Celestron TrekGuide Digital Compass (Black)

Comments about Celestron TrekGuide Digital Compass (Black):

GPS's are so wonderful people forget their limitations and the need for backup navigation tools, the TrekGuide Digital Compass is a good electronic tool kit to help you better relate to the facts on the ground.

While it is nice to know where you are, not paying attention to the temperature and weather gets people killed. The thermometer and atmospheric pressure measurement provided by the TrekGuide Digital Compass are life saving features not common in GPS's and certainly much less expensive in this product than in "all-in-one" GPS wonder toys.

I've watched people fool themselves into hypothermia because they didn't think it was possible in the month of August. This digital multi-tool can provide you with a fuller picture of the overall conditions of your situation. There are real problems with "GPS-lock" where you focus on one indicator and stop paying attention to your surroundings. This happens because the quality of the one piece of information provided by the GPS is so reassuring that you forget to check other sources of important information. The TrekGuide Digital Compass provides comparable data quality and can help you break a gadget-head out of "GPS-lock".

The product is reasonably sturdy and appears good enough for non-expedition outdoor work. I am not in love with the 2032 batteries that fuel this device, but the weight and bulk savings are probably worth carrying a jewelers screwdriver and spare batteries instead of fitting this with AAA batteries. If you are not comfortable in the outdoors, you probably want to get this device in red or yellow because it will be easier for you to locate. The lanyard is too complicated and lightweight for serious work outdoors, but you can unclip it, loop each part separately to the handle, and then run a carabiner through both loops. Or you can loop the large part through the handle, unclip the thread-weight loop and throw it away instead of losing it. Or you can do what the real people do and run some accessory cord through the handle and give the lanyard to your nephew for the toy it is.

I would cover the sides and back of this with athletic tape if I was going to use it more than a few hours a year. Not ruggedizing the product probably makes sense for the serious pack-weight fanatics.

Comments about Celestron TrekGuide Digital Compass (Black):

This is a very nice instrument and it seems accurate. However, it does seem very sensitive to horizontal positioning; just a couple of degrees tilt will change the compass reading several degrees. I was going to try mounting it on my motorcycle, but with its sensitivity that won't work. Guess I'll just stick to using it for hiking.