I need to know about a piece of equipment they carried.

It was a cord that had a set of beads on it, from what I remember there were 3 at the top, then a knot, then about 7 or so on the bottom. Most of the time the beads were shaped like skulls.

The way it worked was every time your left foot came down you counted it until you got to 10 or 20 then you pulled one of the lower beads down, when you had pulled all the lower beads down you pulled one of the upper ones down and started over. That was the way you kept track of how far you traveled.

Does anyone have one of these, or remember exactly how it worked? I need one for the compound for when I go for walks through the trees.

I know what you're talking about and I used to have one. I can't remember shit from land navigation though and my head is fucked up right now from being sick as hell. Mine was just thick beads on some para cord. The beads were a tight fit so they stayed where you put them, but you could still slide them.

Maybe Joe can remember he did the stuff alot more than me since he was a grunt, maybe recon(I can't remmebr that either).

They are called Ranger beads. I never used them, since it was another piece of gear that could be lost. You can probably order them from U.S. Cavalry, or buy them from your local Army/Navy Store.

Thanks fellas, I took a stroll last time I was up there looking for a creek that should have been about 3/4 of a mile to my east, thought I went a mile and didn't find it. Come to find out I only went a half mile, sure did seem farther after hacking my way through all them fuckin' trees.

I was just going to make a set, but I couldn't remember how many beads or the number of steps per bead.

Hey, check out what I found.
http://therucksack.tripod.com/landnav.htm

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Originally posted by Global Dominator:
Hey, check out what I found.
http://therucksack.tripod.com/landnav.htm

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those are the ones.

I've never used them before, so i couldn't tell you how they work. I think you slide one of the lower set of beads up every 100 meters, and the top is equal to one klick.

JB, scroll down a little farther on that site and you'll see they give directions on how to use them, and they also tell you how to make a set for miles instead of kilometers.

get a gps

That's too easy! Not to mention they need batteries and don't work underground.

quote:

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Originally posted by lamar:
get a gps

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Batteries go dead, the things can break, bad weather can fuck up the signal reception etc.

It's always good not to depend on electronics too much. Being proficient at land nav without a gps is a very good idea. Use a gps, but know how to get by without it.

I used them at basic. They worked well. My team finished our land nav course a full hour ahead of the next fastest team.

you guys are right on the money as far as not totally relying on technology. I agree 100% with the idea that in case the gps craps out you should know how to find your way out with other means. The gps is an extrmely handy tool that i take into the bush with me, but i also carry my compass.