Be expert with map and compass

Be Expert with Map and Compass 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 and 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.

If you want to get the basics in an easy to read format, this is for you.Don't waste your time or money.

This was an okay book in its day (though it has zero content about altimeters) but that day is long past.

The new edition of the Land Navigation Handbook covers the basics equally well and also educates on altimeters, digital mapping, and GPS. I signed up to compete in an all day adventure race with orienteering being the main focus. I had never done orienteering before in my life and had no idea what was involved. Upon advice from other racers I purchased BEWMAC (as those in the "know" call it) and I read this book to my team-mate over the course of a 5 hour drive from Pittsburgh to Detroit.Literally this was my first exposure to orienteering.

We were able to successfully navigate through an all day orienteering adventure race using this book. I thought it was easy to understand, came with a sample book and all of the skills were reinforced with simple quizzes at the end of each chapter. I have no doubt that there are more in debt studies, but from a beginners standpoint you can't go wrong. backpack beach chair This was the first book I ever bought on the subject of using a map and compass. It was recommended by everyone I knew, as there wasn't a whole lot else out there at the time, and it had been in print since 1955. About the best I can say for Kjellstrom's book is that it is better for beginners than the Sierra Club Handbook (also an old book), but that's about it. Illustrations are few and muddy, and the book has an ancient feel to it, with outdated references and quirky language (it's been in print for nearly 50 years, and the author died nearly 10 years ago when in his nineties). Fully half the book doesn't even deal with real-life wilderness navigation, but is instead devoted to the sport of orienteering (a fine sport, but with little relevance to practical backcountry navigation with its use of special large scale maps and specialized compasses used only to orient the map to north).To conclude, the book is simply outdated and outmuscled by modern competitors. Once you've read newer books like The Essential Wilderness Navigator, or The Compass&Map Navigator, chances are you'll not pick up this book again.