video. I got a little confused with the red in the shed but at first but then you made easy. Thanks a million.
A Very well presented and understandable video instruction.
Best explanation I've seen, simple and concise - Thank You
Great job at explaining, you made it easy to understand 👍😁💪🏻
Excellent, I needed a refresher, Great video well done 👍
Great video , really good to see this, it well well explained and i'm getting to grips with the direction. Quite soothing learning as well.
Wow! I-ve seen about 10 videos already (this will be my first time using this type of compass) and yours was the first one I really understood so easily and clearly. Better than all those military guys kkk.
Thank You for the good examples and clear instructions.
I used to know how to land nav when I was in military but watched another video that had me thinking I had know idea how to. Thank God I watched this video to confirm I'm not crazy.
This video is so clear! And the example is very useful too. I really learned alot! thank you very much 🥰
What an awesome video. Also jealous of your NH back yards and mountains.
Great simple, clear explanation for a beginner like myself to understand what had been a bit confusing.
What a fantastic video. This was really well explained and easy to follow. Thanks so much.