What I meant to say is "For the average hiker with little if any compass skill, if lost anyplace without clear landmarks, even with a map, that compass isn't going to do anything at all except tell you which way is sort of north."

The warm feeling that novices get from having a compass is missplaced and dangerous. Even highly skilled members of this group cannot use a map and compass to get un-lost in a white out or where there is featureless terrain, AND even an expert with a map and compass is gonna have a tough time getting to an exact location, like an archaeological site, OR YOUR TRUCK.

GPSR's are not easy to learn to use, BUT anybody capable of logging on here and reading this can operate a GPS. just use evrything on default, set a waypoint at your truck before you leave, and then when you return - walk towards that waypoint. If it fails - if the Iranians jam your GPS signal, well then yer just gonna have to use some of those Daniel Boone skills aren't you. Spare batteries are nice - and lighter than a spare candy bar.

YES navigation problems are fun [as long as you do them from a nice warm dry place, not when lost in snow without food or water...] I just think they belong in OFF TOPIC, not in the begiiners forum - because they generate a false reliance on a unrealistic faith in compasses. Frankly I'd rather see people with no maps, no compasses and no GPSR's, when learning because if they learned to look around and navigate by the angle of the sun and by the terrain, they might be able to find their way out later IF that GPS or compass fails..
Jim