Cammenga Tritium Lensatic Compass with Case
In stock
- SKU
- CG3H
Description
Military Lensatic Compass
The Cammenga Model 3H is the tritium-powered lensatic compass built to the U.S. military's own specification. A lensatic compass uses a folding rear sight wire and a magnifying lens over the dial, so you can sight a distant landmark and read the exact bearing to it at the same time. Carried by soldiers, hunters, hikers, and anyone who wants a compass that works when a GPS does not, it is designed to hold up to hard field use and still give a true reading.
Features
- Tritium Illumination — Seven self-powered tritium micro-lights keep the dial readable in the dark for over 12 years, with no battery to charge or replace.
- Induction-Damped Needle — A copper induction dampening system settles the needle quickly without the liquid fill found in cheaper compasses.
- Sight Wire And Lens — The folding cover carries a sighting wire and the rear bracket holds a magnifying lens, letting you aim at a target and read the bearing in one motion.
- Degrees And Mils — The dial is graduated in both degrees and mils, the finer artillery unit, so it works for land navigation and for anyone trained on mil readings.
- Built-In Map Scales — Ruler and map-scale markings along the base let you measure distance straight off a topographic map.
- Rated To Extremes — The compass is specified to function from -50°F to 150°F and is sealed against water and sand.
- Carrying Pouch Included — A nylon belt pouch with a snap flap and belt clip protects the compass between uses.
- Lanyard Included — A braided nylon neck lanyard keeps the compass on you and out of the dirt.
- Made In The USA — Cammenga produces these compasses in the United States to the military's published standard.
Build And Accuracy
The aluminum frame carries a stated accuracy of plus or minus 40 mils and a shockproof, sand-sealed construction that meets the requirement for a field compass. The olive drab (OD green) housing matches the issue finish, and the included pouch and lanyard mean it is ready to carry straight out of the box. If you want a navigation tool that reads in the dark without power and will not quit in cold, heat, or grit, this is the one the military relies on.
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Customer Reviews
Top customer reviews
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Solid military compass for night hikesTook this out on a couple overnight backpacking trips and the tritium really does glow in total dark without needing a light which is nice when your trying to hold a bearing. I used the sighting wire to pick an azimuth off a ridge and the needle settles pretty quick once you stop moving. Feels tough as heck and the aluminum body holds up, came with a simple nylon case that does the job.
Overall does what its supposed to and I trust it more than my cheap plastic one.
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The Real Deal Exactly What We Carried DownrangeI ran one of these in the sandbox and later in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, and when mine finally went missing during a PCS move I came straight here to replace it. This is the genuine Cammenga 3H, built to MIL-PRF-10436N you can see the contract info and NSN 6605-01-196-6971 stamped right on the compass body, same as the ones we drew from supply. The aluminum housing is powder-coated OD and feels as solid as the day I was first issued one back in 2007. Seven tritium micro-lights on the dial and needle mean you can shoot an azimuth in total blackout without fumbling for a red lens, which mattered more than I can say on more than a few dismounted patrols. Induction damping means no bubble, no liquid to freeze up on you at altitude tested that at about 9,500 feet in winter and it didn't miss a beat. Only real limitation, and it's worth saying so civilians know going in: the dial is in mils, not degrees, so if you're used to a baseplate compass for topo work you'll need to do some conversion math. That's not a flaw, that's mil-standard your 1:50,000 map grid reads in mils anyway. Comes with the canvas pouch, which is the same style USGI pouch we used to string on LBE. This isn't a Suunto MC-2 with a pretty mirror it's a land nav tool that'll outlast you if you treat it right.
Genuine MIL-PRF-10436N build, NSN-stamped
exactly what USGI-issue looks like,7 tritium micro-lights provide hands-free darkness reading for 12+ years
Aluminum housing is shockproof, waterproof, sandproof bomber constructionNo built-in declination adjustment, you do the math manually
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Bought as backup, became primaryHad a nice Silva Ranger for years, figured I'd get a lensatic for my military kit collection. Expected it to be a novelty, ended up using it constantly. The tritium is genuinely useful I navigate at dawn/dusk a lot for hunting, and not needing to expose a light to read the compass is huge. The lensatic system is fast once you learn it sight, read, move. No laying the compass on the map, no baseplate alignment, just point and shoot. Mine is 2020 production, tritium is bright, case is unissued. The aluminum housing has taken some dings and keeps working. I've dropped it, stepped on it, left it in a wet pack, no issues. The included case is functional, not fancy. I added a paracord lanyard for neck carry.
Should've bought this years ago.
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As advertisedThx just what I wanted. It’s in excellent shape thank you very much.
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Real Deal! Awesome!Tritium: The one I received was dated 17-12. The radioactive tritium is a bit spooky but cool. I know it will fade over the years, but currently, it provides enough lumination to read the dial in the dark. I don't personally need tritium, but this was cheaper than I could get a phosphorous one. Weight: The compass is lighter than I expected it to be, which is a good thing. Fit and finish: The is a little bit of black paint missing at the hinge. Also, opening it up entirely, it's not perfectly level, or maybe even along the bottom. The 0 graduation mark looks like it wasn't milled the same and is a little harder to make out compared to others. Maybe that's intentional? The hinge is currently working great. The scale marking does match up with a 1:50000 map. I care more about performance than fit/finish, but at this price range, some might expect perfection. Accuracy: To test this, I did four readings of the goalposts from the corner of a socket field and used Google maps satellite view to look up their location. After figuring it all out, I got errors of -0.4, -0.5, 0.4, 0.7 deg. That's a pretty good result and might even be a bit of a fluke. But the point is it's accurate, and I have no hesitations about trusting it. You can use this directly with a map if it's orientated correctly or if you use the bezel, but I'm waiting for a protractor with these milliard units before taking it with me. It would be nice if it came bundled with something.