Thanks to everyone who helped with my flashlight question. All the input and advice is much appreciated. I'll be going wih a fenix model that I can machine down to save space. Thanks again.
The next item is a small compass. I see Brunton used quite a bit, What button compass do you use and/or suggest? Bear in mind this will be in a kit for combat carry, possibly airborne. Thanks in advance for all your help.

The NATO brass button compass by Pyser (from Bestglide and others) seems to be the gold standard.It is some what expensive. www.survivalresources.com has high grade plastic button compasses.Then there is the SUN micro compass of which is a small base plate model with a rotating bezel.Then there is the compass in the PSP and PSP+ by our very own Doug Ritter.You get a lot of good stuff to build off from.....

BOATMAN
John

Thanks, Boatman. I'll check it out. Expense isn't really an issue with this particular kit.

Hey Izzy, thanks for the info.

Suunto Clipper L/B NH. This is a 1" luminous compass that slips on to your watch band. It's $18 at REI.

http://www.suunto.com/us/en/products/compasses/suunto-clipper-lb-nh

Yeah the Francis Barker button compass is the usual.

If want something little bigger perhaps look at Tru Nord compasses

Yup,great advice,I did same.

S.D.,

What do you want to do with the compass?

I have mixed feelings about button compasses.

If you kind of lost, but are familiar enough with the area that might be able to figure your way out IF you can walk a straight line - or go in a particular direction - using a compass, then a button compass could really help.

If you are really really lost ...

If you've told someone you trust where you were going and about when you'd be back ... and they'll likely start looking for you reasonably soon, then my advice would be to stay put, stay safe, and make yourself as findable as possible. A compass is unlikely to help you.

If you are really on your own, nobody is coming anytime soon, and you haven't a clue where you are or how to get unlost, then first give yourself a big old kick in the butt for getting yourself into this kind of a jam. A button compass probably won't help much, but at least it will help you walk in a straight line ... and might give you a tiny bit of confidence. I hope you make it.

I think you'd be much better off carrying and learning how to use a small clear plastic baseplate compass AND carrying a paper map of the area.

I always recommend selecting a compass that has "adjustable declination" and pre-adjusting it for your area.

My favorite is the Suunto M-3 Leader. Its rock solid.

For a more basic compass I'm intrigued by the newish Brunton O.S.S. 20B Compass available from REI for $15. I don't know the details but apparently Brunton, which was originally an American company, then purchased as a subsidiary of Silva of Sweden, which in turn was owned by somebody else from Europe ... anyway, somehow Brunton separated from all of the above and is now its own small company dedicated to making newly designed high quality compasses in the U.S. How can I not support that????

They appear to be based on the eclipse design they used in expensive fancy compasses in years past. Those "eclipse" compasses used to have a problem with bubbles forming, but I hope with all my heart that they've fixed that issue.

The Suunto M-3 Leader is rock solid. I have the Suunto M3G which is the same compass with the global needle. Not a button compass.

I just have to say this. Button compasses are mostly for military SERE kits. They are in the kits so that they can be concealed, even swallowed if captured. They are to aid in general direction travelling, primarily at night. Providing you can escape captivity. Aircrew personnel also carry real compasses for navigation. The button is for eminent capture, to be concealed, hopefully.

I see no value to putting one in a "survival" kit unless you are planning on going behind the lines in enemy territory. You should be able to generally tell N. E. S. and W from the sun. A button compass really can't do much more than the general directions.

If you want to navigate, get a real compass and learn how to use it properly. Practice navigating with the compass and with a map. The Suunto or Brunton compasses come in all sizes and styles, find one that you like and learn it.

Button compasses are a novelty. If you want a general directional compass, get one of the little ones that go on a watchband. Still not that useful for any sort of real navigation.

I'm of a similar mind on this. I've really questioned the usefulness of button compasses in many survival kits. Without a map and at least a general idea of where you are, I can't see them being much good. I guess as a minimum, you'd need to have a known baseline for one to help.

That said, I've started looking at them (and much of my "emergency" kit) as a back-ups. I should have a base-plate compass and map, but if something were to happen to my compass (loss, damage, etc) then having the button in my kit should actually be helpful.

Of all the items placed on a list of outdoor essentials, a compass is the item I could most easily do without. A map is far more necessary. There are lots of alternative methods for establishing the direction of true North. I carry one, partly out of habit, and partly because I use the mirror more often than that little pointy red needle thingee....

A button compass can be used to verify the operation of a primary compass.I have seen people swear that their compass was broke because they knew that it was "that direction".When you have two things saying north is that way it makes it easier to admit you're wrong.Then again if it is 9:00am and both your compasses are pointing at the sun,you could be standing on an iron deposit.It happened to me.....


BOATMAN
John

Why in the world would you want to swallow your compass? I'm not military, but that strikes me as an odd thing to do.

I have had the exact same experience. Fortunately, it was still dark and the North Star was plainly visible. The most common situation requiring compass use is dense fog which hides landmarks and celestial clues. If you are on unfamiliar terrain, it is compass time, or perhaps time to stop moving.

If you are about to be captured and have a button compass, you can try to swallow it. That way if you have a chance to escape later, you'll have a compass that can at least keep you going in one direction. You'll most likely only be able to move at night, they'll be looking for you, etc.

Of course, if you DO swallow the compass, it will reappear later, likely from another orifice. need I say more?

I can just hear the conversation now ...

"Here's the compass. You navigate while I keep watch."

"Heck no! It's YOUR compass. YOU navigate!"

Yeah but if you poop out a SERE compass, it only points towards your butt from then on...

LMAO at heartig. The compass is for a kit I'm putting together for a relative for use in the military.

While I like the compasses I have and use now, this thread got me looking at some of the smaller models and the one I really liked was the Suunto M-9 wrist compass. Larger compasses like my Suunto M3G are probably more accurate, but how much accuracy do you need. Button compasses are smaller but not as convenient as having a compass on your wrist -- no digging for it in your pocket just to drop it in the grass/river/mud. Looks like a good compromise that should be accurate enough.

How about a wrist watch with a digital compass included? I have been using a Casio model for a couple of years,mostly to keep track of time, but I can switch to compass mode and get a bearing. I have only played with it, haven't had to use it in earnest, but it seems to be acceptably accurate.....

I have one as well. As a backup it's perfectly acceptable, probably a bit easier to read and to use than a button compass.

I also have one, Casio Pathfinder, nice watch, compass seems accurate enough, but it only stays on a short while and then goes back to watch mode. It's okay to get a snap bearing, but I like that the Suunto wrist compass is always in compass mode.

Thanks for the tips guys, But as i said it has to go inside a PSK tin, the same size as an Altoids tin. That would rule out wrist watches. However, it's good info that has me digging around for my old Casio triple sensor to throw in my bug out wear. Thanks again.

I have no sense of direction. Just knowing which quadrant is north can help me. I used to EDC a button compass but now I have a Casio Protrek which I consider to be about as good. For example, when I've been dropped off at one corner of a public square, I've used it to find my way back to the same corner.

I like having a watchband compass. It's there if I have no other landnav gear or even (gasp!) a PSK, and when hiking/whatever its there as a backup. It's also convenient to be able to quickly look at the wrist to verify general direction, quickly orient the map, etc. without retrieving the main compass.

I wear a Suunto Clipper on my watchband every day. IMO the Clipper is superior to any similarly sized button compass. For a tin-based PSK I would just throw a Clipper in there.

I also have the Suunto M9 wrist compass. This little unit is surprisingly accurate due to its gunsight style sighting system. For testing I have gone into the field with the M9, a Silva Type 54 prismatic, and a Suunto MC2-Global mirrored compass to compare azimuth accuracy. I found that I could sight with the M9 to within a couple degrees of the bigger compasses. I used a GPS with known waypoints in an area for which I have very accurate maps as a control/comparison.

One caution: the M9 has a strong magnet and with it on your wrist, it will affect the bigger compass in your hand. During my testing I noticed that the readings taken with the big compasses were different than readings with the M9. Then I realized that when sighting with the M9, no other compass was nearby to it but when holding the other compasses the M9 was on my wrist, a few inches away. When I removed the M9 the readings of all the compasses jived.

I did not see the same behavior with the Clipper so I believe it has a less powerful magnet.

My complaint with the small compasses is their lack of accuracy. These compasses will give you a trend of direction such as I am heading north and that's about it.

I concur with the comments about the larger Sunto & Brunton Baseplate compasses. They are far more versatile and accurate.

I have a small compass on my watch band and I am just not that impressed.

Blake