Comments about Suunto Woodsman A-30L Compass:

This is a good, basic, reliable orienteering compass. There are several nice features like the luminescent bezel and pointers, the magnifying glass and the design of the upturned curve at the back of the base and the lanyard attachment that, once you figure it out, allows the compass to remain flat and facing forward when worn around your neck.

Unfortunately there are no instructions indicating how to install said lanyard clip, not even a picture or diagram. The clip is small and insecurely package so its all to easy to lose it while trying to figure it out by trial and error.

The short description of orienteering and declination correction is surprisingly good considering it has been translated into 7-8 languages, but would it have been all that difficult to include at least SOME assembly instructions? The picture on the Campmor web site was more helpful than anything included in the box.

Comments about Suunto Woodsman A-30L Compass:

I own two now. Its a very accurate compass first and foremost. Too few people discuss the built in magnifyer. Emergency fire anyone? Keep it in mind. Backpacking taught me the need for redundancies.

Comments about Suunto Woodsman A-30L Compass:

This compass is totally awesome! It totally let me know which way was North when I was on a hike along the Lost Coast Trail... I would totally have been lost if it weren't for Suunto's superior Swedish know-how in all things involving precise measure... or is that the Swiss? Either way, this compass is SPOT ON! I lost my bearings when heading down the Lightning Trail, I was partially blinded by the setting sun and couldn't find my way back to camp, all I knew was that it was North... I thought I was a goner until I remembered the hard plastic, sharp cornered necklace I was wearing... I simply placed it in the palm of my hand and VOILA! The red arrow pointed me back towards my camp! Thank you Suunto!

Just like my trusty Volvo and Morakniv, the Swedes again have created a durable, simple, and accurate product.

Comments about Suunto Woodsman A-30L Compass:

I prefer the simple baseplace compass like this one for off trail hiking. I've owned at least 6 compases over the years and wore out several of them. I have used Silva and Suunto compasses of this type. After a 3 day off trail backpack trip that required hours of use of this specific compass, I am less than pleased. It seems that the needle movement is sluggish and very sensitive to the compass being held horizontal- more so than all previous compasses I've used. While I've owned and used the Suunto Partner in the past and did not expereince this problem, I'm considering buying a Silva to replace this compass.

Comments about Suunto Woodsman A-30L Compass:

This is a great product.

Comments about Suunto Woodsman A-30L Compass:

Just bought a book for compass and map reading. Still need to practice but the compass looks pretty useful and is what I was expecting.

Comments about Suunto Woodsman A-30L Compass:

This company makes good compasses. This is a basic compass that works! A little large for minimalists.

Comments about Suunto Woodsman A-30L Compass:

This is a great compass for a great price. Luminescent dials and highlights make it good for night orienteering. I've been using this for about two months and have no complaints at all.