I was in the Army 20 years when a map and compass were the only navigation aids. Your explanation was exactly correct. It is so refreshing to see that someone can actually navigate by using their God given talents. Great video.

You're a natural born teacher (clear and concise, focus on the facts, no rambling, excellent and pleasant speaking voice). GREAT JOB CHRISTINA!!!!

I sat through a 3-hour map and compass "introduction" yesterday. This video was a million times clearer and more helpful. Thank you!

You did an excellent job explaining map and compass one of the best videos I’ve seen yet

Christina, great video of a subject that was and to some extent close to my heart. I'm ex British Army, where we used both the prismatic and Silva compasses. I presented this subject on training days in my regiment and to new recruits during basic training. I still carry a Silva compass and maps with me when my wife and I travel, but being 66 years old and what we call a grey nomad (towing our caravan), down here in Australia, we just stick to the roads, using map reading skills. It's so refreshing to see a young person like yourself using the older ways.

I've watched a dozen or more YT videos looking for the simplest guide for land navigation using a compass. Yours is the most straight forward and includes some gotchas that other don't mention. I like that you don't spend 30 minutes explaining magnetic declination but just simply adjust for declination based-on your map. It may have been worth mentioning the declination screw adjustment that comes on many compasses. The only other thing was that I really wanted to see how you go about finding your current coordinates on the map. I'll have to look to see if you have a video on triangulation to find your location on the map. It is also useful to line up your map and compass facing Grid North and look around in the real world for any landmarks that may appear on your map... that can give you a pretty good idea of where you are on the map.

Nice job, Christina! Clearest explanation to date I've seen, and I really appreciated the tips of things to watch out for. Good job on the flipped direction, too. Keep it up!

Six of the seven years that I spent long distance hiking on the National Scenic Trails and survival living in cold climate National Forests across the USA I used nothing more than my old Army compass and paper maps I acquired along my travels..... It wast til my seventh year that I purchased a phone with the Gut Hooks trail GPS map aps ... I never did buy or use one of the SPOT devices. I'm pleased to see a video showing the skills of land navigation explained so clearly.... Very well done young hiker 👍 ❤ 👣 The only information that would also help in this video would've been that every person wanting to learn this form of land navigation, would be to learn the types of land formations on a map and to be able to recognize said land formations by visual sight

In a recon platoon in vietnam we used the shoot a point and count steps method, often only a few yards between points.Two or three guys were counting steps, putting rocks from one pocket to another to keep track every hundred steps.we were able to hit small clearings after moving thousands of kilometers of dense brush and jungle.Important as these were assembly points for widely separated troops.

TIP: Don't eyeball trying to get the lines on the bottom of the dial parallel with the index lines on the map. Slide your compass back and forth along your course line until one of those lines is under the dial. Now you get it much more accurate. No guesswork needed.

You did a great job with this video. Clean, simple, and no BS. Well done!

I'm a middle school teacher introducing students to hiking and orientation.. this is by far the best video I've found... LOVE your content and hope you produce more! Great resource for my students!

Excellent video. The whole concept was explained clearly and was so easy to follow and understand. The “bras with underwire” comment, though very salient, absolutely cracked me up!

It's the best video I have ever seen on understanding compass, bearings, declination, elevation and use of compass for orienteering... Concept simplified to the core...👍 Thank you!

Planning to use your video in an English second language class. You are easy to follow, understand and there is no background music. Good work!

As others have said, this is an excellent presentation with clear explanations. An alternate method of accounting for declination is to orient the map to the compass at the beginning, while offsetting for declination. Then, as long as you don’t move the map after it’s oriented, each bering that you take from that point on will be a magnetic bering that has already had declination accounted for. This cuts down on the possibility for errors. Also, all you have to focus on is putting red in the shed. It also helps with triangulation, if you don’t know where on the map you are located. The big thing is knowing the declination for the area you are operating in.

The simplest and most complete video about how to use a compass within a map. Thank you!

Thank you so much for this! I was so confused until I watched this video. You explained it in a way that totally clicked for me, thank you!

Adding my voice to the many comments of praise. I’m an absolute newbie and have struggled understanding these concepts after watching so many videos. You are a great teacher. Direct and to the point. Clear explanations. No extra junk thrown in. Brava!

We used to play Orienteering games in the Army. It brings a little stress into finding your way, which is good. Who would not want to do this in the fall in Bavaria? What a beautiful place.

That was good. You might have pointed out two things. The vertical lines on the map are longitude. I think most people would know that, but if they don’t it wouldn’t hurt to learn. The other is that most good compasses can be adjusted for declination so north points north without making a second calculation. Of course, it needs to be kept up to date, and if you go to a new area you’ll need to reset that adjustment, but google declination for whatever area you’re in and you’ll get the figure.

The way you explained it is much easier to understand than all of the videos I watched. Thanks a lot!

I love all my gadgets. But the battery never goes dead in a compass. I taught all of my sons and grandkids how to accomplish land navigation with a compass and map.

From 3 years in the future, this was the most concise and helpful video ive seen so far. Thanks

Best explanation I've seen, simple and concise - Thank You

Well done. About the most thorough and complete instructions I've seen in videos.

BEST and SIMPLEST description I have ever seen for using a compass with a map. Thank you!

I had forgotten how to use a compass with a map,thank u for helping me remember why i didn't want to get lost

Thank you for your "Here's how to do it, now do it" approach. I've been practicing, readying for a trip to Iceland. I appreciate your clarity. Thanks!

Excellent explanation, as others have commented. Great that you covered the piece about picking a landmark, like identifying a tree, putting the compass down, walk to the landmark, stop, pick another landmark etc. Indeed, it can be good fun! When navigating in difficult situations where you may be unable to see your final destination, it is important/critical that you identify and navigate to intermediate points on the bearing line. Examples being in woodland, in fog. I well recall an early experience of mine in fog on an almost featureless gently curving hilltop, where I had to negotiate difficult ground around boggy areas - in that instance I had to sight to tufts of grass 100ft or so ahead as my landmarks, walk to that, stop, sight a new tuft on the bearing, move on etc. It was important that I did not drift off to one side or the other. This go-stop-go was slow progress, but I was chuffed to arrive at the right final destination point about a mile across the hilltop.

Great job. I'm trying to get the hang of maps and compasses and you've helped a bunch!

bruh i watched 10 videos and this is the only one that made sense. thanks

Getting my kid ready for Cub Scouts: this has been a great video for them to understand the concepts of using a compass.

Just to add on, the best video we've found. Clear, concise, can't wait to get out and start picking landmarks. We're hiking the back country of Scotland in a few weeks and I now feel like we can actually use a compass and map if necessary! Thank you!

Finally a video with instructions I can understand. Thank you!!!

Thank you Chistina, it's nice video explaining the basic skills to use a compass very well. Great job.

I love the way you explained it. I have seen other videos on it, but they just confused me. Greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for the time you put into this video. I'm finally feeling confident and hopeful thanks to your instructions! 💗

Great simple, clear explanation for a beginner like myself to understand what had been a bit confusing.

Beautifully clear explanation, especially when walking south. Thank you

I agree with previous comments. I’ve been searching for a simple guide to navigation for beginners and this is the best one I’ve found! Thank you

Thank you, Christina. This is way easier than my Land Nav days in the Corps.

Thank You for the good examples and clear instructions.

Great explanation! You're a natural teacher. Thank you for this.

I love how you never re-orient the map itself and rely completely on orienting your compass. At first it was confusing but after your second example I started to get why you don't need it.

Excellent job! Much better explanation than the hard core woodsmen provide! :) Thank you.

This is the best compass tutorial I've seen. This was time well spent for me, I finally understand how to use a compass for more than just determining direction. Thank you!

I love how you cover compensating for declination. Great for a newbie like myself! Even though your compass appears to be adjustable (the small internal red scale on the dial) you showed us in simple terms. Thank you!

I've seen plenty of videos that purport to teach viewers map-and-compass navigations. Although I've seen a couple that did it correctly, not one of them was as clear and succinct as your excellent explanation here. Beautifully done. A happy coincidence for me is that I'll be hiking in the White Mountains over the next few days. Cheers!

Hands down the best explanation I've seen so far, thank you very much!

The best compass video I have seen on KZfaq. Land navigation is something I have always been interested in. From my stint in the Army, to hiking trails and bushwacking. Great video work showing the process and good verbal how to descriptions. Everything you need to know it 11 minutes.

Thank you for the video! you explained it the simplest out of all the videos i've seen! Can't Wait to hit the trails!

OIC - great job of explaining! Best I've seen

I came back to watch this a second time as it is made so simple by a great teacher. Thank you young lady for a great vlog.

Christina, you're the absolute bomb. My good ol' friends and I are going to head out into the wilderness that is crown land and explore our beautiful nation.

The best video on compass/map navigation You are a natural teacher simple and concise

I really appreciate your effort in keeping this simple. Good information. I hope you make more videos.

Really nice to see someone your age that knows how to do this !

Great job! Clear and concise instructions.

That was an awesome explanation! Thank you so much for making it plain and simple! - Muddypaw 🐾

Very informative video, so very well explained, covering all the bases. Thank you very much for sharing!

This is the best video I have found on using a compass! Thanks!

What a fantastic video. This was really well explained and easy to follow. Thanks so much.

You did a great job explaining this! Thanks for taking the time to make this video.

Have watched a lot of compass videos. You have the best most clear one. Thank you.

Best video I have found on how to use a compass! The reminder to keep the red outline on top / up north is very useful - was mistaken myself once. Thank you very much!

Wow...this is a really well done, instructional video...thank you CC, for taking the time to share your teachings with us.

one of the better videos on this. You explained it better than the REI video did.

best basic map /compass navigation video I have seen, excellent.

I like the zeroing out first, set my orientation. And was a good reminder of earliest tutoring. Cheers!

Fantastic video! Your explanation and visual demonstration made it easy to follow and I appreciate that you showed a route going north and one going south. The additional bits of info you included were also very useful. I'm excited to practise what I just learned. You should be a teacher :)

Thanks! Very easy explanation, great tutoring. I learn't to use a compass + map when i did my army service here in Sweden...many years ago :) Guess what, i forgot how to do it! Now i know again. It just shows how easy it is to forget when you don't repeat something, or do it in a long time. Great video! :)

Great job explaining map and compass, especially declination which I have found to be slightly more difficult than calculus. Thanks.

This is the best map & compass video I've come across! :)

Nice video, still helping others 3 years later :)

Thanks so much, this is a great video for beginners, the best one I've seen. I'm still not confident on the declination but I'll do some rewatches.

An easy to follow description. Good teaching! Thanks!

Super easy to follow and helpful video. Thanks Christina!

Thank You, clear explanation, simple and concise.

Thanks Christina ..... nice and basic ... exactly what I needed .... great video !

This is the simplest, clearest explanation that I've seen. Thank you. There is a mnemonic that is helpful to remember whether to add or subtract for declination: "Declination East, compass least" and "Declination West, compass best".

This video is so clear! And the example is very useful too. I really learned alot! thank you very much 🥰

Thank you, I’m finally beginning to understand how to do it!

I used to know how to land nav when I was in military but watched another video that had me thinking I had know idea how to. Thank God I watched this video to confirm I'm not crazy.

A nice concise explanation,for a beginner to understand.Thank you.

Thanks for your time making this video. I’ve searched several video but your explanation is so easy to understand! Thank you!

I love this explanation. Well done.

About 60 years ago we used a compas about one half inch in diameter recessed into a small nut....Acorn, walnut I just don't know but we used it to navigate our hunting in and out of the woods and everglades west of Miami, Florida....It was small but worked every time....Thanks for your video.... Very well done....

It all makes sense. Will have to give it a try. Thanks for making it all seem so simple.

The best instructions on how to use a compass on YT! Thank you! Greatings from 🇫🇮

Very nicely done and good explanation of adding the westerly magnetic declination to your compass bearing off the map.

Best explanation so far. Even better than Corporals Corner's, imo. Greetings from Brazil!!

Very nice job. I’ve watched many videos on how to use a compass. Your video is the best.I love the way you explain things to make it easy to understand. Thank you so much.

Great job. Very clear and well presented.

Finally. Found a fully explained how to use compass video

I finally understand compensation for magnetic declination. I have watched many videos on the subject, most from Grizzly Adams survivalist-types and none were as useful as this young lady in her back yard.

At last I understood from this video after much trouble with different videos , Thank you very much 😀🙏

You explained that very well. Your easy to understand.

A very nice, succinct presentation. Good Job!

Good information there. I’m teaching my daughters to map read. I use a Silva compass & always create a route card before heading out. I’m a British Army veteran so have good navigation knowledge. The magnetic variation here in the uk for 2021 is 0 degrees so no need to adjust the mag bearing