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When gear companies claim something is ‘military-spec’, they usually just mean it is good – rather than being specialist kit that a soldier could actually use. Not so the 55 compass from Silva, which has genuinely been devised with both military and civilian applications in mind. It’s a uniquely versatile compass that combines the classic Silva baseplate compass with a lensatic precision sighting system, allowing you to take pinpoint accurate bearings. The dial has markings in both degrees and mils (used by the armed forces for increased accuracy), and the base plate features measuring scales in mm, inches, 1:25K, 1:50K and 1:40K. Constructed in impact-resistant acrylic and accurate to half a degree in temperatures ranging from -30 to +60, it also has luminous markings for night nav. Activate them with daylight or a torch and you'll get up to 4 hours of use. Silva reckon this might be the most useful military-grade compass in the world, and with more than 90 years in the business, they ought to know a thing or two about that.
| Graduation Outer Ring | 6400 |
| Sighting Scale | 6400/360 |
| Resolution (Degrees/Mils) | Outer ring: – / 50 |
| Precision Sighting Scale | 1 / 20 |
| Measuring Scales (Base Plate) | mm, inch, 1:25k, 1:50k, 1:40k |
| Settling Time (+/- 3°) | 4 sec |
| Settling Time (Complete Rest) | 6 sec |
| Accuracy | +/- 0.5° (8.9 mils) |
| Altitude Use | 5000m @ -15°C |
| Impact Resistance | 1m onto wooden floor |
| Operating Temperature Range | -30°C to +60°C |
| Size (mm) | 126 x 60 x 16 |
| Weight | 39 grams |
It’s a bit of a cliché to say, ‘this brand needs no introduction…’, but sometimes it really doesn’t. If you ever did scouts, guides or cadets, got epic blisters on a D of E expedition or went on an outward bounds residential, chances are you did it with a Silva compass in the pocket of your boil-in-the-bag cagoule.
Like so many world-changing inventions, the Silva compass began as a problem that needed solving. Back in the day, your standard compass wobbled all over the shop, making it tricky and time-consuming to get a decent reading. That is, until 1933, when four Swedes invented a liquid-filled compass. The resistance from the fluid slowed and stabilised the needle, meaning you could nail a reliable bearing in seconds. Navigation was never the same again.
But iconic as the compasses are, they’re only one part of the Silva story. They were one of the first companies to make reliable electric head torches for the outdoors, and they’ve also branched out into optics, trekking kit and other navigational gear. Tried and tested for the better part of a century, Silva’s precision instruments have literally been the difference between life and death for generations of outdoor adventurers – and as brand pedigree goes, that’s pretty much impossible to beat.
