Suunto A10 Compass Opinions..............

Hey Guys I'm looking to buy a Suunto A10 compass for my day hikes and just wanted to hear your opinions on it. thanks.

I haven't used this specific model, but I have used both Suuntos and Silvas for years. The red end of the needle finds North on all of them pretty well (although you do have to watch out for local causes of variation - true of any compass). I personally prefer models that incorporate a mirror. This model is lighter, however, and perfectly adequate.

The one feature this does not have that makes a world of difference is the declination adjustment.

Get a compass that will allow you to adjust for magnetic variances and it's one less thing you need to think about while using a map.

If you don't intend to navigate with map and compass, just find north, that's not so much a big deal. But knowing how to navigate is always a good idea...

Until I had to buy one as an instructor in a local navigation course recently, I had never had or used a compass that had a "turn the screw" type of declination adjustment. I just adjusted for declination using the rotating bezel, which the Suunto A10 does have. It all boils down to how you want to mentally process this stuff. The ones with a declination screw tend to be heavier and cost more, which for a person just hiking on established trails strikes me as overkill.

For folks who for whatever reason need to establish a precise azimuth, perhaps to triangulate, it's a handy feature. More useful IMO for those that anticipate navigating off-trail.

For me personally, the (declination adjustable) electronic compass feature on my watch is what gets used, as it's always easily available. Perhaps not a comfortable truth for everyone, but the practical truth is that I pull out a "real" compass only if (a) just knowing where north is generally isn't enough in conjunction with "staying found" as I go along (rare), and (b) my GPS isn't along or I don't have relevant maps on it or a UTM grid on a printed map. Since my cell phone has a real GPS chipset, that means it's really quite rare today for me to dig into the pack to get my compass (one similar to the Suunto A10).

All that said, I do agree that it's important to know how to use a map and compass --- which is why what I actually do (vs. what a typical navigation class teaches) is sort of an "uncomfortable truth", I guess! All things being equal, I wish the particular class I helped with spent a bit less time on establishing and following precise bearings and more on navigation by terrain orientation and just "staying found".

Darn! You've just revealed our dirty little secret - with decent topo maps and terrain with some topographic relief, one just doesn't use a compass very much - you need to know which ridge or canyon you are in, but you will follow that ridge or canyon rather than navigate a course of 320 degrees true north within it.

Now on the water - ocean or large lake, it is a different story....

Are you sure about the declination adjustment? Look near the center and on one side it says east decl and on the other west decl. I know my cheep compass doesn't have that.

I see what they are doing. No adjustment; it is just more of a reminder of what you need to do to find true north. NEVERMIND

Looks like a good basic baseplate compass.
http://www.rei.com/product/727086/suunto-a-10-compass

This one has a declination scale inside the bezel rather than either no scale or an adustable bezel. Expect to pay around twice as much or more for that feature -like this one-http://www.rei.com/product/408011/suunto-m-2d-locator-compass

Personally, I prefer black or blue markings, but unlike cars, no choice in colors usually. I have a Silva 7, which is similar, but without the declination scale and probably cheaper (had mine for years). I also have a Silva 27 (small mirror compass) and a Suunto MC-2G (which does have the red markings).
http://www.rei.com/product/652898/suunto-mc-2g-navigator-compass
Got mine on eBay a while back so did not pay retail. The price on these has gone way up from what I remember from a few years ago. Compasses don't really wear out unless you magnetize them or break them.

If you need to learn how to use it, The Land Navigation Book published by the Sierra Club is a good instructional book or there are several websites with lessons. Get a topo map of a local park, then go out and try out your skills. Like most things, it's useless or worse if you don't know what you are doing with it.

Lori, you taught me something new. I was taught how to use a map and compass in scouts, and then more thoroughly in the military. The cheap compasses that I used in scouts, and even the expensive military compass don't have a declination adjustment. I was always taught to do the math for each time. Recently I bought a $50 Brunton. I didn't realize what that little screw was for until now.
So, the two things I learned:
What a declination adjustment is, and what that little metal
thing on the lanyard is for.
Thanks