Customer Reviews

Wilderness Navigation: Finding Your Way Using Map, Compass, Altimeter, and GPS

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book may be small enough to carry as a primer on land navigation for folks venturing into the wilds without knowledge or experience of map and compass skills.

However, as a text on land navigation skills it was disappointing. Better choices would be the Land Navigation Handbook: The Sierra Club Guide to Map and Compass by W. Kals (excellent) or M. Ferguson's GPS Land Navigation: A Complete Guidebook for Backcountry Users of the NAVSTAR Satellite System (also excellent).

I have been teaching orienteering for seven years, and this book is everything I could ask for in an introductory text. There are more advanced books, it is true, but this book is reasonably priced, highly readable, and complete enough for the beginning through intermediate adventurer.

I am glad of to have bought this book, and here is the reason.

-Written by experts
-procedures explained clearly
-No time wasting, lessons cut the chase

CONCRETE and CONCISE

In a sure and concise way this book will explain you how to use map and compass so simple, in an easy way and without time wasting

OFFERS USEFUL EXTRA INFORMATION

Book have explanations about how to use altimeters and some considerations about altimeter performance under different weather conditions and this a good reason to include this book in your shopping list.

I have bought other 2 books about map and compass using, and this book includes information others doesn't have

BEST STARTING POINT

If you are looking for a concise introductory and well explained-compact book then this is the book for you, no doubt!

Clear, concise and complete guide to wilderness travel. Well written with appropriate practice problems. Excellent book which is small and light enough to be in ones pack. But you really should study the book before you go into the wilderness. Reasonably priced.

I think this is the best book for backpackers and hikers in general, particularly those who will venture off trail. It extensively covers use of map and compass; and goes on to briefly but cogently discuss the more expensive gadgets- altimeter, and GPS. And it warns you not to become too dependent on these more expensive gadgets. Your most important tools for wilderness navigation will be a good compass, along with a proper map. Buy a good compass with adjustable declination and mirror, as the authors suggest. Read their recommendations for this essential tool before you shop, and then go to the USGS website and get a downloadable topo map for your residence. Take book, compass, and map out into your neighborhood and practice in your own backyard before heading off into the boonies. Only a fool would go into the wilderness without a map. For most, a good map and compass are all you really need. I would add one thing that is only mentioned briefly in this fine text: If you go hiking abroad or in the Southern Hemisphere, you need to buy a Global compass. Mine is the Suunto MC-2 Global, but it has a drawback: inches on the rulers and not centimeters. Most foreign topos are in meters. Buy a good global compass with both inches and centimeters, study this book, and you are prepared for navigating just about anywhere.

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.

This book is meant for beginners. Lets face it, everybody has to start somewhere. As a novice I didn't want a book that was 400 pages breaking down every last detail about using maps and compasses. This book is actually quite good. It's well written and easy to understand. For 10 dollars you're not going to get extremely high resolution maps and perfect quality pictures, otherwise it's no longer 10 dollars. You have to remember that this book was derived from a single chapter of a bigger book. It's designed to throw in your pack and be easily stowed. It's easy to pick this book up and find useful information quickly. The authors time and again preach about common sense and draw upon their own personal experience in the wilderness. I will read this book again.

After reviewing several others, I selected this book for an introductory navigation class I organize. It's very good for beginners. Quick, easy reading, with concise, clear explanations. The biggest fault I could find is that map reading / interpreting contour lines could be covered more thoroughly. There's no large map like some other books have, but an appendix with practice problems is an unusual feature. Like most similar books, the procedure for orienting a map using a compass is more complicated than necessary. Techniques for compensating for declination could be covered more thoroughly/methodically (e.g., drawing magnetic meridians on the map is not covered). There are chapters on altimeter and GPS navigation at the end - the information is there for students who want it, but it doesn't get in the way of teaching the basics.

My son is going through his first experience in mountaineering. This classic will be with him for life and it's already accompanying him during his cycling journeys. This is a great reading and great for actual experiencing. This is gift that will last for life.

I wanted a book on map reading and this book is heavily weighted toward compass use. Even the GPS section is compass-centric. The maps used as examples were poor resolution and really didn't do a very good job of identifying features that you'd want to recognize on the map. I'm still looking for such a book, so if you've got a recommendation, I'd love to get it.