Suunto  A-10 NH Compass

If you take a compass & map navigation course through REI, this is the one they’ll bring for you to use. Nothing fancy like a sighting mirror or declination adjustments, but that’s just fine for learning the basic stills. If you find yourself using it a lot and need more precise bearings over greater distances, then you can upgrade.

Purchased to teach beginner Orienteering. It works great, is lightweight and will serve a long time for navigating trails. We tried an off brand cheap from Amazon, it was junk, it literally didn’t point to north among other things. When you life and safety may depend on your compass, don’t mess around, go with a trustworthy brand, this one is perfect.

I bought this compass to replace a compass that was lost during a move. That compass had an adjustable declination scale that was handy in orienting maps and route finding. Saw this with the declination scale in the housing and thought ah ha. Didn't read the fine print. When I did, I thought maybe "fixed" meant set it and forget it. Nope. The declination scale is combined with the outer bezel and doesn't move; kind of pointless for me since I mostly use a compass west of the line of demarcation and my declination is mostly East. Should have read the reviews first. Hopefully I will be able to return the compass since it hasn't been used, and I've got another compass that will do the same thing this one does.

Bought this compass for some basic land navigation. The degree markings are very clear and easy to read. I found that the internal protractor makes it easy to mark a bearing and move around objects. Overall, for any beginner on orienteering, this compass will do everything you need it to do!

Good simple design, but not rugged enough for outdoor use. I have broken two by simply dropping them from waist level. the first had the needle jump off the pivot pin, the second had the pivot pin break loose inside the compass capsule.

I have used the A-10 for several decades. It is an excellent starter to experienced frugal user compass. The simple metric ruler is very important and sufficient. The declination issue is handled easily enough with a straight edge and black fine permanent Sharpie pen (Alcohol will resolve and allow erasing of the line). Determine the grid declination then align the straight edge with center of needle and declination marks to draw in a declination reference line. As for leaks, don’t let it be crushed. Sadly the compass previously had a large practical magnifying lens that now appears to be flat baseplate. Who thought that was a good idea? The lens was very important especially for land navigation students who do not appreciate the subtle and fine detail of accurate topographic maps or the more experienced land navigator astute enough to use it. With this degrading change I downgrade it to 3-stars from 5+ stars. If the lens does exist, this is a very practical 5+ compass.

I use GOOGLE MAPS to find my way around. But sometimes I need a map. And someimes I want a compass to tell me which way is which. I mean, I could use my phone for everything: adding and subtracting, finding directions, showing a map of an area. But having a compass in hand is such a connection to the basics and is very rewarding.

I spent 30 mins teaching my 8 year old son how a compass works. We went for a hike and I let him navigate using the compass and a trail map. He had a blast. So easy an 8 year old can use it.

Reliable compass when out in the mountains made for safe travel when backpacking in Colorado park

As a replacement for my 20+ year old orienteering compass, the A-10 is perfect for the beginner and novice alike with a good price point. A basic, durable compass that is easy to use and accurate enough for general navigation. I love it !