How to Confirm Your Location

[@MarkN67]

Great advice and nicely presented. If you’re ever lost (one for the officers!) remember to STOP Stop what you’re doing, Think about where you are, Observe, look around for any features that can help you position yourself and Plan your way ahead be it a self rescue or how to call for help.

[@richard766723]

listen as well, faint traffic noise, people etc can help with orientation

[@adriandarcy-taylor6429]

"Keep shouting Sir, we'll find you. Keep going down hill - Don't cross the river!”

[@craigrobertson6082]

Always the best way to nav. Makes you feel squared away when you do it right. For me, my old school Foretrex GPS is the back up.

[@mlp2147]

This is the one that trips so many folks up… fantastic info. Cheers

[@01cthompson]

Very well done. I was fortunate growing up in that my dad was a soil scientist and spent a lot of time studying maps. I became fascinated with them early on because of him (still am). We also learned to read them in school to some extent. Sadly, I don't think many kids today could read one if they had to. I made sure my son does, but he's probably the exception.

[@PreparedPathfinder]

Cheers Chris!

[@davidcann6021]

Just come off a 2 day nav course in the Peak District and I can honestly say I've looked at maps since I was a kid but on a 25,000 scale I was honestly shocked at how much fine detail there really is. I guess one good tip is that the heights on the contour lines are written in the way pointing up hill.

[@blackboardbloke]

In low viz conditions (eg cloudy moonless night/hill fog) one of the most useful pieces of kit I had in the 90s and 00s on my local MRT was a Casio analogue watch with a digital readout altimeter/barometer until it broke, and now I use a totally waterproof Sunnto digital readout wrist computer, mostly for the altimeter (but there are several other useful features, temperature, compass... spare as I use a similar Silva... barometer with trends). Sunnto wrist computers aren't cheap, but I think Casio still do a less expensive option, recommended. Knowing your height ASL means you've got 3D navigation, and combined with that knowing how many paces you do to 100m, you can navigate very accurately. Aiming offline on a bearing to hit a known feature on the map, eg a tree line or wall/fence, valley, rock face and then tracking along to get back online to move to your next aim off point is something we would practice regularly. When Magellan and Garmin GPS' became available on the civilian market, in an MRT meeting we discussed, very briefly, at getting some for the team. It was brief as the second or third comment from the floor was, "we can buy a lot of maps and compasses for the price of just one GPS device".

[@chrismcclelland3532]

its amazing how much you can forget - after not using map reading for many years had to retrain myself ( a perishable skill )

[@PreparedPathfinder]

It certainly is mate.

[@lordsllim8053]

Well done Tom. Can you do one going into more compass detail ie triangulation using bearings and back bearings etc..

[@greenmansurvival4832]

oooh I love an mnemonic. Good presentation, you should do courses!

[@PreparedPathfinder]

Sounds like a plan! 👍

[@Joinordie718]

DDCRAPS excellent acronym sir and another great KISS video very informative and well explained. Thanks Cheers Tom👍👍

[@PreparedPathfinder]

Thanks Jeffrey! 👍

[@joshuaforbus5853]

I was good in the woods or mountains. City centers kicked my ass and GPS was almost a necessity. Even today I usually get lost only when marked trails are shown. Dang it. Thank's Neighbor....1997-2006 US Marine infantryman Sgt...retired

[@PreparedPathfinder]

Cheers brother!

[@adrianlydiate7197]

Is it just me that gets excited when I see tom has done a new video 😂😂😂

[@danw1020]

Thanks for this. It's really helpful and clear. I really appreciate your channel - there are so many useful ideas and so much information. Keep up the great work!

[@PreparedPathfinder]

Cheers Dan! 👍

[@nellbrown770]

great tips and my go too part part of the world

[@journeyman7189]

Excellent tutorial Tom. Thanks Nate

[@PreparedPathfinder]

Cheers Nate! 👍

[@sdouglasp]

Good refresher....thank you!

[@jamesrichardwhitehouse5653]

Good one, brings back memories of trudging around the Beacons.

[@jamesrichardwhitehouse5653]

Didn’t we call it resectionTaking bearings from you position to prominent features around you and then working out the back bearing to fix your position on the map. Map reading/ Navigation was ALWAYS something the officers thought they were good at and proved they were not. There is nothing more dangerous than an officer with a map and compass. The Russians didn’t teach map reading to their troops for fear of them escaping and defecting. When they moved large bodies of troops around their zone they would station a military police man with flags at each cross roads to direct the drivers - and STILL get lost. In the event of war one of our jobs was to kill these policemen and hide the body so as to cause confusion to their convoys.

[@calmolly1]

Terrain association. Good stuff

[@mrpopinfresh-w6h]

@Prepared Pathfinders when one is using a compass is it used the same as the cammenga vs silva brands

[@craigmooring2091]

I think that acronym gives you a plurality of ways to check where you think you are on the map or to find where you are when uncertain. You can, of course, get that first notion by finding three definite & points on the ground that are identifiable on the map. In this case that unique pointy bit on the lake, the summit of that rise to your right, and one other. Then sighting over your compass while keeping the needle in the dog house (pointing north) get the bearing to each point. You can, but you don't have to figure the 3 angles between them at your position. With a pencil and the edge of your compass (keeping the needle in the dog house) draw a line matching each point's bearing through the corresponding point on the map. Your position is where those 3 lines meet.

[@FrankieWildeDJ]

Re-Section

[@craigmooring2091]

@@FrankieWildeDJ Yep. In a broader context, triangulation.

[@timothygourley5690]

Can you do a review on the karrimor predator 45l rucksack????

[@albertsnow8835]

You can do a back azimuth as explained Shoot an azimuth from your location to a readily identifiable land mark. Calculate a back azimuth by subtracting 180. If you can't subtract then add 180. That then is the azimuth from that landmark back to you. Do two or three. Where the lines cross is your location.

[@PreparedPathfinder]

Aka a resection.

[@gpaulkarcha5760]

If there are enough readily identifiable landmarks always shoot three azimuths. The first azimuth will only indicate you are somewhere along the azimuth. The second azimuth will indicate you are in the area where the two azimuth lines cross. The triangle created by the crossing of the three azimuths should be very small and you are inside that triangle.

[@albertsnow8835]

@@gpaulkarcha5760 Absolutely! Also if you are on a known road or trail where that back azimuth intersects the road is your location. Of course the more data points the better! Land navigation is a skill well worth learning for any person that spends time in the wilderness.

[@stevemagoo1980]

Just be careful azimuths aren’t necessary the same as back bearings/resections

[@albertsnow8835]

@@stevemagoo1980 What is the difference? I have never heard of this.

[@marmadukegrimwig]

Excellent.

[@ianh7448]

Hi Tom, on the subject of maps, your thoughts on splash maps vs paper os maps please bud?

[@PreparedPathfinder]

OS Maps every time. Splash Maps are a great idea, in particular as an escape map, as they can be concealed within clothing. However for a dedicated map for planned navigation l’d use an OS Map. They’re better for taking bearings on and can be secured to your clothing using a map case.

[@TheSilentWonder]

Mate, even if you never mentioned it, can spot a squaddie a mile away! For all the crap we go through, the British army does teach us well. 👍

[@craiglawrence001]

Amazing

[@astrideriksen8464]

I have a question how long do you have to be in the Parachute regiment before being allowed in selection to serve in the pathfinders .

[@PreparedPathfinder]

You can apply from any regiment.

[@astrideriksen8464]

@@PreparedPathfinder No I mean how long do you have to serve in general . In Norway you can apply for SF after 18 months is it different in the UK

[@PreparedPathfinder]

@@astrideriksen8464 l think it’s three years minimum, although most applicants have served more. I had been in for 5.5 years in Battalion when l applied.

[@astrideriksen8464]

@@PreparedPathfinder What weapons do you use in the UKSF exactly .

[@KT_survival]

Thanks a lot, very useful video. Somebody should try to count all of that military acronyms, looks like it's neverending story 😉 Strength and honor!

[@PreparedPathfinder]

Yep there are thousands of them! KLMF! 😁

[@KT_survival]

@@PreparedPathfinder Keep L??? Moving Forward. You got me, that one I don't know. 😁

[@PreparedPathfinder]

@@KT_survival Keep Low Move Fast! 😬😂 You need ABI to work it out 🤷‍♂️

[@KT_survival]

@@PreparedPathfinder That's what I thought, Low. Thx and have a good one!

[@PreparedPathfinder]

@@KT_survival cheers mucker gee 👍

[@jefffriedberg]

A good idea but confusingly shown.

[@taxlawsealsteuerberater7226]

10000 great

[@abcddcba8882]

🤙🏻

[@HarryFenton6124]

You can`t beat proper mapreading. How the hell anyone can get around following a tiny screen is beyond me. Maybe they don`t and just blunder around.

[@tslotaluminium]

I'd like to see you do this surrounded by 40Ft gum trees

[@PreparedPathfinder]

There's still aspects of it you can use. I have navigated in very close jungle many times.

[@craigmooring2091]

I think you skipped over "conventional signs".

[@PreparedPathfinder]

Yeah, there was a reason for that

[@matthewallen1394]

From Ireland my dad What food to eat is good From maso,ity,lebs, crow, Being white was shit Ireland hang with ity Mas hung with crow Leb hung with whites Growing in Rd Australia Walking to beach dad surfed ,just eat the herbs growing on the rd

[@matthewallen1394]

My dad court rabbits to eat Berkley NSW Father in law did Scott's servival class Was bargera black Panter Australia nsw Never set a trap. Never gold pan. Bay sitter Thursday arvo Was kicked out ADHD Give me traps I would be bargira

[@spammodump]

Are you drunk?