: Just curious, but why is this feature desirable for you?

: I've been fortunate (unfortunate?) to live and travel in areas where the
: declination was so small that the differences were fairly academic, so I'm
: in the dark on the importance of this matter.

: If I was traveling much further from home I'd have a GPS and a small pocket
: compass with me -- and mostly navigate with the GPS -- so I'm not sure if
: i would ever think of compensating for the declination. I suppose this
: MIGHT get me into trouble far from home, but then again, if I was far from
: home I just might be looking for trouble

: Are you using local charts oriented to true north nstead of magnetic north?
: Are you in an area where there is a great deal of difference between the
: two?

: PGJ

Paul:

Fair questions. My day job is in the forest industry in the southern parts of BC. Magnetic north is currently ~21.5 degrees off of true north. My Silva pocket compass allows for an adjustment to allow for declination. Thus the bearing I read off of the map I can translate immediately to a field sighting without needing any mental calculation.

Although the BC coast should be slightly less declination it just seemed to be a logical assumption that deck mounted compasses with adjustments for declination would prove invaluable. Perhaps I am missing something in the use of nautical charts?

I also have a GPS that I use in the field and might take with me for safety purposes but it would probably remind me too much of work.

grant