Been looking for a decent small compass after losing the one I used on my way to Death valley. Would like one that would fit inside a tiny altoids can with a baseplate if possible.
Would you be open to the idea of a button compass? I was thinking a Suunto Clipper may be a good altoids tin option. I also have a brass cased Marble's type button compass from AG Russell around here somewhere that's good enough for a "thataway" compass, but I don't think they offer them anymore, And I don't know whether the Marble's brand ones are decent quality or not. If you want a cheap decent map compass, consider a Silva Starter. I used one for several years as a basic orienteering compass and had it in the truck for a while after that, before upgrading to a Cammenga. It's a good little compass. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
This is a Brunton GID that runs about $9 on Amazon. About 1.5" across and will fit in you Altoids can. I did all the knotwork. Thats a titanium bead. Quality and accurate compass.
+1 for the suunto clipper. I keep it on my watchband, but it would be great for what you want also. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I will stick in another vote for the Suunto - tiny (an easy fit in an altoids tin), decent quality and so far mine have been solidly reliable. Depending on how you want to carry them, they are obviously designed for watch straps, but it is also pretty trivial to instead loop a piece of cord through the clip to hang them on a keyring, or if you wanted to go extra minimal you could probably just cut off the clip entirely to make them slimmer. It doesn't have a baseplate, but tbh I can't think of anything anywhere near the size that will - it does have a rudimentary bezel for noting bearing though, which can be surprisingly handy and should do a decent job instead - if you need something more accurate than this then I would really be ignoring the 'compact' type compasses entirely and just having a look at the ranges available form companies like Silva or Suunto to find something that fits the bill size wise. When size versus functionality are considerations, I would always recommend trying to get your hand on as many options as possible to see if any fit - so checking local camping/outdoor type shops to see what is available locally.
One more for the Suunto compass. It's one of the few button compasses with a rotating azimuth ring. I have one on the sternum strap of all of my bags. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I used to carry a compass. I don't anymore. There are too many good ways to tell direction without one.
A no-name button compass in my "when get lost" kit - plus a function of my Casio ABC watch ... ah, and in case electronics works there is one in my smartphone as well (plus GPS + Google Maps with off-line maps when the travel destination was known before leaving). So many ways with only occasional usage ... Most times I prefer a quick "click & look" at my Casio compass ("C" function of ABC) for example when in a foreign city (skyscrapers, no sun or during night) and need to tell the direction when leaving subway or to find a tourist attraction nearby - without having to wait for GPS to find my position (can take 1-2 minutes depending on GPS signal, location, weather, etc.) and load the maps (4G can be pretty slow in cities these days).
There are many good ways to tell direction, but most rely on the sun or stars. In overcast weather, a compass can be very helpful.
Like many of my forum colleagues, I attach a Suunto Clipper to my watch band. I find it incredibly useful to rapidly get oriented to a cardinal direction. When traveling in Europe it’s great to find historical sites quickly and serves as a quick check to determine whether a taxi driver is running up the meter br driving the foreigner in circles.
I bought the Suunto Clipper from Amazon last week. Both watches caused deviation by 10 degrees and the clip was not thick enough for the Submariner bracelet and also a bad fit for the Seiko rubber band on my Tuna. It's gonna live on the shoulder strap of my Maxped rollypoly pack which is my murse when traveling out of town.
This randomly showed up as an ad on my Instagram feed. I have no experience with them but they look pretty cool especially with brass and titanium options. https://mecarmyedc.com/collections/frontpage/products/brass-titanium-cmp-compass Carry on, 5swatpup5.
