why i don't trust suunto compass quick release &better lanyard option
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- I love the suunto mc2 compass and I've owned a few over many years. I also own and love a k&r alpine compass that I have had since 2013. Prior to that I owned many other compasses of similar style. To me they are nearly identical in features except the suunto has this quick release feature that I have never trusted from the time I have seen it. I just knew from my outdoor experience in wilderness survival, long distance hiking, and search and rescue that it would fail. Many of the places I go require you to go off trail, through heavy brush and tall weeds. So it seemed logical that quick release was its weak point. So while putting together a new kit i remembered a conversation with a friend telling me a story about practicing for a land navigation SAR course last year only to look down and their compass was missing off their lanyard. I knew right away why and I kind of interrupted and filled in the story (just the details made me realize it was a suunto compass and he had used the quick release feature). I've never trusted the suunto quick release and in this video i show you why along with my solution that has never failed me in over 20 years of land navigation. So all of my compasses used in search and rescue, wilderness survival, and long distance hiking all use this method for securing the lanyard to the compass.
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I think that most people that work in search and rescue or do wilderness survival know this information but if you are new to these fields, this may save you from an equipment error. Don't get me wrong, I love the suunto compasses but I really wish they would stop supplying those quick release features because of the common problem I discuss in this video for those new to land navigation.
1. You don’t need a quick release on your compass…it might quick release itself when you need it in a worst way 😩. 2 don’t hang it around your neck…..bad things can happen. Tie it to your pack or belt and keep it in a pocket until you need it.
Comments like this is how we all learn together. Thanks.
The first time I bought this compass, I looked at the hook and I thought this is not a good design. I threw it away and and just used the lanyard on its own using a loop thru the hole just like you showed.
Great minds think alike :)
This is exactly what i did with my new A -30 Suunto compass. That clip is a nightmare and its not worth loosing a compass when i will need it most. Thanks for showing this.
Just bought one and this was my first thought also. No one really needing a compass should use it. Suunto probably designed this so they can sell everyone a new one when they lose theirs.
yep, that was my thought too ... or it was designed as a quick release but over time its going to wear out
I ditched the included lanyard and substituted paracord. It's tougher and I can cut it to the length that I want. I also put the little adjustment screwdriver on the paracord. Tied the knot and burnt the ends to seal the deal.
thank you, this happened to me. i almost lost a high end compass ( suunto mc-2 g )
it seems to be a common problem that I don't think a lot of people consider without the issue being pointed out like I did in this video. I've never lost a compass using my method, but I did get a nasty rope burn on my neck once when the loop got caught on something during a fall .. so I guess that is also something to be aware of lol Happy navigation!
Aquí en mexico, este tipos de brújulas presentan un fallo después de comprarla aproximadamente en 3 meses se presenta una burbuja en la capsula no permitiendo el movimiento de la ajuga o impidiendo el movimiento de esta fui al servicio técnico de aquí en mexico suunto mexico la cual no se hace responsable de este fallo y te alienta que compres otra brújula de otra marca mejor. triste pero cierto no te dejes estafar por esta marca.
I wonder if there is a difference in the supplier/distributor for Mexico vs US? Maybe they got a batch of bad runs or they are fake? I've not had any problems with bubbles in suunto compasses yet (I have 4 of them that vary in age from 2-5 years. I have had other compasses get a bubble). A compass I like a lot is k&r alpin made by kasper & richter... I haven't been able to find them for 8 or so years now though so maybe they stopped manufacturing them.
The first suunto I owned, I got rid of that little clip and tied the lanyard on with a girth hitch.
Never had any problem with any lanyard supplied with any quality compass, including my Suuntos. Then again, I always wear a collared shirt with the lanyards (yes, multiple, for other devices) between my neck and collar, and the business end either tucked into the shirt pocket or down my front between skin and shirt. I don't visit any place with anything hanging out that can be caught on shrubs, twigs or even a friend's gear who's walking next me.
I suppose it doesn't hurt to avoid the quick-release by Suunto. Then again, it doesn't hurt to check yourself over and make sure nothing is going to fall out, get snagged or damaged. And wearing a collared shirt just makes sense on so many levels.
I appreciate the Suunto quick-release for a very good reason. The shorter the lanyard, the less troublesome it is to keep it from interfering with anything else while walking or just rearranging equipment. But the shorter the lanyard means it had to be removed from your neck in order to retake you bearing; some of us don't see so well when the compass is just under our chin. Much easier to snap off the compass, hold it waist high to do the work, then snap it back in place.
Thanks for yout input. I found something interesting, i have multiple kits for multiple purposes and i noticed all my personal kits have the quick release removed but my search and rescue kit still has it attached. I have memory issues post cancer and I have been trying to figure out "did i just forget to remove it or was there a purpose i left it on in this kit" and i think your description of carrying it around your neck tucked into a pocket just answered that because that's likely what i do since I almost always have a shirt with a pocket for S&R (although i almost always have a GPS too in that kit so maybe the compass is just for backup).
The Mc2 compass is great, however the lanyard is to short to use the compass correctly, hence the quick disconnect and as you mentioned in the video the plastic attachment could/does fail resulting in a lost compass. I replace the lanyards with 550 paracord of the appropriate length with a safety break-away and have had no problems.
What is the safety brake-away that you use ?
It’s a break away for paracord ,so you or someone else can’t strangle you with your compass lanyard . They are usefull on boonie hats also .
100%, for exactly the same reasons. I don't want to reach for my compass and find nothing there but a clip! So mine is done exactly the same way, but using a length of 1.5mm Dyneema with two sliding knots at the loose ends so I can increase the size of the loop if I want to get a better extension for accurate sighting.
I love dyneema ... I've been using it for years (it came on my zpacks hexamid+ tarp tent that I bought in like 2014 was my first experience with it). That is some super strong stuff
@@sharpridgehomestead I agree. Its strength to weight ratio is epic.
@@robch4414 agreed, I def like it better than paracord. There is this other product I use sometimes that although not as light or strong but its still great for outdoor gear and that is nite ize reflective cordage ... its something like 2.5 oz for 50 feet ... idk what its tensile strength is but I've never broke it.
@@sharpridgehomestead IME Dyneema takes quite a bit of use before it lose its stiffness - if I need cordage that handles easily from the start (say for throwing) I'll choose paracord. But the savings in weight and bulk make Dyneema well worth the extra cost.
I took my lanyard off and replaced it with Ranger Skull Bead pace counter. I think those lanyards are made to wear around your neck, then put the compass into your top pocket.
For many years, i generally keep pace beads on my backpack / gobags on the shoulder strap so its easy to reach up and move the beads but for the most part they just hang there out of sight out of mind. Ive always thought, and maybe you can clarify because ive never tried it, that if pace beads were on a compass being used a lot to sight a path that i might inadvertantly move the pace beads through just normal movement.
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Sorry, it's hard to tell what people hear in my videos that I don't know is there because my hearing got damaged during chemo and entire blocks of frequencies are gone. About 2-3 months ago, the fire department shows up at my house at 4am, nearly having to break the door down, because I couldn't hear the C02 sensor alarm, or the fire truck sirens, or the fire truck horns and this isn't the first time this has happened, my sister has come to visit and like what's that sound? I'm like what sound? She narrows it down to the location and it's a UPS power supply battery alarm. Then add to that the constant chirping like millions of crickets because of severe tennitus also from the chemo....I do these videos because I enjoy helping others and it gives me something to get my mind off everything.
I don't trust this quick release either, if we don't want to lose the compass without realizing it this is the way to go. Unnecessary, not to say absurd; a nonsense.