Gear @ the O-Shop

The O-Shop has a good selection of orienteering equipment including:
o compasses,
o Sportident Cards,
o shoes,
o clothing,
o gaiters, and
o accessories, such as map control holders and whistles.

Full members of Orienteering Western Australia receive a 15% discount on all purchases from the O-Shop.

The O-Shop is available at most OWA events, but it helps if you contact us during the week to discuss your needs.
Special orders, or items not in stock may take 2-3 weeks to arrive.

Compasses

We stock the best compasses for orienteering, from Silva (Sweden) and Moscompass (Russia), and Str8 (Australia).
Silva competition models include the top of the range Race Jet Spectra thumb compass and Silva Raceplate Zoom compass models. For beginners, the Silva Ranger 3 or Silva NOR Thumb are less expensive options.
Moscompass offer very stable needles and are competitively priced. Their thumb compasses have proved very popular in Europe and Australia.
Str8 is a relatively new brand, with thumb compasses designed by former Australian Orienteering Champion Warren Key, which are now being used by many top international orienteers.

Sportident (SI) Cards:

All orienteering events, and many trail-runs, mountain bike races, and adventure races in WA use the Sportident electronic punching and timing system. A SI Card is an essential item for regular orienteers, and will last for years. Standard models are less expensive, but more and more people are buying the SI AIR model for contactless punching used at major events.

Orienteering shoes:

While running shoes (joggers) are adequate for orienteering, there are disadvantages in wearing them in natural bushland. As they are usually well-cushioned and have thicker heels and soles, they can easily lead to ankle injuries over uneven surfaces. They do not have good grip on the gravel tracks or wet rock surfaces found on many orienteering courses, and both the soles and soft uppers tend to wear quickly in rough terrain.
Orienteering shoes are generally only worn infrequently, and mostly on softer surfaces, so they do not need the supportive midsoles and heels required for road running. The resulting lower profile is more stable on uneven surfaces, and the shoes usually come with a more aggressive, studded sole, or even with short metal sprigs, offering increased grip. There are some extremely lightweight off-road shoes around these days, although slightly heavier models will wear more slowly.
There are many brands of off-road and orienteering shoes on the market, but the O-Shop recommends and sells the large range of Inov-8 off-road shoes from Britain.

Clothing:

Contact your Club Convenor to purchase an orienteering top in Club colours.
For tops with different colours and patterns, and for pants to match, Sue Greig can run up something for you. Contact her for a fitting appointment: Sue Greig
Running tights are becoming more popular for orienteering, but commercial, gym-style tights will not last long in our rough terrain. The O-Shop can source tights made specifically for orienteering.

Gaiters and Socks:

Gaiters and padded orienteering socks protect your lower leg from shrubs, low branches, fallen timber, and rocks, and gaiters can also help prevent seeds and twigs lodging in your shoes.

Accessories:

Accessories available include whistles, control description holders, map magnifiers and magnifying spectacles, running caps, rain shields, etc.

O-Shop Contact Details:

Contact Tony Simpkins for your O-Shop requests.

School Supplies:

We no longer supply orienteering equipment to schools, but we recommend the excellent service and specialised school kits available at Orienteering Service of Australia (please tell them we sent you!).
Schools can also purchase School Sportident sets, which can be used for orienteering and many other sports and exercises. Contact the Australian agent for Sportident.