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Pace count for land nav: keep distance with a pace counter app

A pace count is just how many steps it takes you, personally, to cover 100 m. In FieldGrid, open Tactical tools > Pace + stopwatch, set METRES PER TAP, and tap the big button each time your own count hits that distance: 23 taps at 100 m is 2.30 km, and 41 minutes on the MISSION CLOCK makes that 3.37 km/h.

3 min read · Updated 2026-09-23

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What a pace count actually is

On a land nav lane you often can't trust GPS, or aren't allowed to touch it at all. So you keep distance the old way: counting steps. Most people count every time the same foot lands, and a typical figure runs 60 to 70 of those per 100 m on flat ground. That number is different for everyone, and that's fine; it's your number, not a standard you have to hit.

Finding your own number

  1. Measure out 100 m on flat ground.
  2. Walk it at your normal pace with your usual load, counting each time your left (or right) foot lands.
  3. Repeat a few times and take the average. Walk it again on a slope or in vegetation to see how much it grows.

How to use the pace counter in FieldGrid

  1. On the Map tab, open Tactical tools and choose Pace + stopwatch.
  2. Set METRES PER TAP with the slider: 25 to 200 m in 25 m steps, 100 m by default.
  3. Tap Start under MISSION CLOCK when you step off.
  4. Count your paces in your head. Each time you reach your pace count for the distance you set, tap the big PACE COUNT button once.
  5. Read DIST (taps × metres per tap) and PACE (km/h from the clock). Tapped too many? Use -1. Starting a new leg? Use Reset.

What the numbers look like in use

What FieldGrid shows
METRES PER TAPTapsMISSION CLOCKDISTPACE
100 m2300:41:002.30 km3.37 km/h
75 m700:09:30525 m3.32 km/h
100 m1000:20:001.00 km3.00 km/h

PACE is just DIST over the clock's time, so pause the clock at a halt and your speed stays honest instead of crashing toward zero.

Add a bearing and you're dead reckoning

Dead reckoning is nothing more than a direction plus a distance. Read your heading off QUICK COMPASS at the top of Tactical tools, walk it, and let the pace counter carry the distance part. Hit the leg's distance and check your grid on the map, if GPS is something you're allowed to use on that lane.

Where people get caught out

  • Using a pace count measured on a road for hills or brush. It grows on slopes and in vegetation, sometimes by a lot; re-measure or adjust rather than trust the flat-ground number.
  • Leaving the screen mid-leg. Neither the count nor the clock survives you switching away from Pace + stopwatch, so keep it open the whole time.
  • Forgetting to start the clock. PACE just shows a dash until MISSION CLOCK is actually running.

Questions and answers

Does the FieldGrid pace counter use the step counter?
No, just your taps, one per set distance, exactly like pace beads on a cord.
Is the count saved if I switch apps?
No. The screen resets the moment you leave it, so write the distance down before you close it.
Can I set my pace count in steps instead of metres?
No, the app only takes metres per tap. You're still the one counting steps in your head.
Which pace counter does the Army use?
Mostly ranger beads and your own head. FieldGrid copies that exact approach: one tap per set distance, and you keep counting.

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