Discussion: equipment

ok in my last thread i asked what new orienteer swhould do, and i think i am going to afton this weekend. so what kind of stuff do i need to bring/wear?

Do they give you a map and compass...or just a map and you supply your own compasss...do you even get a compass...that is my biggest question...i think that i might try the afton race too with kyle.

me and hecker here are the future of this sport! haha. help us out!

An older pair of running shoes (ones that you don't mind if they get muddy).
Lightweight long pants (tights or windpants are good).
T-shirt.
Wristwatch.
A whistle. This is sometimes required, in case you need to summon help, although that's a very uncommon occurrence.
A compass if you have one, though most clubs have compasses for rent at local meets. If you want to buy one, pretty much any compass that has a housing mounted on a clear plastic rectangle is fine for starting out (Brunton and Suunto are the most common brands). No need to get anything fancy and expensive at this point.
Doesn't hurt to have a few safety pins and some ductape. But then, that's always true.

Most clubs will rent you a basic baseplate compass, or you can go to a sporting goods store and get your own for around $10 (look for an orienteering/baseplate compass, not a sighting compass or one with a mirror which won't do you any good).

Your entry fee gets you a map that you get to keep.

Wear pants and/or gaiters to protect lower legs in case you go off-trail. Nylon pants are more comfortable than jeans. :-) Shoes that you don't mind getting muddy (depending on the rain situation in your area). Lunch to eat afterwards?

That oughta do it.

how about a map?...saw that u can buy maps...but the races that i have been to they just supplied one.

thanks for the help guys!

You don't bring your own map; you get a specially made orienteering map that will either have your course already pre-marked, or you will mark your course from a master map.

J-J mentioned a wristwatch. That's to get you to return to the start/finish within the time limit (you don't get to stay out all afternoon). Also, be courteous of the organizers and CHECK IN at the finish (don't just leave the area without telling anyone, even if you don't complete your course).

The organizers supply a map, which will either have your course printed on it, or else you'll copy the course onto it (a series of circled features). They'll also give you "control descriptions", which is a list of the features you'll be looking for and the number on each control marker. And you'll also get either a punchcard that you'll punch with the little plastic thing hanging fom each control marker, or else you'll rent an electronic dipstick that you'll put into a box at each marker (I suspect that the Afton meet will use punchcards, but that's a guess.)

You may very well be the future of the sport! Have a great time out there!

what happens if you don't finish in time...is it a disqualification? or just points or time reducted?

MNOC rents compasses for $1, and we will sell you a whistle (required) for $1. Going back to the advice of trying a beginner course first, you shouldn't have to worry about being over time. But don't skip the beginner option. You can try another course if you have time or go for a trail run after you are finished to get a longer workout in.You can start from 12:00-1:30 and courses don't close until 3:30.
You get the map for your entry fee, and I believe this weekend you will need to copy your course onto it.

But you will finish in time, because you will have taken the advice from the other thread, and done the White course first!

Regular courses are scored on the time it takes to finish. If you take longer than the time limit, you are listed OVT (overtime) in the results. At your first event, the results list is the last thing to worry about. The good news is that early improvement can come pretty rapidly, once you start getting the hang of the sport.

The other thing about being overtime, or staying out after the course closes, is that the control point marker flags (which mark in the woods the locations that are marked on your map) start disappearing from the woods as the organizers remove them.

Checking in at the finish is very important, otherwise they have to organize a search party... (the first thing they'll search for is your car in the parking lot); not a good way to introduce yourself to orienteering. :-)

Never venture out without a towel! In addition to the many uses cited by Douglas Adams, you may well find that you're a whole lot more comfortable afterwards if you clean up a bit. This is particularly true if the area you are going into has active poison ivy or other such annoying plants.

For fear that you guys (Neumannxc and xcsnowskier) may begin thinking that orienteering sounds too much like a hike and too little like a sport (words like "whistle" and "duct tape" may give that impression), here is a nice page of photos of world-class orienteers in action.

I hope that you both enjoy the orienteering meet this week-end, and that we'll start seeing a bit more orienteering training in your training logs. :)

hey thanks guys for all of the great info!!! this is really going to help. like i said before i have done some races but only on a course that i knew by heart...it will be interesting elsewhere i think.

yeah we are pretty pumped to start this out. thanks!

Inquiring minds want to know: what did you think of your first O experience?

we couldnt get out...we made it to a state championship race and had to practice at 9:00, by the time we got done we were too tired to go out and we might not have even made it out there in time...cant go to the o-race this weekend either because our track team is hosting a running race and we have to work at it. But for sure we are going to get a few races in this summer!!!

Ain't that the...Story of O.

Despite encouragement, good advice and lots of help...another no-show.

Hey Clark, you can't expect addiction until AFTER the first dose.

How often do they have races this summer?

The woods in most parts of the country get rather unpleasant in the summer. Unlike hikers and campers, who stick to trails and love the summer months, orienteers tend to turn away from the woods.

That's not to say there's nothing going on. Many clubs put on summer meets using urban parks, college campuses, etc. The increasingly popular sprint format is seen year round.

In St. Louis we are pretty fortunate to have an abundance of urban venues because our woods are really nasty from late May through early September. We still run two meets a month through the summer (one SLOC and one Carol's Team). Check the websites of clubs near you to see what they are up to.