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Getting Un-Lost and NATO survival compass

69K views · Feb 17, 2025 · Education

The Map Reading Company

202K subscribers

Comments · 231

@TheMapReadingCompany · 2 weeks ago · pinned
If you’d like to support The Map Reading Channel, please consider buying one of our weatherproof notebooks — the same notebooks we provide to participants on our navigation courses. Each notebook costs £12 plus postage and can be shipped worldwide.   Postage, along with any import taxes, tariffs, or fees imposed by your government, is handled through eBay’s International Shipping Programme. The total cost is calculated automatically at checkout. To find the notebook <a href="http://ebay.co.uk/">EBay.co.uk</a> (UK only) <a href="https://ebay.io/m/U4eual">https://ebay.io/m/U4eual </a> <a href="http://ebay.com/">EBay.com</a> (most other places)  <a href="https://ebay.io/m/KWNMwH">https://ebay.io/m/KWNMwH </a> Thanks,  Wayne.
@jackflanagle6079 · 1 year ago
What he says about panic is spot on.  I got lost in Guatemala about 30 years ago.  The trail I was on just faded out to nothing.  Flat terrain, no running water, overcast.  I had been showing my compass to someone the night before and had tossed it back into my tent thinking to put it back in my rucksack later.  I forgot to do that.  Going north, east or west was nothing but jungle for fifty miles or more.  South was back to camp, food and people.  I yelled in English and Spanish for all I was worth.  No response.  At this point the panic began to set in.  I REALLY wanted to just blindly tear through the bush.  But I knew this could be fatal.  So, I started taking very deep breaths for ten minutes at least.  This calmed me down (somewhat).  Then I started looking very slowly around me.  The trail (a work in progress) did have some small orange survey-tape markers.   So I  looked and looked for a very long time until I saw one many yards off.  That led to another and so on until I made it back.  This was a real deep lesson and an experience never repeated.
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@williammiller1056 · 1 year ago
I got lost several times in my teen age years.  Two times even having to spend the night out unexpectantly.  This was in the 1970's and early 80's. My problem was always "not believing the compass".  I would get lost, freak out, and basically go psychotic.  I would believe the compass was wrong, and giving me incorrect readings because I was in one of those rare places where the rocks were magnetic and giving me false readings.  All I had to learn, which was not easy at all, was no matter what I thought, the compass was right.  Like the man said...  Sit down, get a drink and something to eat, take a 10 minutes, don't run, follow the plan he lined out, and most important for me, believe the compass.  Hope this helps someone.
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@rowdy5697 · 1 year ago
My old Pop was a timber worker and bushie. He always told me to stop every now and then, turn around and have a good look behind you and memorise your track. Worked for him and me.😂
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@JohnAshworth2023 · 1 year ago
Thanks for this. I remember doing a survival course in the African bush 30 years ago, led by a former British para, and I'll never forget his words, "You're never lost, you're just temporarily disorientated!" Don't panic!
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@Der-olle-Hansen · 9 months ago
Another story: A ski tour in Norway on the darkest days of winter, heavy winter gear on our backs. We knew the route from summer – but now everything was completely different. Darkness fell quickly, no moon, no stars – the forest was a black hole. We shot a few white flares: not helpful, visibility only as far as the next tree. Had we already lost our way? Would we get really lost if we continued? The only sensible decision: We had brought an emergency tent, a 3-person tent for 5 adults, so no one would freeze! Tent pegs? Useless in the snow, but we had 10 skis and 10 ski poles with us. We managed to cook some instant soup to warm up, then everyone could sleep warmly, snuggled together like puppies in their basket, covered by a thick layer of down. The next morning brought a "shock": in the bright winter sun, we saw the trail marker on a birch tree right next to the tent (that was 40 years ago, but this image is engraved in my memory) – and the mountain hut we were aiming for was only a few hundred meters down the valley. Lesson to be shared: Don't take any risks! In darkness, fog, or rain, seek shelter (a tent, a makeshift shelter) and wait until the sun comes out again! DON'T PANIC - WAIT! We were exactly on the right track, but we had doubts that we couldn't resolve in the dark. If we had continued, we would have been hopelessly lost!
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@SFUndertaker · 1 year ago
Don’t sell yourself short.  Because someone was or in the military, it doesn’t mean they know the compass or land nav better than you do.  Even many the combat soldiers of the US Army are deficient in land nav skills.  It only got worse with the common use of GPS. I am a retired US Special Forces NCO with extensive training and experience in land navigation, yet still learn something from you.  Thank you for all the good, perhaps life saving information, you provide on your channel.
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@DancesWithAardvarks · 8 months ago
Looks like the compass inside the 1960s wayfarer tracker shoes. The ones that left animal footprints.😀
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@dirkscheidemann3127 · 1 year ago
It is comforting to see a guy who has a compass, these days. And this guy knows how to use it and has wonderful ways to share his vast knowledge. Thank you, Sir.
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@CristiNeagu · 1 year ago
About using watches as compasses: Yes, you can use a digital watch as a compass. Just see what time it is and imagine where an analogue watch would have the hour hand.
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@JamesPliny · 1 year ago
I took my daughter on many hikes and climbs when she was young.   When she was first active in the US Army she found people who didn't understand some of the technical aspects of using a map and compass.  They used this very young Private to teach some of her superiors!
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@Skivic-1 · 1 year ago
Great video! Always remember; if you're lost, and don't see any human skeletons, you're just fine, and if you're lost, and see human skeletons, you're screwed!
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