When counting paces you have to keep track of how far you have gone. I suppose there are two ways you could do this. If your 100m pacing is 63 steps and you had to walk for 300m you could multiply 63 by 3 and then count 189 paces. Most people however pace 63 three times. If you are going to do this then you need a way to keep track of each of the 100m that you cover. In summer you can pick up stones or maybe hold some stones in one hand and transfer them to the other. In winter you can't do that if all the stones are covered in snow. For this reason many people have a number (5 or 10) beads on a string and move them up or down as they count off each of their 100m distances.

The beads shown have metal springs which 'could' interfere with your compass needle if you put them on your compass string. Having said that I have them on mine and have never had a problem with it but I do keep them away from the compass end of the string. Some people attach them to a separate string then then connect this to their rucksack strap. Other types of bead are available from outdoor shops without a spring but I have never used them.