Selecting a Compass

The orienteering compass is a critical piece of equipment for outdoor travel.

A good orienteering compass has these features:

• Clear base plate that allows you to see the map underneath
• Straight sides for aligning two points or for drawing lines
• Liquid-filled needle housing that keeps the magnetic needle relatively steady when taking readings
• Two arrows: a direction arrow painted on the base plate (or you may use the edge of the compass) is used to point the compass from your starting point to your destination; an orienting arrow, located in the needle housing, is used to orient your compass to your map

Metal objects, such as knives, gun barrels, belt buckles, etc., will affect a magnetic needle.