Collins Ultimate Navigation Manual… Review

Perusing my usual internet bushcrafting haunts, I came across a thread touting a certain navigation book—”Collins Ultimate Navigation Manual”. Being a map and compass nut, and reading all the rave reviews, I decided to get it—the e-book version.

The author, Lyle Brotherton, has extensive experience applying the techniques in the book in myriad terrains—desert, snow, jungle, wooded, etc—and is active in the Search and Rescue community. His reputation in the UK seems to be unparalleled for land navigation, so I was very intrigued with what this book offered.

Upon beginning to read this book, I right away noticed this book was different fare, from the usual stuff we normally expect from such a book. Just the section on “micronavigation” was something I had not read before, but almost instinctively find myself doing when I do backcountry navigation. I just didn’t know there was a name for it. And the more I read, the more it resonated with what I do and teach.

Now, I tend to run against the grain with many the American woodsman/bushcrafter, in the sense I say a map is more important than a compass for land-nav, and I stick to that sentiment. But, imagine to my sweet surprise when one of the section introductions said this

Maps are the most essential tool used to navigate. Much of the time navigation can simply be a matter of using a map alone, by relating what you see on the map to your surroundings.

I’ve been saying this for a long time, but alas, seems I’m in the minority in this thinking, at least in America. It’s okay, I’m in good company.

The book, I feel, does an excellent job of teaching more esoteric techniques of navigation, including LURD, Solar Navigation (while calculating solar declination), lunar navigation, and other compassless methods. It really shines, however, in the techniques used with map and compass. This book also covers techniques for navigation when travelling featureless terrain, how to use the wind for navigation, smells, etc.

The book does an exceptional job of using color photographs to depict techniques, such as attack points, something I drill into my students heads, so as to make the navigation process easier.

There are some things I’d not seen elsewhere before, but will implement, such as the use of radial arms.

One will also learn the useful UTM and MGRS for map plotting, dead reckoning, leapfrogging, range estimation and more.

The book is over 350 pages of useful and educational information. I believe even the seasoned map and compass navigator will learn something useful from this book

Though the book is written with the UK in mind, the author does an excellent job of also including American geography in his lessons.

A must have, in my honest opinion