Birth of the ThumbNail Compass
The Suunto Arrow 5 is not the sturdiest baseplatewise but has the advantage of a super-fast and stable needle and resistance to developing bubbles.
If the baseplate breaks it's a shame to see the capsule go to waste. Loose capsules can be used on a mapper's board or a bike map holder. But what would it take to continue it's life as a thumb compass. I've had many customers echo what James is saying about having the thumb right on the map or dealing with odd angles of the different baseplates. If the baseplate is irrelevant, all you really need is a small capsule like the Arrow 5 right on the map. As with the standard baseplates, the needle is aligned with the magnetic north lines of the map and the lines on the housing are in line with the direction of travel.
It's pretty easy to attach the thumb band that came with the compass to the capsule using a nylon cable tie. That's really all there is to it. Refinements such as adjusting the alignment of the lines on the capsule and making a background dial gives a professional looking and functioning product with a gross tonnage of .4 oz.
This one has a color wheel dial, admittedly something of a knock off. Speaking of which, how long will it be before you see a Silva or Moscow version of the ThumbNail? Maybe it has already been done but if not, make a guess as to when it will be done and a free Scarborough Orienteering version will go to the closest guess. If memory serves it was not long after the Scarborough Thumb Magnifier appeared some 9 years ago that Silva and Moscow came out with their versions. Maybe just coincidence....
Add a second strap and you have a wrist compass.
-Joe
If the baseplate breaks it's a shame to see the capsule go to waste. Loose capsules can be used on a mapper's board or a bike map holder. But what would it take to continue it's life as a thumb compass. I've had many customers echo what James is saying about having the thumb right on the map or dealing with odd angles of the different baseplates. If the baseplate is irrelevant, all you really need is a small capsule like the Arrow 5 right on the map. As with the standard baseplates, the needle is aligned with the magnetic north lines of the map and the lines on the housing are in line with the direction of travel.
It's pretty easy to attach the thumb band that came with the compass to the capsule using a nylon cable tie. That's really all there is to it. Refinements such as adjusting the alignment of the lines on the capsule and making a background dial gives a professional looking and functioning product with a gross tonnage of .4 oz.
This one has a color wheel dial, admittedly something of a knock off. Speaking of which, how long will it be before you see a Silva or Moscow version of the ThumbNail? Maybe it has already been done but if not, make a guess as to when it will be done and a free Scarborough Orienteering version will go to the closest guess. If memory serves it was not long after the Scarborough Thumb Magnifier appeared some 9 years ago that Silva and Moscow came out with their versions. Maybe just coincidence....
Add a second strap and you have a wrist compass.
-Joe
Labels: orienteering, thumb compass
posted by Joe Scarborough at 11:28 AM
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