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Just a word of warning, if you don't know how to use a map and a compass, and don't practice with it semi-regularly, do not be fooled into thinking these will s

Just a word of warning, if you don't know how to use a map and a compass, and don't practice with it semi-regularly, do not be fooled into thinking these will save you simply because you have them.

ghaff 4y ago
I don’t fully disagree. You certainly don’t want to suddenly have to use unfamiliar tools for the first time when your phone dies or you discover you forgot to download a digital map. On the other hand knowing the rough direction you’re going and seeing where trails go don’t require being an orienteering whiz.
- ryanisnan 4y ago
  I agree with both of your points. The gaps in knowledge become a real problem if the user has lost their sense of location, which happens surprisingly easily. If your egress route is straight-forward (e.g. head west, no hazards on route), it's easier to recover. But there are lots of skills that need practice or instruction - triangulation, aiming-off, taking a bearing, back-bearing, declination setting, heck even reading your altitude. Add panic because you're lost and losing daylight, and you're in a pickle.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    Yeah. My assumption was that you’d probably be hiking on trails. Bushwhacking or off trail travel generally require more skills. Though if you’ve just gotten turned around pulling out a compass can help a lot.
    - ryanisnan 4y ago
      In the SAR world, it's very rare we search for people who are intentionally going off trail (e.g. scrambling/mountaineering/bush-whacking). It's almost exclusively folks who were hiking on trail, lost the trail, and then became disoriented. It's hard to know for certain, but my gut says some large % of those folks would not have been aided by having a map/compass.
      - ghaff 4y ago
        Certainly it’s about a lot more than knowing what a map and compass is—including when to just turn back. Though I’d argue those 2 things are at least a minimal backup if electronics fail or aren’t properly setup. And I suspect a lot of people don’t carry because they figure they have a phone.
- wnissen 4y ago
  It doesn't, you're right. But the counterpoint to that is you should be really, really sure you have correctly gotten back on track if you decide to move any significant distance. That is the number one thing wilderness rescue folks will tell you. Assuming someone knows when you're supposed to be back, it will be vastly easier to check the immediate vicinity of your planned route than to find you well off-trail in some other direction. Climbing a nearby hill for better visibility or getting on a more-traveled fire road is fine, but heading off can really slow down the search.

Just a word of warning, if you don't know how to use a map and a compass, and don't practice with it semi-regularly, do not be fooled into thinking these will save you simply because you have them.

ghaff 4y ago

I don’t fully disagree. You certainly don’t want to suddenly have to use unfamiliar tools for the first time when your phone dies or you discover you forgot to download a digital map. On the other hand knowing the rough direction you’re going and seeing where trails go don’t require being an orienteering whiz.

ryanisnan 4y ago
I agree with both of your points. The gaps in knowledge become a real problem if the user has lost their sense of location, which happens surprisingly easily. If your egress route is straight-forward (e.g. head west, no hazards on route), it's easier to recover. But there are lots of skills that need practice or instruction - triangulation, aiming-off, taking a bearing, back-bearing, declination setting, heck even reading your altitude. Add panic because you're lost and losing daylight, and you're in a pickle.
- ghaff 4y ago
  Yeah. My assumption was that you’d probably be hiking on trails. Bushwhacking or off trail travel generally require more skills. Though if you’ve just gotten turned around pulling out a compass can help a lot.
  - ryanisnan 4y ago
    In the SAR world, it's very rare we search for people who are intentionally going off trail (e.g. scrambling/mountaineering/bush-whacking). It's almost exclusively folks who were hiking on trail, lost the trail, and then became disoriented. It's hard to know for certain, but my gut says some large % of those folks would not have been aided by having a map/compass.
    - ghaff 4y ago
      Certainly it’s about a lot more than knowing what a map and compass is—including when to just turn back. Though I’d argue those 2 things are at least a minimal backup if electronics fail or aren’t properly setup. And I suspect a lot of people don’t carry because they figure they have a phone.
wnissen 4y ago
It doesn't, you're right. But the counterpoint to that is you should be really, really sure you have correctly gotten back on track if you decide to move any significant distance. That is the number one thing wilderness rescue folks will tell you. Assuming someone knows when you're supposed to be back, it will be vastly easier to check the immediate vicinity of your planned route than to find you well off-trail in some other direction. Climbing a nearby hill for better visibility or getting on a more-traveled fire road is fine, but heading off can really slow down the search.