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Main Boards => Gear => Topic started by: Addingham on 17:54:02, 14/02/18

Title: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: Addingham on 17:54:02, 14/02/18
Well this is interesting. I never knew that. ;D


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-43063365
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: motorlaunch on 18:13:17, 14/02/18
I'm aware of phone cases with magnetic closures but haven't seen any such clothing. Which manufacturers are using this method.
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: Mel on 18:20:24, 14/02/18
I've had first-hand experience of phone/compass jiggery-pokery.  The compass didn't quite reverse polarity but it's soooooo SLOOOOOW to gently drift its way to North now it's useless (even at my pace!).  I had to do a factory reset on my phone too as everything locked up on it.  I had them both stored in the lid of my rucksack (phone tracking my walk, compass just there if I needed it as someone else was leading).


The only items of clothing I can think of with metal in are belt buckles and underwired bras  :D
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: fernman on 18:26:13, 14/02/18
It's long been known that phones must be kept well away from a compass, and if its case has a magnetic fastening the two are likely to be together......


I hope no manufacturer of purpose-made outdoor garments or other outdoor equipment is daft enough to use magnets.

Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: Owen on 19:08:43, 14/02/18
The latest fashion in rock climbing helmets is to have a magnet to do up the chin strap. Rock climbers don't often need compasses but winter mountaineers and Alpinists do. Not a great idea.
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: Addingham on 00:38:14, 15/02/18
Well now that a few people have read that article. I am a bit cynical about the said party getting lost because of the reversal of a compass ;)


For a start why only one compass between them. Plus the correct reading of a map they should have realised something was a miss.


I have my own thoughts about that incident. Could it be they were a bit embarrassed about their navigational skills and not admit it. ;)
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: pdstsp on 06:54:13, 15/02/18
The article refers to low cloud, which we all know can be disorientating, hence the party relying on the compass for a bearing ?


As to why they only had one compass - we don't know that from the article - bur when I'm walking with friends I've never done a compass comparison - just relied on the first one out of someone's bag.

Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: jimbob on 10:01:13, 15/02/18
Yes  O0 PDSTSP.Visibility can be zero on occasions, even at noon. And yes first compass out of the bag is the trusted one. That in itself is a lesson that I have now learned. The MRT would not deliberately hide facts, they would rather get their kicks doing practices than going out for real shouts.

Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: Lakeland Lorry on 10:49:30, 15/02/18
I had a person on one of my navigation courses who kept getting wrong bearings.   At first I thought that it was because they weren't taking the bearing correctly, but then I noticed that they were wearing a pair of unusual gloves, which had a metal snap button closure.   I can only assume that the closure button was magnetic.   I think they were called Mujjo Touchscreen gloves, or something like that.

Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: April on 12:30:53, 15/02/18
If my memory serves me right, the electric heafing fence put in place after the foot and mouth outbreak on Hard Knott also affected compasses.
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: Lakeland Lorry on 13:52:57, 15/02/18
If my memory serves me right, the electric heafing fence put in place after the foot and mouth outbreak on Hard Knott also affected compasses.


A normal wire fence, like you find up on the fells, will also affect your compass.   
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: jimbob on 14:27:14, 15/02/18
I once discovered that trying to get over what I thought was a "low enough to get over" electric fence made me see compasses and actually everything else in a completely different way.
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: Mel on 18:24:38, 15/02/18
For a start why only one compass between them.


Perhaps there was only one walk leader.
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: April on 18:41:04, 15/02/18
A normal wire fence, like you find up on the fells, will also affect your compass.

Now that explains a lot.

@ Pleb this why you get lost so many times  :D
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: April on 18:42:02, 15/02/18
I once discovered that trying to get over what I thought was a "low enough to get over" electric fence made me see compasses and actually everything else in a completely different way.

Did you roast ya taters?  :o
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: bricam2096 on 19:32:28, 15/02/18
Now that explains a lot.

@ Pleb this why you get lost so many times  :D

It's the magnetic implants in his head, lol
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: April on 19:34:03, 15/02/18
It's the magnetic implants in his head, lol

 ;D
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: sparnel on 22:19:33, 15/02/18
If going on some serious hill/mountain walks, best to have a spare compass. I had one which was faulty. Hard to believe  it was at the time. I never have mine near any metal. The mountains on Skye can play tricks with compass readings.............

Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: gary m on 19:14:54, 16/02/18
You learn something every day
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: Islandplodder on 10:29:03, 18/02/18

How do you actually check the accuracy of a compass?
After a prolonged search I found where I had hidden my spare one, and compared the two.  Yesterday they were both the same, so I reckoned they were accurate, but that might be wishful thinking.  Today there was a difference of about 10 degrees, but how do I decide which one is wandering a bit?
I had put them on the kitchen windowsill, thinking I had a fair idea of the alignment of the house, where there are a few pebbles collected from various special places.  Thinking one might be affected by  one of the rocks I moved them both to the table, where they lined up again.
Can two compasses affect each other?
Check them against the gps on a phone?  But I don't have that kind of phone, and anyway, apparently phones affect them. 
I do remember the compass being way out at the top of Cross Fell.  Luckily it was a sunny day and we could see where we were going.  I had heard compasses were affected up there, and had really only got it out to see if it was true.
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: sussamb on 11:02:08, 18/02/18
Always been wary of compasses, useful tool but like anything they can go wrong so important to use them in conjunction with the map to confirm the bearing etc.  It's another benefit of a GPS that uses your movement to determine bearing etc. 
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: fernman on 11:24:49, 18/02/18
How do you actually check the accuracy of a compass?

Take it with you when you go anywhere where there is an outdoors shop or store, and compare yours against the new ones. That's what I do.
Unfortunately they are often behind the counter or in locked cabinets these days, thanks to all the light-fingered people.
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: Mel on 18:18:25, 21/02/18

Can two compasses affect each other?



Yes.  Hold them about a foot apart to stop their own magnetic fields from affecting each other. 
Title: Re: Hillwalkers warned about magnets in clothing.
Post by: pleb on 10:47:48, 22/02/18
Now that explains a lot.

@ Pleb this why you get lost so many times  :D
OI........................ :tickedoff: