How to Successfully Navigate Without Using a GPS Devise

navigation with a watch and without a compass

One thing every prepper should know is how to find their way back to where they need to be even if you don't have a GPS or most of your supplies. This skill may be one of the most crucial ones to your survival during a collapse. There are some simple methods to navigate that require only basic tools or even no tools at all! You can use these navigation methods no matter what situation you find yourself in.

Some Ways To Navigate Without A GPS Include: 

You may have heard that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. If not, you’ve at least seen pictures. (And yes, this is true even in Australia.) If the sky is clear, you should be able to determine the compass points by following the path of the sun. This method won’t give you a precise heading, but it will give you a general idea that you’re at least not walking in the opposite direction you came from.

If you’ve got an analog watch, you can use it to double-check your presumed compass points. (This works only if the sun is visible.) Take the watch off and hold it flat on your palm. Rotate it so the hour hand points toward the sun.  Picture a line passing through the numeral “12” on the watch face and crossing the hour hand at the pivot point.  Imagine a line that bisects the arc between the “12” and the hour hand. This line is north-south, with the continuation of the bisecting line across the arc pointing south. If your watch is set to daylight saving time, use the line that bisects the hour hand and the “1”, not the “12.”

Another navigation method is to follow the path of a river. This method is useful because human settlements are typically on or very near rivers. Following a river is more likely to bring you to civilization than, say, wandering aimlessly in the wilderness.  Rivers may meander in any direction, often for miles. Unless you know, for certain, where the source of a river is, it’s best to rely on one not for true compass points but rather as a method to get you to a populated area.

These three easy ways to navigate will help you find your way back to other people and maybe even your original group with the help of some basic tools or maybe even no tools. This way you won't be stranded without your GPS that probably won't help much when SHTF. These skills are crucial for any prepper to know because finding your way back to food, water, and people may be the difference between life and death!

To find out more ways to successfully navigate without a GPS, visit Scouting Magazine.

Featured Image via Scouting Magazine


6 Comments

  1. D.L. Bryson said:

    Why the hell would a survivalist not have a compass? Average person yeah but not a Survivalist

  2. Matt Williams said:

    The pic has it backwards, during the main hrs of the day (anything after 6am and before 6pm) it would be opposite. The N in the picture would towards the south, and north would be on the line in the bottom of the picture.

  3. Matt Williams said:

    The only way that picture would be correct is at four in the morning, but the sun is rarely visible at that time

  4. Matt Williams said:

    Die Hard Survivor this is misleading and could get people lost. The N in the picture is actually the south

  5. Randy Beeson said:

    Line up the moons points and follow it to the horizon and that will be south. Even a partial waning moon can be bisected top to bottom and followed down to the southern horizon. Moss grows on the north side of trees most often as well.

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