Orienteering Gear

Must have equipment for Orienteering

No special clothing is needed for those beginning orienteering—just wear comfortable, outdoor clothes. Shorts are suitable for most Easy courses, but long pants will provide leg protection when going through the bush on more difficult, longer courses. Regular orienteers compete in O-shirts in lightweight, breathable technical fabrics and O-pants (in the same fabric) or running tights. Ask your club about purchasing a club O-shirt.

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Compass

Orienteering compasses may be borrowed at events, but it is best to get your own if you intend to compete on a regular basis. .

Traditional Orienteering Compass

The classic compass. A large and distinct direction of travel arrow will assist you with your direction. Compass housing with stable needle, which settles quickly while running.

Thumb Compass

Thumb Compass is ideal for those who don't need much in their baseplate. The thumb compass provides a straight and wide needle for easy and fast reading. Strong magnet gives quick dampening. Clear baseplate for easy reading of the map. Easy to read markings on baseplate. Elastic thumb strap and rubber pad for safe grip.

Footwear

Sturdy footwear such as joggers are adequate for those beginning orienteering. There are a wide variety of special orienteering shoes avaiable but shoes with rubber studs, designed for grass sports such as hockey and football, are also quite suitable. Standard running shoes do not provide sufficient ankle protection in rough terrain.

Leg Protection

For harder bush courses, many orienteers use gaiters to protect their legs against vegetation. They are made of nylon with padding at the front.

In areas where the vegetation is lighter, knee high socks can protect legs from scratches.

Sportident Timing System

SportIdent, an orienteering electronic timing system, is used at major events and many local events. It replaces the card punching system used in the past.

SI sticks are worn on the finger. They contain an electronic timing chip. The stick is inserted into the SI unit. Competitors need to check that the number on the unit matches the control they are looking for. The unit flashes and beeps to show that the stick has successfully recorded the control number and the time.

When SI Air is enabled, contactless punching is possible with newer SIAC sticks. You simply wave the stick over the unit to register your punch. These are often used in sprint and mountain bike events.

What if I do not have a SI-card?

You can hire an SI-card at events, however if you lose it or damage it you will be asked to re-pay the full replacement cost. If you are participate regularly, it is worthwhile buying one.