Suunto A10 Compass Review
I’ve owned the same Suunto A10 Compass for years and can highly recommend it for three-season hiking. The markings on mine are a little worn, as you can see, but it has all of the key attributes you need for following a bearing or orienteering with a map.
The housing has a liquid-filled case to dampen the needle’s jerkiness, with a surrounding bezel dial broken out into 2-degree increments. The transparent baseplate has several different rulers on it, including inches, centimeters, and a 1:24,000 scale that is standard on US Geological Survey (USGS) maps (also called quads). It is a simple magnetic compass without a declination adjustment like the Suunto M3, but it makes an excellent beginner compass.
There’s a lanyard hole at the back of the A10 compass that you can run a lanyard through if you like to wear your compass around your neck. I do because it’s easier to find when hiking through dense woods.
Weighing just 27 grams, this compass has been one of the longest-lasting backpacking gear investments I’ve ever made. It’s great when you can buy gear like this that lasts despite an enormous amount of use.
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My compass has the mirror for sighting objects while the compass is level.
Always thought that was overkill until I was bushwhacking and was scared that I wasn't staying true to the bearing I was trying to maintain.
I got one from Brunton last winter, mainly for the clinometer (avalanche slope prdiction), but I like the fact that you can set a bearing, close the mirror, and reopen it without losing the bezel setting.