How to use a compass when lost: Safety Bearing, by Adventures In Reach on YouTube. 9 min 31 s.
- Video length
- 9 min 31 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Stop walking as soon as you realise you are lost. Sit down, drink some water and get your map and compass out. Panic walking only takes you further away.
Mark your best guess of where you are on the map. Use the last trail junction, stream crossing or ridge you clearly remember passing.
Look for a line feature near you: a road, highway, river, trail, fence or power line. A safety bearing aims for one of these, not for your car.
Pick the direction that gives the shortest safe walk to that feature. Heading downhill to a river or west to a road often works.
Set that direction on the compass and adjust for magnetic declination if your compass allows it. The declination for your area is printed on the map margin.
Hold the compass flat at waist height. Turn your whole body until the red needle sits inside the orienting arrow, then look up at the land ahead.
Choose a landmark on that line, such as a big tree or rock, and walk to it. Stop, recheck the needle, pick the next landmark and repeat.
Walk around lakes and cliffs rather than along them, then return to the bearing. Check the compass every few minutes so you do not drift.
When you reach the road, river or trail, turn the way most likely to meet people. Follow it downstream or downhill if you are unsure.
If darkness or injury stops you, stay put, put on your headlamp and get out your emergency blanket. Make yourself visible to searchers.
Tips and common mistakes
Practise a safety bearing in a local park first so the needle routine feels automatic.
Note the declination on your map before you leave the trailhead, not after you are lost.
Tell someone your route and return time so a search starts early if you are overdue.
A phone GPS is handy but batteries die, so treat the compass as your main tool.
Questions
What exactly is a safety bearing?
It is one fixed compass direction chosen to lead you to a road, river or trail that people use. You walk that single line and ignore shortcuts, which stops you wandering in circles.
Do I have to adjust for magnetic declination?
Yes if you are matching a bearing taken from a map. Set the declination on the compass or add or subtract it yourself, or you will walk several degrees off over a long distance.
What if I have no map?
Pick the direction that heads downhill or toward the sound of traffic or running water and hold it with the compass. A compass alone still beats walking blind.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
