Strewth !
I'm buggered then !

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Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. - Spike Milligan
"When you come to a fork in the road ,take it ! When you come to a spoon in the road ,take that also ."

I do because sometimes (dare I say this) I actually get away from motorised transport and use my feet, so a compass and map and knowing how to use both are well worth it (I don't have a ciggie lighter socket built into my body to plug a GPS into).

Also, and call me old-fashioned, I think it's always a good idea to have a back up to anything that uses batteries, or microprocessors, or relies on a programmer.

I've got one of those little thermometer key rings too.

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You're probably not the only one. The compass is turned on and off by pressing the button marked 'Page'.
Stephan

The 76CSx has all the toys and uses 5 sat instead of three to pin your location. And yes, I am saying the internal magnetic compass is less accurate than my handheld. Before anyone asks, yes, I do step away from metal to ensure the gps magnetic compass is free to find it's mark.
Don't get me wrong, I use and depend a great deal on this gps. Especially since I have aftermarket maps and contour maps loaded in it. However, I am aware of it's limitations and don't rely on it blindly. The compass is still a useful tool and it works when the gps doesn't (in steep-sided canyons).
A decent compass is still cheap insurance.

I don't know about the rest of our fellow travellers, but I have a great respect for "low teck" that has been proven and used for ages. I work in a "high tech" environment and understand the huge support base that necessary to sustain it.
If you want to see spectacular "low tech", take a look at the use of "ropes" and "knots". The knots we use in climbing have been around for a very long time and are still worth knowing.
Most of my travel gear (clothing) is synthetic. However there is still room for a fine wool sweater in my kit. My boots are heavy leather backpackers that are anything but high tech. They work fine and can be re-soled anywhere in the world.
I don't need things to be the latest and greatest, although that is nice. I do need them to work, all the time and everytime.
Boy that "soapbox" was fun.

Peace,
Narly

For latest read "most under developed"

I also work in hightech, but to be honest I'll take well known and well made every time.

Andy

Back to the question.
My electronic car compass is dead ass accurate.
Can someone who has one say the 76Csx electronic compass is inaccurate?
bill

I use one all the time in the mountains and forest when on foot. Carried a spare across a couple of continents when motorcycling and didnt it once. So now for this part of the trip, it rests at home in the backpack, Im sure that at some point Ill need it and curse myself...

What about navigating by the sun using a wrist watch.

You need to be set to the local time, so that midday on your watch is when the sun is highest in the sky. At midday only, exactly in the northern hemisphere the sun will be due south, and in the southern hemisphere it will be due north.

In the northern hemisphere, at any time, hold the watch level and aim the hour hand in the direction of the sun, bisect the angle between the hour hand and twelve to find a rough south. In the southern hemisphere this technique will give you a rough north. Not so good at the equator, at night or on an overcast day but still worth knowing.

Although I guess you guys use the digital clock on your GPS to tell the time

The dial on your watch is maybe an inch across? You can align it within 3 degrees of the sun? It's acurate to maybe 30 seconds, set to within an hour of local sun time (as against GMT +/- ??) and your estimate of "halfway" is good to another 3 degrees?

Add up all the possibilities and you might be out by 20 degrees. If you are in trouble and there is a road across your path roughly North and 10 miles away that's fine, you'll hit the road where you expect. If you are aiming for a well in a desert valley 50 miles out you'll be in trouble unless you have a lot of water and petrol to spare looking for a three foot hole in the ground (better to aim off and then know which direction to search in).

Good emergency technique though and better that moss on stones and so forth.

To make the sundial methods work you need one of these:

The sun compass (threewheelbonnienonbike)

Fun to play with, but doesn't compare to a working GPS and really too big with all the watches, calculators, compass etc. to be a useful backup. It makes you appreciate just how good the early desert navigators were.

Andy

Good point Andy, like you say its good in an emergency. But for some reason Id have a compass and map anyday over a GPS. Ive been to comet twice now on a GPS hunt and walked out both times thinking "sod it, Im gonna use a map".

That being said I have been lost a few times as well

But still I dont think Il use GPS anytime soon.

Sounds like you need something designed for bike/walking use rather than sales reps and people who couldn't find their hotel if they jumped in a black cab and gave the driver the Savoys letter head.

I'd suggest a decent camping shop to take a look, then buy in Argos if they can't match the price. Something like a Garmin C60 type that doesn't do much more than point at your next way point is easy to get along with. Remember these things aren't infallible, if you know a better route use it, the GPS will always be technically correct but it doesn't have local knowledge which frustrates a lot of people new to GPS. I hate to suggest it but Touratech do some good versions they just know how to charge for it.

Andy