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A4 checklist with all illustrated steps. Tick the boxes on paper as you go.

FeatherSticks · Gear

Compass, GPS & Map Apps: What to Carry and How to Combine Them

One phone is not a navigation kit. Here is what else to carry.

Quick facts

Time
One evening to prepare, a few outings to practise
Difficulty
Easy to buy, needs practice to use
Best for
Forest, off-trail, fog, winter, multi-day trips
You need
Map 1:25,000 in a case, baseplate compass, phone or GPS with offline maps, power bank

What you need

  • Baseplate compass on a lanyard
  • Topographic map 1:25,000 in a waterproof case
  • Phone with offline maps and a protective case
  • Power bank and short cable in a zip bag
  • Handheld GPS with spare cells (for long or remote trips)
  • Pencil, notebook and a small ruler
  • Whistle and headlamp with spare cells

Step by step

  1. Assume the phone can fail

    1 Assume the phone can fail

    Battery, cold, water and missing signal each end a phone's navigation. Plan a second system that needs no power.

  2. Carry the paper map in a case

    2 Carry the paper map in a case

    A 1:25,000 map of your area in a waterproof case, folded so the route window is visible.

  3. Choose a baseplate compass

    3 Choose a baseplate compass

    Liquid-filled, with ruler and romer scales; declination adjustment is a bonus. Button compasses are emergency backups only.

  4. Check the compass

    4 Check the compass

    Small bubble, red end north, no deflection near metal. Test it at home and again after any trip in a loaded pack.

  5. Prepare phone or GPS

    5 Prepare phone or GPS

    Download offline maps, test them in flight mode, load the route and start with a full battery and a power bank.

  6. Cross-check all three

    6 Cross-check all three

    Map, compass and electronics should agree. When they do not, stop and find out why before you walk on.

Common mistakes

  • Relying on a phone alone, without a paper map and compass, and without a power bank.
  • Downloading offline maps in the car park and finding out in the forest that the area is incomplete or the format is wrong.
  • Taking a bearing with a phone, knife or steel buckle next to the compass.
  • Carrying the compass at the bottom of the pack and never using it until it matters.
  • Trusting the screen over the terrain when the two disagree, instead of stopping to find out why.
  • Storing the compass next to a magnet, speaker or magnetic phone case, so that the polarity reverses.
  • Using a button compass or a watch compass for a map bearing.