Originally Posted By: EMPnotImplyNuclear
Originally Posted By: MostlyHarmless
Originally Posted By: EMPnotImplyNuclear
Anyone use Solar Powered Digital Compass Altimeter + Barometer + Thermometer?


AVOID, AVOID, AVOID, AVOID... sorry you just set of my AVOID alarm. It is very sensitive to such word compositions. I associate them with a much simpler word: Junk.

Yes, the marketing does set of junk alarms, but it can't be all that bad. I'm a little surprised no one has any experience at all to contribute.


I'm not.

This crowd is above average when it comes to optimizing the gear they use and bring with them, I am not at all surprised that no one here has tested this particular gadget. Too many gadgets, too little time... don't waste time on the gadgets that trip your junk-o-meter.

Quality scepticism aside, there are some objective reasons not to choose this particular combination of instruments. Here's why:

1) It violates the KISS principle. Big time. (Keep It Simple Stupid).

2) Base plate compasses (the transparent ones you can place on a map so it is easy to read direction from A to B) are pretty much what you want when using the compass with a map. I've yet to see a digital compass that you can use this way.

3) Neither altimeter, barometer nor thermometer are vital instruments for your survival. I can give you a long rant under which circumstances they are useful. My experience with altimeters is limited to the research I did before deciding NOT to buy one. I found out when and how it would be useful - and that was just too limited for my liking. In addition, altimeter use for navigation is made obsolete by the GPS. As a weather forecaster I have a pretty good idea of what you can extract from barometer and thermometer. Going into detail will be a long rant that concludes that you don't really need any of them. A compass, on the other hand, is vital.

4) Electronic gadgets can and will fail for a lot of reasons, including failure to charge the solar powered device during daylight hours. A good quality analog compass will only fail if you crush it or loose it.


Edited by MostlyHarmless (03/27/10 10:57 AM)