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Ball compass unreliability

Just buy one of those canes @ Wal Mart w/the tiny compass in the handle. They cut way down on the weight.
 
I like this better than a ball compass. I used a length of crossbow cocking device rope as the lanyard. Just wear it around my neck tucked behind a layer and pull it out when necessary. Brunton Key Ring Compass: but it’s no longer available on Amazon.

Here’s a better link and directly from Brunton. Made in USA too! https://www.brunton.com/products/9040-key-compass
 
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BTaylor said:
Curious about that left drift because I have noticed 9 times out of 10 if I go a while without checking, I will have drifted left.
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So after someone else asked about drifting the other way south of the equator I researched it I actually got a lot of answers myself and apparently there’s no bias as far as direction it can either be left or right but more so has to do with the way you tend to go around objects (trees while walking through woods) everybody has a natural bias towards one side or the other but what ever your bias is you may tend to loop around trees or avoidances always to the right side let’s say, by doing that over distance you tend to “drift”. No data on ambidextrous peoples lol
 
I guess I’m on the minority, I use a pin on ball compass from EWO. If I keep it away from metal or magnets it works fine. Going on 3 years now. Yes it’s cheap so I am sure it will crap out at some point and I’ll just get another.
 
I keep a ball compass somewhere it’s visible at all times. I use it to walk in and out of the woods in the dark so I don’t spoil my night vision or alert deer with an illuminated phone. I use it as a reference for orientation if I’m still hunting or to keep an awareness of wind direction. I like being able to glance down at the compass without any kind of movement : hands free. Many days it doesn’t get used, but when I need it - it’s right there. For blood tracking or live tracking on bare ground or snow the ball compass is essential.

I put a little piece of string on my ball compass so that I can easily attach it to the shoulder strap on my pack, the waist strap on my hip pack or the breast pocket on my jacket or vest. For me it’s an essential element of my technique.
 
I gotta defend my baby now.

Ball compasses are admittedly cheap. I usually lose mine before they lose their magnetism or leak though. If you're travelling short bearings (I'd define short as under a mile) easy access and readability trump precision in my opinion. I would not take one out west, or in a situation where it was possible to get very turned around.

You can also remagnetize a compass. I'm doing one right now. If you take a small, strong magnet and orient it so that it pulls the north end of the needle towards it, tape it in place, and leave it for a day, it will settle on north quicker and with more accuracy. I've never heard anybody talk about this before, so I figure it's worth a mention.
 
I found one somewhere that’s on a wrist strap like a watch. Really like it being on the wrist strap I just wish the compass itself was a little better. It gets stuck sometimes.
 
I'm with @Jammintree & @Nutterbuster on this. Though I usually have my phone, a GPS and a good/flat map compass in my pack or a pouch, can't beat having the little ball compass attached to a backpack strap or front of shirt for convenience and being able to just glance at it once in a while.

Like many others, if I don't check relatively frequently, I find that one leg is shorter than the other and I tend to curve in one direction or another. Never really noted which way.

I think which way you naturally turn is dependent on which side of your pants your wear your junk. That unbalances you....the more "well endowed" you are, the more you will walk in a circle if you don't check your compass!

@Weldabeast is gonna say he ends up standing in one place and turning in a circle because of that....but don't believe him!

:tearsofjoy:
 
tarafrost said:
I'm with @Jammintree & @Nutterbuster on this. Though I usually have my phone, a GPS and a good/flat map compass in my pack or a pouch, can't beat having the little ball compass attached to a backpack strap or front of shirt for convenience and being able to just glance at it once in a while.

Like many others, if I don't check relatively frequently, I find that one leg is shorter than the other and I tend to curve in one direction or another. Never really noted which way.

I think which way you naturally turn is dependent on which side of your pants your wear your junk. That unbalances you....the more "well endowed" you are, the more you will walk in a circle if you don't check your compass!

@Weldabeast is gonna say he ends up standing in one place and turning in a circle because of that....but don't believe him!

:tearsofjoy:
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What kind of ball compass are we talking about here, lol.
 
bowhunthard88 said:

I gave up on ball compasses... This one has been reliable so far.
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Yep. I keep a Suunto Clipper on my binocular strap (always carry binocs). If you need true orientaion, you'll want a more substantial compass than the Clipper but it suits me very well for general direction finding. Just make sure it's held level. Those little air bubbles in the liquid help you level a compass for more accurate readings.
 
tarafrost said:
I'm with @Jammintree & @Nutterbuster on this. Though I usually have my phone, a GPS and a good/flat map compass in my pack or a pouch, can't beat having the little ball compass attached to a backpack strap or front of shirt for convenience and being able to just glance at it once in a while.

Like many others, if I don't check relatively frequently, I find that one leg is shorter than the other and I tend to curve in one direction or another. Never really noted which way.

I think which way you naturally turn is dependent on which side of your pants your wear your junk. That unbalances you....the more "well endowed" you are, the more you will walk in a circle if you don't check your compass!

@Weldabeast is gonna say he ends up standing in one place and turning in a circle because of that....but don't believe him!

:tearsofjoy:
Click to expand...
Yep and he'd also claim he buys Magnum size too. :wink:
 
I have a ball compass attached to every pack I own as a backup. Before heading out I check it against my regular compass; I've never had a discrepancy except for one time, which I eventually traced to magnetic closures on my vest pockets. Other than that one time, I've been using ball compasses for 50+ years without a problem.
 
10 years ago I was in Colorado in some thick stuff and had a compass lie to me. It was thick and there was a bunch of beetle kill so there was no just walking a straight line. Three times I walked up a hill got my bearings and took off in the direction I needed to go only to get a few hundred yards away to realize I was definitely headed the wrong direction. Got my gps out and the compass on it was wrong as well. Had to walk and look at the gps track to make sure I was going the right way until I got far enough from an iron deposit in that mountain that the compass would work. I’ve never really had a problem in the southeast with compass accuracy but I use my phone more than anything else these days.
 
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