I just had to share this with all of you, this is the "BRIS-sextant". It weighs just 3 grams and can be used as a position-finder (as a GPS). This will not be for everyone, but for the SUL-hiker or those who like navigational instruments it might be of interest.

15 grams is the weight of the sextant, string, instructions and the film canister it is stored in!

http://www.yrvind.com/




Here the inventor tells about his sextant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm79kH2BBMY&feature=BFa&list=HL1311679247&index=8

Don't have a horizon? Well, heres how to make a artificial one (look from 02:15 and forward)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKdTa5PLMeE&feature=BFa&list=HL1311679247&index=145

Wikipedia's information on the Bris sextant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bris_sextant

The manual for the Bris-sextant
http://www.yrvind.com/uploaded_images/BRIS-SEXTANT-INSTR-1-792619.jpg
http://www.yrvind.com/uploaded_images/BRIS-SEXTANT-INSTR-2-1KPX-742600.jpg

Edited by Chris.Biomed on 07/26/2011 08:11:47 MDT.

I think I'm in love. Just brilliant.

I saw that on the second picture it says that the sextant weighs just 3 grams. The 15 grams (written in the manual) refers to the weight of the sextant, the lanyard, the instructions and the box it is stored in (a film canister).

Just so everyone knows that are interested in this product, the inventor is sailing his homemade sailingboat across the Atlantic ocean and won't be back for a while. Yet I suppose you could send him an e-mail and maybe someone at home could send you it.

Had to bump this as I believe a lot of bpl-people are out enjoying backpacking and have probably missed this :-)

Amazing!
Chris, Thanks for posting this.

Has anyone ever actually used a Bris Sextant on land? I guess that people will still prefer a GPS, even though the Bris Sextant is so small and light. You still need a compass, map, calculator (or slide rule, abacus, etc), pen/pencil, paper, etc, so maybe after all the "accessories" are included, the GPS still might win. Wristwatch style GPS's are especially light and small.

"Wristwatch style GPS's are especially light and small."

But the size of the display screen makes them difficult to use.

--B.G.--

Only going to work at sea level, with an almanac, and a clear sky.

Only going to work at sea level, with an almanac, and a clear sky.

If you want longitude I believe you'll also want a chronometer.

So no weight savings at this point.

=

Edited by bonerici on 10/18/2012 12:23:11 MDT.

spam...marked in case this becomes another invisible thread