{"id":56711,"date":"2016-07-26T12:55:12","date_gmt":"2016-07-26T17:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=56711"},"modified":"2026-01-08T14:17:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T20:17:44","slug":"land-navigation-manual-how-to-use-the-military-grid-reference-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/skills\/outdoors\/land-navigation-manual-how-to-use-the-military-grid-reference-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Land Navigation Manual: How to Use the Military Grid Reference System"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Vintage<\/p>\n

If you’ve read the first parts of this land navigation manual, you should now know how to read a topographic map, find your bearings<\/a>, and orient yourself with a map and compass<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You’re ready to start doing some serious land navigation. With the aid of modern technology at the outset, you can get a whole lot more specific with your land nav; rather than just finding your way to a major landmark, you can locate a little stake in the ground.<\/p>\n

To do that, you plot MGRS (military grid reference system) coordinates on your map before you head out. Why would you want to employ this old\/new method of land nav?<\/p>\n

So you can be antifragile<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Two is one, and one is none<\/a>; which is to say, technology fails, and you need to have a contingency plan for when it does. Soldiers are required to know how to plot MGRS coordinates on a map with nothing but a military protractor, and how to find those coordinates in the field with a map and compass. That way, if GPS fails on a mission, they can still make it to their intended waypoints \u2013 even if they\u2019re small and specific; with MGRS coordinates and a military protractor, you can plot a point on a map within 10 meters of accuracy.<\/p>\n

For civilians, knowing how to plot MGRS coordinates by hand and navigate to them can be useful for active outdoorsmen. Let\u2019s say you\u2019re planning a weeklong hunting trip out in the wild. Part of your prep work should be knowing the MGRS coordinates for your start point and your secluded hunting cabin out in the woods. You can plot those points on your map and you\u2019ll have a backup navigation tool in case you lose your GPS device or if it fails.<\/p>\n

Besides the practical uses of knowing how to plot coordinate points and navigate to them, it\u2019s just plain fun to do.<\/p>\n

Prep Work<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Before we learn how to use MGRS coordinates and get out into the field, we\u2019re going to do some prep work to make sure that we have all the information we need to navigate.<\/p>\n

Plotting Your Coordinates on the Map<\/h3>\n

Using a GPS or an online tool, you can acquire 8-digit MGRS coordinates for the various spots you\u2019re targeting during your trek in the wilderness. You’ll then need to plot those points on your map, using a military coordinate protractor.<\/p>\n

I’ll walk you through how to do that, using for an example the eight-digit coordinate number: 30469530<\/p>\n

We\u2019re going to split that up for easier reading:<\/p>\n