A Simple Baseplate Compass: Learning to Find Your Direction

 

Most of us carry a phone when we hike. That's what I normally depend on, along with my GPS watch. Some hikers also carry Garmin GPS devices or other dedicated navigation equipment. These devices are incredibly useful. They can show our location, track our route, record where we've been, and help point us in the right direction.

But I've learned something from traveling and driving through places where there is little or no cell signal: technology is wonderful until you can't depend on it.

Driving through no-signal areas has actually taught me quite a few things about being prepared. And I'll admit something else — when it comes to orientation and knowing which direction I'm facing, I can get very lost.

On a short hike or a simple loop trail, that usually isn't a big problem. You follow the trail, complete the loop, and end up back where you started.

But hiking in an unfamiliar place is different.

What happens if your phone battery dies? What if your watch runs out of power? What if you lose your signal or your electronic navigation isn't working when you need it?

That's what made me start thinking about something much simpler: a paper map and a basic baseplate compass.

Neither needs a battery. A paper map doesn't need a signal. And a compass can still point you in the right direction when your electronics can't.

There was just one problem.

I had a compass, but I didn't really know how to use it.

Carrying a compass without understanding it isn't going to help very much when you actually need it.

So I decided to learn.

What Is a Baseplate Compass?

A baseplate compass is the simple rectangular compass commonly used for hiking and outdoor navigation.

It usually has a clear plastic base so you can place it directly on a paper map. It has a magnetic needle, a rotating compass housing, direction markings, and a direction-of-travel arrow.

It doesn't need batteries.

It doesn't need a cell signal.

And once you understand the basics, it can help you determine which direction you need to travel.

Another advantage is that these compasses are very inexpensive and extremely lightweight. They are almost as light as a feather and take up very little room in a backpack. For something that could become so useful in an emergency, there really isn't much reason not to carry one.

I've decided to make mine a permanent part of my hiking gear. It stays with my hiking equipment so I don't have to remember to pack it every time.

I've also made another rule for myself based on what I've learned from traveling through areas with little or no signal:

Get a paper map whenever one is available.

When I'm traveling, I like to stop at a welcome center and pick up a paper map of the state or area I'm visiting. If I'm going hiking, I also want a paper map of the trail or the area where I'll be hiking.

If you're visiting a national park, you can usually get a park map when you enter or at the visitor center. Don't automatically throw it in the car and forget about it. If you're heading onto a trail, take the appropriate map with you.

We have become so accustomed to pulling out our phones and asking them to tell us where we are that it's easy to forget how useful a simple paper map can be.

My new approach is simple:

Phone and GPS watch for convenience. Paper map and baseplate compass for backup.

The compass weighs almost nothing. The map weighs almost nothing. Together, they give me another option if the technology I normally depend on isn't available.

Start With Something Simple: Find North

Before trying to navigate a complicated trail, I started with the most basic skill — figuring out direction.

Hold the compass flat in your hand, away from things that could interfere with the magnetic needle.

Let the needle settle.

The red end of the magnetic needle points toward magnetic north.

Now slowly rotate yourself while keeping the compass level until the north marking on the rotating housing lines up with the red end of the needle.

Once they are aligned, you can identify north and then determine east, south, and west.

That alone is useful.

If your map tells you that the road, trail, lake, mountain, or ranger station is east of you, you now have a way to identify which direction east actually is.

Taking a Direction With the Compass

Here's another simple exercise I practiced.

Suppose I know that I need to travel east.

I rotate the compass housing until E (East) lines up with the index mark on the compass.

Then I hold the compass flat in front of me with the direction-of-travel arrow pointing straight ahead.

I slowly turn my whole body until the red end of the magnetic needle lines up with north inside the compass housing.

Now the direction-of-travel arrow shows me the direction I need to go.

Instead of constantly staring at the compass while walking, I can look ahead and choose a recognizable object in that direction — perhaps a tree, rock, trail marker, or other landmark.

I walk toward that point and then check the compass again.

A Compass Becomes Much More Useful With a Map

This is why I'm also going to start carrying a paper map of the area I'm hiking.

For example, if I'm hiking in Glacier National Park, having a Glacier National Park trail map and a baseplate compass gives me a backup that doesn't depend on electronics.

A compass by itself tells you direction.

A map helps tell you where you are and where you want to go.

Learning to use the two together is the next important step.

There are also more advanced things to understand, including bearings, map orientation, magnetic declination, and navigating when trails aren't obvious. I'm still learning those skills myself.

Practice Before You Need It

This may be the most important lesson I learned.

Don't wait until you're lost to open a compass for the first time.

Practice somewhere safe.

Stand in your backyard, a local park, or somewhere you already know. Find north. Find east. Pick a direction. Walk toward a landmark. Turn around and determine the direction back.

Get comfortable with what the needle and markings are telling you.

I'm practicing this myself, and once I'm comfortable using the compass with a map, I'll make a video showing what I've learned.

A baseplate compass isn't expensive, complicated technology.

But if your phone or watch dies when you're on the trail, knowing how to use this simple little tool could become extremely valuable.

Hiking Tip: Carry a paper map and a baseplate compass — but don't just carry them. Learn how to use them before you need them.

If you enjoy practical hiking tips like this, follow Fun Hiking Places in the World for more lessons and ideas from the trail.

— Fowzer
The Reflective Explorer
#reflectiveexplorer