Be Expert with Map and Compass: The Complete Orienteering Handbook by Bj?rn Kjellstr?m Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Be Expert with Map and Compass: The Complete Orienteering Handbook
Book Review: How do you use a compass?
Summary: 5 Stars
A good guide on how to use a compass to navigate in the backcountry. It also goes into details of the sport of orienteering. Many practice examples, and orienteering exercises included. If you plan on using a GPS with a compass, and aren't interested in orienteering, get 'GPS Land Navigation; A Complete Guidebook for Backcountry Users of the NAVSTAR Satellite System,' it tells everything you need to know to use a compass, plus how to use it with a GPS.Book Review: Overrated and Outdated
Summary: 2 Stars
This was the first book I ever bought on the subject of using a map and compass for the purpose of navigating in remote wilderness areas. It was recommended by everyone I knew, as there wasn't a whole lot else out there at the time, and it had been in print since 1955. Unfortunately, much of Kjellstrom's book deals with the sport of orienteering, which has about as much relationship to practical land navigation as an ocean cruise does to open-water sailing. About the best I can say for Kjellstrom's book is that it is better for beginners than the Sierra Club Handbook (also an old book), but that's about it. Illustrations are few and muddy, and the book has an ancient feel to it, with outdated references and quirky language (it's been in print for nearly 50 years, and the author died nearly 10 years ago when in his nineties). As I mentioned, fully half the book doesn't even deal with real-life wilderness navigation, but is instead devoted to the sport of orienteering (a fine sport, but with little relevance to practical backcountry navigation with its use of special large scale maps and specialized compasses used only to orient the map to north). To conclude, the book is simply outdated and outmuscled by modern competitors. If you want to acquire map and compass skills for real-life wilderness travel, have a look at books such as The Essential Wilderness Navigator, or The Compass & Map Navigator.