As survivalists, all of the gear we purchase or invest in is necessary, but some of it just isn’t that exciting. Water purification system? It’ll save you from contracting nasty parasites, but it’s not exactly a conversation piece you show off to all your friends. A lighter, stronger groundsheet to place under your tent? Meh. Other objects, thankfully, smack of high adventure and exploration, of manifest destiny and blazing a trail. The compass, clearly, falls into the latter category.
If you still question why you’d ever need a compass since your phone has Google Maps and GPS, then this probably isn’t the article for you. If, however, you’ve ever gotten lost in the woods because your phone (or handheld GPS) ran out of batteries, lost signal, or fell into a…