Coghlan's Trail Compass for Hiking, Backpacking, Camping, and Orienteering – Lightweight Outdoor Navigation Gear with Durable Design

Coghlan's has packaged some low quality stuff over the years, but they chose to obtain pretty good affordable compasses. This one points spot-on and is fairly strong. The metal case is thin as I would expect for such a bargain, but looks OK. It's made by a company in Taiwan (Chuan Ching Mechanical) which makes compasses for real use, not just kid toys or gimmicks. UPDATE: The review above is for the metal pocket model. I now have several models, so I will add comments on the others here... Map model: While there are no negative declination markings, there is a fixed white line printed on the black ring. The black ring is a separate fixed layer UNDER the 360-marked rotating clear bezel. So you can add/subtract your declination and the white line can be precisely alligned with the declination on the main dial. You could of course do this with the red arrow on the base plate, but having the thinner white line so close under the clear bezel is much easier to align. Trail model: A good compass component (liquid filled) and as accurate as other models but FYI, 1. It's larger than I imagined (1 & 15/16" wide). Normally I wouldn't assume size based on a photo, but having the clip attachment made me think it was sized smaller for a zipper/keychain/etc. The rotating bezel part spins too freely to adjust and expect to stay in place (with a flick it will complete a full rotation). However, since this model has no degrees on the dial and only the single line marker on the bezel, I am not even sure why they made it rotatable. It's perfectly suited for "trail" use without such adjustments and markers, when you really only need to make a choice of left/right or forward/back.

I have a number of compasses. They never leave the house. Most of the time I have no need for one and if push comes to shove, there is always the cell phone. However, this one is different. It clips onto something with ease and on those occasions where it helps me to figure out where I'm headed, it is very valuable. I was in a state part the other day with only a sketchy map. There were lots of trees, so you couldn't see very far. I was trying to find ruins. By keeping an eye on my direction they were easy to find. Do you need a compass for that? No. Was it useful to have one? Yes. This thing works well, seems accurate enough for those small tasks, is well built, and is simple, small, and light enough that you might as well take it with you. When I go for a walk, I now take this with me, just in case. I'm not exactly on rescue missions and never really in an area where I could get seriously lost, but heading back to the parking, or re-calibrating which way I was headed has its uses.

I’ve carried this for a few months in a front pocket. A few dents but works as new. The needle lock is a nice feature and the needle tip will glow after a decent amount of sun.

Very nice, light, portable compass that can attach to your belt loops. Seems to sometimes be more accurate than my iPhone which one time required me to close the app and open it again to get it giving the correct compass direction. It's important to let the compass rest flat on your hand so the needle can move freely in the solution. The compass can react to strong magnetic fields like for example in my kitchen if a sit at a metal table across my refrigerator the needle will reverse and show north as south etc. Just something to be aware of. Great little compass that has quickly helped improve my general sense of direction navigation needs aside. Also really drives home what an amazing planet we live on. Great price too.

I have ADHD and am absolutely horrible at directions. I got this to keep on my keys so I always have it, so if somebody tells me to go in a direction, I won't screw up. It works great, is the perfect size, and easy to read/see. It's also really sturdy- I imagine if you ran it over with a car it probably wouldn't like that very much, but if you're just carrying it around, I doubt you'll encounter any issues.

Package covered in dust and oil. Compass seems decent, lightweight, night illumination feature does not work currently due to corroded batteries inside, i cleaned it up and now need to purchase two SR1131 batteries.

This small compass is a great tool to carry as a keychain, and it accurately points to magnetic north. However, it only works well when left to settle—if you hold it while walking, it doesn't provide reliable readings. Overall, a handy and functional piece for those who need a portable direction guide.

It appears that the compass points North, which is a good start. I bought this for an England tour involving a lot of walking, including in the city of London. I am a bit 'directionally challenged' so wanted to go prepared. The packaging on back indicates the compass takes a battery replacement #389F 1.55V. The box includes 2 of these batteries. They are too big for the battery compartment (by a lot.) The instruction picture is for a completely different-looking battery compartment. (Note: must be a newer model? Not only, can you not get one battery in the compartment, you definitely cannot get 2. I even opened the case, reluctantly because I did not want to damage the compass, and the compartment underneath is still too small for 2 389F batteries. I searched "Rufus" here for battery requirements. The Rufus reply was the battery required was CR2032, a totally different battery. Since I don't know what time of day/night I will need to consult my compass, this is a major slip-up. I ordered the CR2032 battery for it. It is even bigger and certainly does not fit. It is also a 3V battery. So not only did the manufacturer get it wrong, but the Amazon AI-bot got it wrong also. Back it goes.