Would appreciate your thoughts about using the sun to navigate by.

Sample scenario: You are in the back country and the magnetic compass is destroyed. You have no GPS.

I am looking for a few time tested methods/techniques for a future lesson plan.

My references that I use include the books Staying Found, US Army Field Manual FM 21-76.

Thanks in advance,

Blake

www.outdoorquest.blogspot.com

If I know the time of day and the sun is visible but is not high overhead, it's pretty easy to determine East or West and rough out your other directions. You can also use an analog watch as a compass:



As with any map and compass exercise, once I'm oriented and I can orient the map I will try to associate terrain features with the map to make sure that I'm seeing what I think I'm seeing.

There is the shadow tip method.

I always loved that trick but keep forgetting how it works.

I assume you use standard time (not daylight saving).

I wonder: if you have a digital watch (or phone) set to local time, would it work to scratch a clock face and hour hand in the dirt?

This device doubles as watch and compass:
Pocket sun dial
When using the watch method described by chaosmagnet, don´t forget that during daylight saving time the angle to divide is between the hour hand and the 1 o´clock mark. The method is not overly precise but it is better than nothing. So use it to find a long range target and go for that.

True, but test it before relying on it. I was discouraged to find that there was a substantial error factor. Maybe it's a higher lattitude issue? I dunno.

For best results use true local time. Everything else might need correction.


It sure does. With a piece of string you may even get the hour marks fairly precise.

It is a combination of lattitude, time of day (it´s good around high noon) and time of year. You may get up to 30 or 40 degrees of systematic error (that is without fouling anything up). Just take a look at the face of a sun dial and you get an idea of it.

We discussed this in another thread a few months back. Ottomani Sun compass

true ... it was discussed before.

my own answer is that it can be done quite accurately these days.
the reason is that there are computer programs and online sites that allow you to get the sun's position at any time of day - and for any lat and long. as a result, you can make a short list of the sun directions at various times, and bingo you've got automatic direction finding. certainly accurate to 5 degrees, and you could probably do better if you worked on it.

of course ... you do need a sunny day :-)

good luck.
Pete2