I have a compass but no watch, how can I tell when it will get dark?
I was reading all of the answers to Are there any situations while backpacking that would require a watch? and surprised at the number of answers that said you need a watch so you would know how long until dark. People have been walking around the world for a very long time, portable time pieces have only been readily available for about hundred years. They do have a longer history but spent much of that time as very high end luxury items.
The compass has a much longer history, it is simpler instrument, with a much lower cost to acquire and maintain.
A watch alone, will not tell you when it going to get dark, nor when the tides will be low, but combined with other information it can help you determine when the forecast event will occur.
If I have a compass, how can I use it to estimate how long until sun set?
1 answer
You don't need a compass, nor any mechanical tool at all. You just need your fingers. I've linked an article with illustrations at the end, but here is the basic idea:
- Stand facing the sun, extend your arms out fully, and bend your hands inward.
- Rotate your fingers to be parallel to the horizon, and move your hand(s) to position them between the horizon and the sun.
- Count how many fingers are between the horizon and the bottom of the sun.
- Each finger means 10 to 15 minutes (different sources give different estimates, my own experience doing this is closer to 10.)
As pointed out in comments, this technique only gives an approximation. Its usefulness may depend on terrain and even your latitude.
Here's the article: How to Find Out How Much Time Is Left Before Sunset.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/15426. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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