Sold Out
UK: Free Shipping
& Free Returns
EU: Free Returns
& No customs fees
If you've only ever used a compass in the northern hemisphere, you might not have realised that the earth has three magnetic zones: MN (magnetic north), ME (magnetic equator) and MS (magnetic south). Most compass needles are balanced for particular zones, so if you use them in a different part of the world, the needle will tilt and may not give you an accurate reading. The needle on this Silva Expedition Global model, however, is specially designed to work in all three zones. Beyond that, it's absolutely stacked with features for use in the most demanding environments. A slope card helps you judge gradients and avalanche risk, the detachable lanyard is marked up for distance measurement on a range of map scales, and there's a built-in permanent adjuster for magnetic declination that saves you adding or subtracting each time. You've got Silva's usual rotating dial, magnifying lens and luminous markings for night nav, plus clever rubber friction feet that grip your map better. Robust and reliable, this is a precision instrument for ambitious adventurers and outdoor professionals.
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.
