The kit for off-trail and route-finding in wild country. A paper topo map and a baseplate compass, a GPS with offline maps as backup, an altimeter watch, and the skill to read terrain. The trail ends; navigation begins. Know where you are before you need to.
Plans
Choose a plan that fits your needs and budget
Item List
4Backup
2 items
Primary Nav
2 items
Plan Totals$610
FAQ
Common questions about this kit
Paper map and compass first?
Always — batteries die, GPS drifts, but a paper map and a compass always work. The skill to read a topo (contour lines, terrain shape, declination) is the foundation; the GPS is the convenience, not the primary.
GPS as backup?
Yes — a dedicated GPS (or a phone with offline maps and a GPS app) confirms your position and tracks your route. But never the sole navigation; a dead battery in the backcountry turns a GPS into a rock.
Altimeter watch?
Yes — knowing your elevation is a powerful navigation aid; combined with a map and compass, it triangulates your position. In thick forest or featureless terrain where landmarks are invisible, the altimeter tells you where on the slope you are.
Route description?
Yes — for off-trail routes, a written description (turn at the saddle, descend the gully, contour around the knob) is as important as the map. The terrain features are the breadcrumbs; the description connects them.
User Reviews
5.0 / 5.0
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Off-trail nav kit and my day-hike essentials share the paper-map-and-compass-first gospel — the GPS is the convenience, not the primary. Altimeter in thick forest, agreed.
Backcountry and my caving share the file-a-trip-plan gospel — the register-at-the-trailhead is the file-a-return-time, and the cotton-kills is the cotton-kills. The taught-system-before-the-trip is the same gospel, agreed.