Silva compass

[Old Bones]

Considering that the Expedition 4 is £20 with postage at the moment (I was so tempted at that price - £7 cheaper than anywhere else, even with a fiver postage, that I bought one), the extra fiver is worth it. Silva, Suunto or Recta (now owned by Suunto) are all solid brands, even the basic ones, but the Expedition 4 has a full base plate with more scale markings, plus holes for marking. Its also the one that Woodlore recommends for their courses https://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/414-Silva-Expedition-4-Compass-360/ .

People who think that spending pennies on kit that might save your life (and a compass most certainly comes into that category) usually end up regretting it, sometimes fatally. The extra fiver isn't going to break the bank, and although the cheaper one is perfectly fine, if your going to buy one (and you usually do just buy the one), why not go for best you can reasonablly afford.

And a cheap simple guide on navigation is a must - lots out there

 

[santaman2000]

And if you take that kind of review, you just get crap reviews imo. Like the guy "reviewing" the Mora knife by hammering it into a log, with another log, and then just hitting it back and forth and sideways, and then complaining that it breaks for 10 minutes or so. That doesn't give a good review. Now if they freeze a compass, that's still a bit realistic, since compasses are used in very cold circumstances, and you don't want a compass with "water" in it to freeze and leave you unable to get your bearings. Beating the crap out of it is just a way to sell more, people like destruction, but doesn't give an accurate view of how something realistically works. For the Mora example: you wouldn't use your knife like that, and they are great knives. I doubt you'd hammer a 200 euro knife into a log and then beat it every way to see if it will cut well or ever find a reason to do that in the field .

Edit: to clarify a bit more, lets take an example of shockproof. You can test that by dropping it from a certain height, which is realistic, dropping it from a bit farther, which can still be realistic, or throwing it full strength into a rock floor for several minutes which is completely unrealistic (Was a review of a camera i once saw). Guess which one i'll take my lessons from .

Field & Stream is a decent hunting & fishing magazine. Their reviews are done by their authors who actually use the gear, and are usually pretty realistic. I agree about the youtube stuff though.

 

[IC_Rafe]

Hehe, ok, It just sounded a bit like the youtube stuff to me. I stand corrected

 

[Brynglas]

Any reasonable make Base plate compass will do. It's not just enough to know which way is North though. That's all any compass does. You need a reasonable map of the area you're in and just as importantly you need to know how to relate the image on the map to the terrain around you. It's well worth taking the time to develop these skills either via online resources or a course. Relying in either a phone or electronic Gps as a primary means of navigation isn't going to be enough in any situation.

Sent from my SGP521 using Tapatalk

 

[inthewilderness]

I personally wouldn't want to be without a compass with sighting capability. Fellow posters have mentioned a compass with lid and sighting mirror and if I was to head out into the bush, it would be with a compass I could take an accurate bearing on. I would suggest any compass you buy have an easy way to adjust for declination. Not only will the compass indicate direction but you never know when you might want to triangulate your position or pass on an accurate bearing to authorities.

As far as good books on compass use: Finding your way in the outdoors by Robert Mooers and/or Be expert with map and compass by Bjorn Kjellstrom.

Keep in mind, that mirror on the lid of the compass will also double as a signal mirror. Good luck!

 

[sandbag47]

After my last trip last week in Snowdonia and my phone dying and being without any navigation tools I have decided to get myself a compass . I can get a Silva Expedition 4 for £20 or a Silva Ranger 3 for £15. Which of these 2 do you guys think I should go for? I know the Expedition 4 is quite popular but is it really worth the extra £5? I will be using it for hiking/wildcamping in the UK.
And are there any good books that you can recommend to learn how to use one?

I'm sorry what!
You went on a trip without a compass....I hope you had a map !!
Mountain rescue get called out to folks using mobys instead of maps and compasses. To be honest any compass would have been better than a mobile phone.
(Sorry for the rant)

I use the military Expedition 4, mils version never let me down. I also have a prismatic but you would need a protractor with that as well.

Like already said take some time to learn how to use it.

I've got some stuff on my computer. Give me a day or so and I'll send it over to you

 

[Warzinak]

I'm sorry what!
You went on a trip without a compass....I hope you had a map !!
Mountain rescue get called out to folks using mobys instead of maps and compasses. To be honest any compass would have been better than a mobile phone.
(Sorry for the rant)

I use the military Expedition 4, mils version never let me down. I also have a prismatic but you would need a protractor with that as well.

Like already said take some time to learn how to use it.

I've got some stuff on my computer. Give me a day or so and I'll send it over to you

Yea, I wont be doing that again! We did have a map, but not a very good one tbh.
We just came back from the Black Mountains and again the phone was acting up so I am done with mobile navigation. (at least we did have a good OS map this time though)
I ordered the Expedition 4 and will do as much reading/practice as possible for our trip to Scotland next week.

 

[Old Bones]

There is nothing wrong with a phone as a backup (the people who leave them behind because they 'want to get away from it all' might end up regreting it), but its not a substitute for an actual proper map (and a decent map holder to stop it getting soaked), compass (and a backup if poss), plus the knowledge to use them. Phones/GPS units run out of charge, have software glitches, get wet, have busted batteries, etc.

I also bought the Expedition 4, and good value it is too (thanks for the headsup), although I notice that its made in China, while my old Ranger says 'Made in Sweden'. I'm sure its fine, but if a good deal on a Suunto mirror compass comes up, I might be interested.

 

[khain]

I bought a Silva compass a couple of years ago. The build quality is very poor. It doesn't close properly and developed bubbles almost immediately. I would have taken it back but it was a closing down sale. It still works adequately mind you but it's the sort of thing I would expect to pay £5 for, not £30.

 

[Tonyuk]

I bought a Silva compass a couple of years ago. The build quality is very poor. It doesn't close properly and developed bubbles almost immediately. I would have taken it back but it was a closing down sale. It still works adequately mind you but it's the sort of thing I would expect to pay £5 for, not £30.

Rare to hear a bad word about Silva, their gear is usually top but things happen. They have a 2 year warranty on their kit for the future.

Tonyuk

 

[Quixoticgeek]

One comment I would make on both compasses you have mentioned is that if you plan on going further afield than the UK you may find their lack of declination adjustment to be a pain. In the UK declination is about 2°, so pretty much in the margin of error, but if you go into scandi it can be upto 9°, and North america upwards of 20. With this in mind, consider the Silva Expedition. I reviewed it [thread=131332]here[/thread].

J

 

[santaman2000]

One comment I would make on both compasses you have mentioned is that if you plan on going further afield than the UK you may find their lack of declination adjustment to be a pain. In the UK declination is about 2°, so pretty much in the margin of error, but if you go into scandi it can be upto 9°, and North america upwards of 20. With this in mind, consider the Silva Expedition. I reviewed it [thread=131332]here[/thread].

J

Depends on just where in North America. The agonic line runs through NA. It's only 3 degrees & 10 minutes here (zip code 32539)

 

[Nice65]

Maybe it is not a good idea to venture out without sufficient knowledge in compass handling and use?

Or phone dying and no navigational tools?

Still, at least you admit you went a bit wrong. Get a compass, but learn how to use it before those clouds roll in.