Book Description
"Required reading for the beginner in map and compass work, as well as for those interested in serious Orienteering. In simple, clear, concise terms the basics of map and compass work are described and illustrated."
—George T. Hamilton, Appalachia
This new, enlarged edition of Be Expert with Map & Compass includes everything the beginner needs to know about the increasingly popular sport of Orienteering: understanding map symbols; traveling by map alone, by compass alone, or by map and compass together; finding bearings; sketching maps; and traveling in the wilderness. Other updated sections cover competitive Orienteering, how to join an Orienteering event or organize your own, and useful hints for competitive and wilderness Orienteering. In addition to the revisions throughout, the author has interspersed the text with reminiscences of his more than fifty years of experience with map and compass. Drawing crowds of 25,000 participants at international events, the sport of Orienteering is more popular than ever. The Orienteering world championships were held in the United States for the first time in 1993. For Orienteers and scouts, avid outdoorspeople, and anyone who wants to feel more comfortable in the wilderness, this updated guide is an indispensable reference.
Customer Reviews:
For Your Boy Scout Troupe.......2007-04-10
Learn how to navigate in the woods with this guide to the compass. All boy scouts will love these tips. This is the most comprehensive guide of its kind.
The Best Of.......2007-03-20
This is the best book I have found on learning to use the Map and Compass and Orienteering. This book teaches you all you need to learn to be an "Expert". There are many exercises offered to help you teach Orienteering to a group such as your Boy Scout Troop.I bought a couple of other books on the subject before this one. I wished I had purchased this one first as I would not have needed another resource.
Learning map & compass.......2007-01-25
Very good basic map & compass course. Formal training in the military gave me a good working knowledge and the confidence to use it. This book will help instill those same principles.
Excellent instruction and easy to read.......2006-07-12
This book provides excellent instruction on land navigation. Even if you know nothing of how to use a compass or map when you begin reading, you'll have a good working knowledge by the time you're through with the book. It is well written, easy to understand and even includes a fold-out topographic map in the back (actually, about a third of a topographic map, but it gets the job done). The map allows you to work the exercises found in the book (which are quite helpful). The book was written some time ago and Hjellstrom does focus on the sport of orienteering, but as the entire point of that activity is navigation using a map and compass, I don't see this as a negative. As others have pointed-out he does not cover newer topics such as GPS or altimeters, but if you're buying it to learn to use a map and compass, that really isn't an issue either. This is a well written book that provides solid instruction and is certainly worth the purchase price.
Good Read.......2006-03-24
This is a must read for teens or adults wishing to learn how to read and use maps and compass. From hiking in the nations parks to your local wooded areas, learning what is in this book will make sure you are NEVER lost!
Book Description
Now with full-color topographic maps and featuring the latest on electronic navigation, The Essential Wilderness Navigator is the clearest and most up-to-date route-finding primer available. Providing readers with exercises for developing a directional ‘sixth sense,’ tips on mastering the art of map- and compass-reading, and comprehensive updates on a range of technological advances, this perennially popular guide is more indispensable than ever.
Customer Reviews:
The Essential Wilderness Navigator.......2007-10-09
The relaxed, conversational pace of this book may appeal to some readers. It strikes me otherwise, and feels wordy, and in places little more than fluff. If the writing were tighter, the details would stand out better. Those details are there and worth getting. It is a good introduction in that sense. For some readers this may be enough. If you are inclined to read more than one book on any subject you're interested in, then this may be helpful as one of the first books on navigation you might read. But it is unlikely it'd be your last.
Very informitive.......2007-08-19
Great book. Read it before I went on a backpacking trip to Colorado. It taught me a lot about map reading, how to use a compass, and also how to be more aware of my surroundings. I would suggest this book to anyone who backpacks or does day trips.
Good Book.......2007-05-13
This is a excellent book if you do not have a knowledge of the wilderness. I would recommend it highly
Difficult to get lost with this one..........2005-09-05
An excellent book for those starting out on orienteering. Very good conversational wording. Doesn't use too much jargon. The practical exercises are easily understood. The combination of the written word and neat diagrams and pictures make the information easily digestable.
Excellent Map and Compass Instruction Book.......2004-12-04
You want to learn how to use a map and compass? For hiking or backpacking, especially remote wilderness? This is the best comprehensive book I've found on the subject, bar none. Reasons:
1. It gets to the point quickly in teaching you map & compass fundamentals. No fluff, no wasted time on esoteric principles of magnetism or the rules of orienteering competitions (a fine sport, but one bearing little resemblance to actual wilderness navigation with its special large-scale magnetic-north maps and simplified compasses etc.) Instead, this book concentrates on one objective: accurate land navigation in a wilderness environment.
2. It teaches realistic methods, and does not emphasize the unrealistic ones (one glaring example: penciling a lot of inaccurate magnetic declination lines all over your map the night before your trip (because the author used the method once for an adventure race with a special large-scale map and thinks it's cool) instead of just buying a compass with adjustable declination or pasting a pointer indicating a true bearing on your compass baseplate! Hey, sitting atop a windblown mountain is no place to attempt to draw magnetic lines of declination with a three-inch compass baseplate when you walk off your pre-marked map or have to use a friend's copy!
3. It has large, clear, easy-to-follow illustrations. Believe me, this is a rarity in most map/compass books.
4. It teaches BOTH compass dead reckoning (compass only) AND terrain association (map priority) navigation principles and shows the advantages and weaknesses of each in a given situation. Some orienteering-biased books would have you believe the compass is only good for aligning a map to magnetic north!
5. It has nice large pages and lies flat while you refer to various sections and practice using your map & compass in the field. Don't laugh. Remember, you will learn land navigation by practicing outdoors what you're reading. One session of trying to refer to the tiny pocket paperback pages and dingy photos of competing books will make you a believer in a large-paged instruction book with clear illustrations.
6. It covers more advanced map/compass skills (resection, finding position from a baseline and landmark, etc.) as well as beginner exercises, and does so in the same clear, practical way without excessive verbiage or attempts to be clever. One competing book spent 3 entire pages on how to use a 1902 compass design!
7. It warns you of the great inaccuracies of some improvised 'navigational' methods (like telling directions from a wristwatch and the sun) while still giving you useful information on finding direction from Polaris and other methods that do work well enough for emergency navigation.
8. While it has the mandatory chapter on GPS and the development of computer-generated waypoints, it does not attempt to be a 'all-method navigation' book. Such a book does not exist. Either the GPS material will be inadequate (because no general GPS book can cover each model of GPS and their widely varying operational characteristics in different outdoor environments) or the map/compass material is too abbreviated. Learn to use a map & compass before all else - this book makes it simple.
Product Description
NULL
Customer Reviews:
A must read for Orienteers and others interested in basic land nav.......2006-05-27
This book is clear, concise and well-organized. It covers all the fundamentals of orienteering, and I think anyone that read it would have a good idea of what to expect on arriving at their first O event. Anyone who completed some of the exercises should have some confidence that he or she could complete at least an intermediate level O course (assuming reasonably good fitness). The book also includes very basic information on physical training (anyone who is a serious runner will not learn a lot from those sections, but trail running is different than road running, so don't skip those sections if you are strictly a road runner). The book also includes dozens of activities to teach various skills, and a good glossary. I highly recommend this book.
Never Get Lost Again.......2001-12-21
This book is a MUST for anyone who dreams of wandering off the beaten path. It teaches the skills and techniques to ensure safe travel through the woods.
It also offers racing tips to improve your time and speed.
A good book to have if you like orienteering. I recommend it to my class and my cross-country team, too.
Down to Earth, clear explanations and practical advice.......1999-11-04
Good from begginer to medium/advanced, this book covers the basics of navigation as well as advanced techniques, such as handrailing. There are equipment and training chapters as well, in all a comprehensive book on a great sport.
Average customer rating:
- Best Book On The Topic
- One of the best books I've ever read
- Very informative
- Good, but could be better
- Don't get lost without it
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Finding Your Way Without Map or Compass
Harold Gatty
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
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Similar Items:
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Tracking--Signs of Man, Signs of Hope: A Systematic Approach to the Art and Science of Tracking Humans
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Wilderness Evasion: A Guide To Hiding Out and Eluding Pursuit in Remote Areas
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The SAS Guide to Tracking (SAS)
ASIN: 048640613X |
Book Description
Today's adventurers will learn how to find their way in the wilderness, in towns, in the desert, in snow-covered areas — even on the ocean — by observing birds, animals, weather patterns, vegetation, shifting sands, patterns of snow fields, and the positions of the sun, moon, and stars.
Customer Reviews:
Best Book On The Topic.......2007-06-08
Clear, concise, practical, completely useful. If you really want to find your way without map or compass, then familiarize yourself with the content. First rate!
One of the best books I've ever read.......2006-08-28
This book covers a subject that is oft-neglected, but is very important to anyone and everyone. It is engagingly written by a true expert. As odd as this may seem, given the subject matter, in many places it is near profound.
Very informative.......2006-06-02
This book is an example of why books are great. The knowledge contained in it would be largely lost or very difficult to compile had hte author not taken the time to publish it. He spent his life learning various methods of navigation around the world from many cultures: cultures not assimilated to the modern or western world.
I've always thought it would be fascinating to learn navigation or tracking from a native or someone who has learned information that has been passed down from generation to generation. Low tech, but very skillful. Art more than science. That is exactly what this book teaches.
The most interesting part for me was the explanation of how Polynesians navigated at sea: following migrating birds, seeing land beyond the horizon by watching reflections on the bottom of clouds, wave variation, and star positions.
There is a lot of good information for both land and sea, plus some for air. The author taught naviation to the US Air Force about the middle of the 20th century.
Good, but could be better.......2002-03-13
This book was able to confront the "old wives tales" to finding your way. An excellent guide for those at sea, but little for land travel. It is best if used in harmony with another outdoor survival guide.
Don't get lost without it.......2000-07-03
This book is a reprint of a classic. The author describes tested methods for finding your way using natural signs rather than map and compass. The methods covered range from the usual -- such as stars, the sun and trees -- to less common ones such as the routes of migratory sea birds or seasonal winds.
If you are travelling in the wilderness (or city; there is even a chapter on how to find your way in a strange city), I strongly recommend this book.
Product Description
NULL
Customer Reviews:
Useful for anyone.......2007-01-12
Brings back the memories from the Boy Scout days. Got into "geocdaching", and needed a refresher, and this is it!!!
Average customer rating:
- Wilderness Navigation: Finding Your Way Using Map, Compass, Altimeter & Gps (Mountaineers Outdoor Basics)
- It really is a good starter book
- Wildrness Navigation: Finding your way using map, compass, altimeter and Gps, by Bob Burns
- A decent little book
- the very best in its class
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Wilderness Navigation: Finding Your Way Using Map, Compass, Altimeter & Gps (Mountaineers Outdoor Basics)
Bob Burns , and
Mike Burns
Manufacturer: Mountaineers Books
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Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
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Be Expert With Map and Compass: The Complete Orienteering Handbook
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Land Navigation Handbook: The Sierra Club Guide to Map, Compass & GPS (Sierra Club Outdoor Adventure Guides)
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U.S. Army Map Reading and Land Navigation Handbook (U.S. Army)
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Outdoor Navigation with GPS
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The Essential Wilderness Navigator: How to Find Your Way in the Great Outdoors, Second Edition
Accessories:
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Rayovac SPHLTLED 3-in-1 LED Head-Lite
ASIN: 0898869536 |
Book Description
·GPS chapter completely updated to reflect newer models and features of GPS receivers now available
·Expanded to include a section on routefinding on glaciers, along with additional information on changing declination
·Extensive illustrated examples of orientation and navigation
Proceed with confidence when heading off-road or off-trail with the second edition of Wilderness Navigation. Whether you are climbing a glacier, orienteering in the backcountry, or on an easy day hike, Mike and Bob Burns cover all the latest technology and time-tested methods to help you learn to navigate-from how to read a map to compasses and geomagnetism.
Customer Reviews:
Wilderness Navigation: Finding Your Way Using Map, Compass, Altimeter & Gps (Mountaineers Outdoor Basics).......2007-07-05
OK BOOK WORTH THE MONEY. ISSUES ARE THE BINDING IS WEAK AND PAGES ARE STARTING TO FALL OUT IF I WANT TO TAKE IT OUT ON THE TRAIL FOR REFERENCE. ALSO, IMAGES RELATIVE TO INSTRUCTION ARE ON THE SMALL SIDE. IF YOU WANT A GOOD BOOK THAT GETS TO THE POINT THIS IS THE ONE. THE PRICE IS NOT A KILLER SO WHY NOT GO FOR IT. I DID, I AM NOT DISAPPOINTED.
It really is a good starter book.......2006-11-06
The book was alright. It covered only the basics and did not serve the purpose I had in mind. It is on the Special Forces supplemental reading list, and to be honest, I don't know why. It has no information in it that is not already in the FM's for land nav. I was truely disappointed but for a layman, this is a good book to get you started. Don't get lost.
Wildrness Navigation: Finding your way using map, compass, altimeter and Gps, by Bob Burns.......2005-09-06
The book is easy to read and understand. Also, each chapter is well orginized with clear details on compass use. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Orientation and Navegation...
A decent little book.......2005-07-30
Not as detailed as the new version of Land Navigation Handbook but this covers the basics well and is a good intro to the subject.
the very best in its class.......2004-12-24
you can feel certain that when you buy this book, you are getting the best that exists for beginning and intermediate navigation and orienteering. all of the basics are outlined here, and written in such a way that is quite easy to follow. the practice problems in the back were especially helpful to me.
one word of extreme caution: be absolutely sure to stay away from the sierra club navigation book. it is difficult to describe its worthlessness, as it is poorly organized and written, and implicity resigns navigation to an elite few.
Book Description
This continues to be the best-selling instructional for the wildly popular consumer GPS technology because it is also the most up-to-date of any text on the topic.
The fourth edition covers improvements in GPS accuracy as a result of WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System). Many new GPS receivers now accept corrective signals from this system of satellites and ground stations. WAAS is referred to in every section of the book describing accuracy.
The updated title has a new chapter explaining how to download maps and computer software to a GPS receiver, including examples readers can follow.
Customer Reviews:
Early guide to the facts of GPS and mapping.......2003-02-24
This book is the book I bought along with my Garmin etrex vista. The book covers the original generation of GPS systems and gives a thorough overview of the common (and not so common) systems adopted around the world for mapping locations.
It is invaluable as a reference and for anybody who wants to know more than how to push a button.
I would never, ever, travel to any remote area without at least two good compasses and the requisite topos. Yes, I love my GPS - but I have to replace it because it was lost (along with a daypack) in a self-arrest on Mt. Moran last summer. Batteries run down and wars may make the system less accurate (or unavailable). All of these issues are covered in this fine little book.
GPS technology is wonderful and the EU plans to launch yet another system in the next decade. The devices will become more affordable -- but the fundamental aspects of mapping and how these devices work is well explained by this fine reference and it will remain the reference for years to come.
What Do You Expect.......2003-02-22
Great book, does exactly what the title says it will do
Essential and Practical.......2003-01-06
This book is intended for a particular audience, and I think it meets the needs of that audience rather well. Frankly, if you do not have a working knowledge of basic land navigation prior to buying this book, and before buying a GPS for that matter, much of the book will not make much sense. At the same time, if what you are looking for is a detailed account of the technical side of GPS operations and use, this book won't provide what you want. What is covered well in this book is combining the use of GPS with a map for safe and accurate navigation.
Disappointed.......2002-07-13
I got as much from my owner's manual as I did from this book. It might have been a better value if I bought it before I bought the GPS. It is also a little outdated, but I expected that with the technology changing so rapidly.
If you want to completely understand all the techy stuff behind what makes GPS work than it just might be for you, but the owners manual that comes with your GPS will be plenty for most.
Buy the book then the GPS.......2002-03-28
This book will not only help you figure out how to use the features of your GPS receiver but it will help you figure out what features will be important to you in a GPS receiver so you don't buy the wrong unit. All of the features of the various major consumer grade GPS receivers are explained in one chapter. Subsequent chapters illustrate how many of those features could be used in various outdoor activities. There are sections on how to get coordinates out of your receiver and onto a map or off of the map and into the receiver.
I was a little annoyed by being told repeatedly to go back to previous chapters to read something explained there when a short reminder could have been included on the spot. And none of the figures are numbered so you have to figure out which figure is being referred to. A reference section list some vendors of receivers and ancilary items along with their phone mumber but there are no Web pages listed and sometimes a product name and number are listed without the manufacturer's name. Letham tells you that antenna sensativity is important bud doesn't go on to explain what the values are or mean and whether high or low values are better when comparing units.
In spite of these annoyances this is a useful book which could keep you from making a costly mistake if you read it before you buy your receiver. And the practical examples will help you understand what techniques might work in your application.
Book Description
Sooner or later any outdoor enthusiast will need more than trail markers for guidance. This best-selling manual--now thoroughly revised and updated--is designed for anyone who wants to chart a course in the wilderness: hiker, backpacker, snowshoer, skier, fisherman, or hunter. Step by step, it teaches the skills that enable you to answer the vital questions: Where am I now? Which way do I head to reach my destination? How far is it? And how long will it take me to get there?
Starting with the basics of interpreting maps and orienting by compass, the book proceeds clearly through the more advanced mysteries of land navigation: measuring distances and estimating travel times; determining and adjusting for
local declination around the globe; using an altimeter to add the dimension of height to one's position; and navigation by means of sun and stars. In updating the late W. S. Kals's text, coauthor Clyde Soles focuses on the latest developments in technology and equipment. Readers learn, for example, that through digital mapping software, one can order the exact area desired, at any scale, and print it on waterproof paper. Soles also surveys the popular new handheld GPS units and instructs in their use, and provides an overview of marine navigation for the growing sport of sea kayaking. Visuals include a full-color foldout topographic map for reference and practice, plus dozens of helpful drawings and photographs.
Though much has changed, one thing certainly hasn't: the new edition of Land Navigation Handbook retains the solid information, spirit, and lively humor that made it a classic among outdoorspeople everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
not for a beginner.......2007-09-08
I don't know anything about land navigation and hoped that this book would help me. But it does not explain many of the concepts, and it doesn't even have a glossary. It has a topographic map in the back, but it is hard to follow the references to it. I consider myself a reasonably intelligent guy, but I've had trouble learning from this book.
Not for a "beginner".......2007-02-15
There is too much information in this book, much more than what is needed for the average "away for the long weekend" traveller.
It covers all the info. you need to know, even though at times it assumes that the reader is already knowledgeable about the subject of navigation.
Was this an instrution manuel or ...?.......2007-02-05
As a book that holds itself out to be a handbook as well as a guide to the subject of maps and compasses, it fell woefully short in instruction on either.
1) There was virtually no mention of terrain features. One of the most important things to understand on a topo map are the terrain features and how you can use them and the map alone to navigate a parcel of land if you know your terrain features well enough. This is a must for any book of land navigation.
2) Section, re-section and modified resection. While modified resection was briefly mentioned, the first two were not. These three methods of positioning must be understood to successfully find a particular position on the map.
3. The lensatic compass, while an old model, is still utilized because it is one of the most well designed models ever built. Why was it not mentioned in the section on compasses?
4. The section on maps had no reference to the Military Grid Reference System.
Those were the primary complains, but there was nothing of notable value, either.
An invaluable instructional reference.......2007-01-07
This updated second edition of LAND NAVIGATION HANDBOOK: THE SIERRA CLUB GUIDE TO MAP, COMPASS & GPS could also have appeared in either our Sports or Military columns, but deserves mention here to be sure the widest possible audience receives notice of the completely updated edition including new text by Clyde Soles. Here is a pocket-sized 'bible' of outdoors survival, providing basic keys on everything from using maps and compass to using an altimeter, navigating by kayak on lakes, understanding GPS navigation and how to choose and use a GPS unit, and even how to navigate by moon and sun alone. Photos, drawings, and a fold-out topographic map provide plenty of visual illustration and examples of the details and make for an invaluable instructional reference both in the field and for at-home study.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
An excellent resource for using maps, compass & GPS effectively!.......2006-08-29
The second edition of Land Navigation Handbook (2005) is the best book I have read on the subject of navigation. The explanations and expert guidance on choosing and using a compass, the distinction between magnetic and true north, choosing and using a GPS unit, how GPS works and its limitations (not just for north America but for other parts of the world as well) are definitely worth reading. I have learned a lot from this book. The book is not for land navigation only, it is also an indispensable aid for marine navigation. I sincerely think every sailor should have one in his sailboat (it measures only 8" x 4.5" x 0.5") as a reference book.
Product Description
For wilderness travelers, good navigation ability can mean the difference between a successful day hike and an unplanned overnight stay. Based on the curriculum of the National Outdoor Leadership School, NOLS Wilderness Navigation gives you the skills you need to confidently find your way on and off the trail. Included here are methods for orienting yourself by the sun and the stars alone, easy-to-follow explanations of map and compass techniques, and advice on using an altimeter. There's also a comprehensive section on using GPS technology-without becoming dependent on it. Exercises at the end of each chapter help readers gradually develop their skills and build their confidence.About the Author:Darran Wells is the Program Coordinator for Professional Training at the National Outdoor Leadership School. The National Outdoor Leadership School's official guide to finding your way in the wilderness Covers all navigational techniques, from map and compass to GPS and gives instructions on taking bearings and planning routes on USGS maps Up-to-date information on tools, equipment, and software
Customer Reviews:
Something for everyone.......1999-11-27
It just goes to show, you can always learn something new.
That's what the author should use as a tag line. I thought I was pretty good with a map & compass, but I learned several faster, easier techniques from this book. This text is suitable for beginners to intermediates. It includes key info for people who've been delaying their first USGS map purchase, because they've been intimidated by the "experts" at their local outdoors store. You'll be happier with your next compass purchase if read this book FIRST. The section on GPS is brief but useful as a primer for a more specialized text on that subject. One of the trickier diagrams on declination **might** be wrong but the text is correct. Overall I was very pleased with this book.
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