Simplicity and its loyal companion reliability beat unnecessary complexity any time.

Why depend on something that needs battery power, functioning electronics, a signal, and possibly a subscription merely to act as a compass. Besides that, how much space does a key chain style compass actually consume? The small size and weight of this type of compass also promote having a backup system.

From my experience, Sun makes good small compasses, as does Tru-Nord.

Here's a useful test to perform: Submerge in water for a couple of minutes the Marble compass and the appropriately setup cell phone and then report back which one works better as a compass. Works is the operative word.

I'm not enthusiast about putting so much faith in a single device. particularly when it is a device that is dependent on batteries and one that is relatively delicate. Count on a cell phone for communications, timekeeping and compass and you lose the who;e shooting match if the cell phone falls into a mud puddle.

My preference is a small, and very durable, button compass. The best of them have survived being swallowed and retrieved at the other end. A testimate to durability but otherwise a pretty useless bit of information unless you anticipate a prison camp and strip search in your future.

The real deal: http://www.bestglide.com/FB1605_Info.html

It is pricy at $36 but as long as you don't lose it one should last a lifetime.


Very good: http://www.bestglide.com/marbles_brass_compass.html

Perfectly usable and almost as tough for less than half the price.


A bit larger:http://www.bestglide.com/brunton_compass.html

Dirt cheap but rugged enough and small enough to stuff into any kit or hide until needed in a jacket pocket. A selection of small workhorse compasses for cheap.

What's in your pockets now? Is it a matter of pocket organization, weight or is it the sheer number of items that has you reassessing your EDC?

I have a TAD Lifecapsule that I carry to keeps things tidy, waterproof, crushproof and it could serve a number of other purposes.

One end of the capsule unscrews to reveal a button compass (it can hold one of those excellent NATO compasses Art_In_FL was linking to) in a small compartment and the opposite end has a compartment that can hold quite a bit (matches & tinder, or sparklight & tinder-quik, water purification tablets, emergency money, etc.). A short paracord lanyard in a snakeknot configuration (only the length of the capsule itself) with a Photon on the end completes a nice little bit of kit.

try here I have it. It only has time, date and compass. If you look at the picture the top button is compass, the middle button (if you push it) is a light and you pull it to change date and time. Then the bottom button is compass again. If you push the compass button the compass is on for about 20 seconds. The only thing I dont like about it si if you have the compass and the light on the back light blinks. Over all I love the compass, a great choice of watchbands and pretty cheap.

Both of my trekking poles have button compasses on the wrist strap. I also have a Suunto mini compass/thermometer zipper pull on my lanyard. Then I have my regular compass. THEN I usually stash a magnet compass around somewhere (a little oblong neodymium magnet which will always point north/south on a flat surface).

And all that is generally backup for my GPS (both my Garmin and the one in my blackberry).

Sure it's redundant but until button compasses weigh 3 lbs a piece, I'm just fine with so much overkill.

My Casio Triplesensor watch give me a compass, and more...

If you're looking for a nice watch with a pretty good compass check out the Tissot T-Touch. I'm so impressed with that watch I now own two.

I have the a Highgear watch. It's a bit big but has all the same features for a fraction of the price of a Suunto or the Tissot.

Where do you live? If you wear a jacket regularly, you could get a button compass zipper pull. I have a cheap one on one of my jackets thats lasted for about two years and is almost completely unnoticeable to carry.

I carry a small key wallet in another pocket separate from my normal wallet. It looks like a normal wallet but when you open it it has a row of clips to hand keys on and keeps them all laying flat and compact and quiet. It has a small zipper change pocket and in there I keep a couple quarters and a p38 and a watchband compass. So thats kind of my psk and the compass is about the size of a nickel and was encased in a rubber coating that had a slot to slide a watch band through. I don't wear a watch but thats an option as well. I just peeled the rubber off the outside and slid the little compass into the change pocket. I bought it for like $5 from a store called Galyans which is now Dicks sporting goods and its been in that little pocket for years rubbing against a couple quarters and the p38 and still works fine. I pulled it out and it matched my new GPS. Its actually outlasted the key wallet because I've replaced the wallet once.