The importance of knowing how to navigate with a compass

You've heard it before and you'll hear it again: You don't want to get lost in the wilderness. That's why it's essential to know how to use a compass, even if you're an experienced hiker or backpacker. No matter how much gear you pack with you, no matter how many first aid kits you bring, or how much food and water you have on hand, if you don't have a functioning compass—and know how to use it—you could still get into serious trouble. Fortunately for everyone who wants to learn this valuable skill, I'm here to convince any skeptics that they should give learning how to navigate by compass a shot.

You don't want to be caught dead without a functioning compass.

If you're ever lost in the wilderness, a compass will be your best friend. It's one of the most important items to bring with you on an outdoor adventure.

However, many people who go camping or hiking don't realize how important it is to know how to use a compass—or even what a compass is! In this article, we'll explain what compasses are and how they work so that if you ever find yourself lost in the woods without one, you'll know enough about compasses and navigation with them that hopefully it won't be too hard for you to get back on track.

You might get lost and need help getting out of the woods.

If you're in the wilderness, there are countless ways to become lost and die. And if you don't know how to get out of the woods, then your chances of survival are even slimmer. But even if you're not out in nature, it can happen to anyone. You could be walking through a city when suddenly everything looks unfamiliar and you have no idea where you are or how to get home!

You might also find yourself lost because of a flat tire, car trouble or other problem that makes it impossible for your GPS system or smartphone's map application with satellite imagery (like Google Maps) to work properly. If this happens while camping with friends or family members who aren't as prepared as they should be without their own compass—or worse yet—if they were relying on yours entirely while driving cross-country without any backup plans at all...well...you can see why having one would come in handy now!

You could be the leader of a group that gets lost in the wilderness.

You could be the leader of a group that gets lost in the wilderness. As such, you will need to know how to navigate with a compass. If you are the leader of your group and don’t know how to use a compass, then you may end up leading them into more trouble than they would have been in otherwise.

You need to be able to read maps and use compasses as well as any other navigational tools available when outdoors or on an expedition. You also need to know what dangers might come up during your mission if something goes wrong with your equipment or if it gets lost during an accident or other mishap along the way.

Knowing how to use a compass can save your life.

If you don't know how to use a compass, you could get lost. It's as simple as that. You could end up wandering around in circles and running out of daylight before finding your way back to civilization. Or worse: if the weather turns bad, you may have to spend a night in the woods with no shelter or food.

There are plenty of situations where knowing how to navigate with a compass could save your life or someone else's. Consider this scenario: You're hiking through mountains when it starts raining heavily and lightning begins flashing around you - suddenly, there's no way down from where you are! Fortunately for both parties involved (and for any hikers nearby), one person has enough sense about them that they've brought along their trusty compass...

You'll have more confidence to explore new places.

You’re in a new place, and you don’t know how to get back to your hotel. You have no map, no phone signal and no idea where you are. If you had a compass with you and knew how to use it, it wouldn’t matter if your phone was dead; all you would need is the sun and a little bit of confidence in yourself. Let's say that when I was in France this summer I found myself lost on the streets of Paris about 8 p.m., after spending an afternoon at Versailles Palace—one of three palaces near Paris that make up what is known as “The Grand Trianon Palaces."

Knowing how to read a map is not enough.

Map reading is not enough. A compass is a backup that can be used to navigate when map reading is not possible. For example, if there is heavy fog or the sky is overcast, then you won't be able to see where you are on your map. In this case, you can use a compass to find your geographical location and then plot where you need to go from there.

A compass can also come in handy when GPS satellites are not available. When there's no light pollution—like seeing stars with the naked eye—navigating by starlight isn't difficult as long as it isn't cloudy outside!

Even if you have an app, you need to know how to use a compass.

Even if you know how to use your phone's GPS, it's still important to learn how to navigate with a compass. If your phone stops working, you won't be able to use its GPS. Even if it has a compass app, it will not work as well as an actual compass because the apps are usually less accurate than what a good old-fashioned compass can provide.

Therefore, knowing how to use a compass is essential for any hiker or camper. When it comes down to life-or-death situations in remote areas where there isn't any cell service or Wi-Fi available (which happens more often than most people think), knowing navigation skills becomes even more crucial since they can save lives by preventing injuries or deaths caused by getting lost while hiking or camping in unfamiliar terrain

Use your compass with your watch to navigate at night or in foggy weather.

Compass navigation is useful in any weather and at any time of day. If you're navigating during the day, simply use the sun as your guide to find north (and south). At night, use your compass with a watch to determine directional information. In foggy weather, use both methods together for best results.

Using a compass makes you more aware of your surroundings.

When you use a compass, you'll notice more details about your surroundings. You'll be able to see landmarks that you didn't realize were there before. You'll be able to tell the direction of the wind and wildlife.

You may not think this is important, but when you're lost in the wilds and trying to find your way back home, those details are critical for survival.

It's good exercise for your brain.

You'll be surprised how much your brain is used to navigate with a compass. Here's how:

• You must use your brain to figure out what direction you're going, and then point the compass in that direction. Let's say you want to head north from your current position and take a bearing of 057°N.

• Then you must use your brain to figure out how to read the compass, by determining whether or not it says “true north” or “magnetic north” on it (or both). This is important because magnetic north fluctuates over time, so using magnetic bearings will give you inaccurate readings. So be sure that if there are two numbers listed on this device—one labeled "degrees" and one labeled "mils"—then only use the degrees number!

• Next up: You've got this nifty map with all sorts of lines drawn on it, showing various landmarks as well as distances between them (in miles). Your job now is determining which waypoint corresponds with 057°N; once again rely on an atlas if necessary! If all goes well then there should be one red dot corresponding with where these two lines intersect at 057°N

Learning how to use a compass may save your life someday

A compass is a must-have tool for any outdoorsy person, and knowing how to use it will help you navigate in the wilderness. A map can be useful as well, but if you don't know how to read it, then you might end up lost or going in circles. The same is true for using a compass: if you don't know how to use one properly, then your experience will not be enjoyable or safe.

The most important thing when using a compass is knowing how to orient yourself while being outside in different weather conditions and times of day (and night). This means that it's important that every time you go out into nature with your compass, whether hunting or hiking or camping—whatever activity—you make sure that there isn't too much light around so the sun doesn't mess up your bearings while trying to find north with your device; otherwise all bets are off! Also remember not just what direction north is but also where south is located on each side of its arrow because this helps determine where other places may lie within relation pairs like east/west (or even northeast/southwest).

Conclusion

Therefore, if you have a compass, take it out and learn how to use it. If you don't have one, go buy one and practice with it at home or in a park. You'll be glad you did.