One needs bad weather to get a proper compass
If you want an objective review, this is not the place to find it. The following describes my very personal opinion about this wonderful compass.
After about 20 years of hiking I have no problems to orient myself in the field with or without a compass in good weather. Although I had my share of blizzards, fog and whiteouts during time, one of my previous hikes proved me that a good compass is essential during a whiteout, especially when it came with cold, strong wind as a bonus. I had a lensatic clone for some years and used it every now and then, letting me down when I was needing it the most. Because of the altitude and of the liquid fill, it developed a bubble below the needle. I didn't see it and went about 12° off the course. When the bubble came up on another reading, the needle turned to correct direction (eventually, as it's filled with oil instead of alcohol) and persuaded me to get a reliable compass.
I studied a bit what was available on local stores in my area, looking for a compass which had all the following features:
- weatherproof;
- large bezel ring to use it with gloves;
- fast needle setting;
- operating temperature range -25°C...+50°C ();
- better than +/-3° accuracy;
- transparent, but colored base plate (green, yellow or orange) OR lensatic;
- ruler;
- phosphorescent indicators for heading, bezel and north arrow.
Of course, none of those I found had all the features I wanted. Closest matches were Hi-Vis versions of Silva Ranger CL which is liquid filled, and Silva Explorer Pro which is a colorless base plate and its indicator arrow isn't that obvious in bad weather.
Now the review.
That's how I started to look on eBay for something and found this beauty: Cammenga D3-T. It's a combination of a standard base plate compass and the core of a lensatic one. The base is made out of transparent, sturdy plastic, colored with a shade of green, light enough to see through it even with red light, but dark enough to see it if if falls in snow.
The needle is magnetically dampened, leading to fast reaction and settling times. For 180° of travel it only needs four seconds to revert and stabilize completely. Needle base is colored in white which eases readings, but it's opaque and you won't see the map beneath. However, I don't see that as a problem but it might be annoying for those used with a transparent base.
T suffix stands for tritium, meaning that for some years it will have self-illuminating marks for some years, making it a very good companion if the nightfall catches me still in some unknown area. These are a total of six:
- thin marks placed on: heading arrow, bezel, and needle's N;
- thick marks placed on W and E sides of the needle, one below heading reading.
Summarizing for those who don't like reading.
PRO:
- full weatherproof;
- sturdy and lightweight;
- fast needle settling (no liquid, no bubbles);
- decent size, easy to use it with gloves or over-gloves;
- tritium microlight sources;
- lots of map scales on base plate;
- Cordura pouch (fleece on inside) and lanyard included.
CON:
- only 5° markings for bearing;
- it makes your wallet thinner, but it definitely worth the money.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
