Silva Expedition 4 Compass

Buck
Reviewed: 20 February 2009

PRETTY GOOD

Finds North fast. All the useful scales. Magnifyer is very powerful! Glow in the dark (very useful). Can use with gloves on!

Big, although big is good sometimes when measuring or dealing with large distances on a map, for bearings and such.

What you'd expect from a company like Silve. The fist one i bought was malfunct so had to go back, second is fine. Does everything you need for walking in the British Isles.

John Jocys
Reviewed: 19 February 2009

GOOD BUT TOO DELICATE FOR USING FOR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES?

A pleasure to use. Clear markings, good for night nav.

Air bubbles. My second Expedition 4 in 3 years has failed in the same way. I've always been careful with compasses so I was very surprised when the first one failed but put it down to an inadvertant knock. After the second one failed I wasn't so sure. Some sort of weakness / design fault, a piece of kit designed to be used for outdoor activities really needs to be more robust.

A great piece of kit, but unless I get some reassurance from Silva that the reliability problem is sorted I'll be looking elsewhere. My performance and Value scores are based on these compasses NOT failing.

Medusan
Reviewed: 01 June 2008

EXCELLENT NAVIGATION DEVICE

Clear roamers, ideal size (not too small, not too big), sticks well to both map cases and laminated maps. Clear markings aid lining up with map

Am on my third, I find the degree markings on the bezel seem to fade - although i do give them hard use. I wonder if it is due to rubbing on clothing so am thinking of possibly getting a case. Even though I am on my third there is not other compass that compares for navigation in the UK mountains and Hills.

Would not be out without one !

John Shipp
Reviewed: 26 May 2008

QUICK AND CLEAR BUT NOT VERY DURABLE

Settles quickly, reliable, good romer scales

Degree markings rubbed off very quickly. Black's to their credit changed it for a new one. Same problem occurred again. This never happened with my old Silva compass.

Good compass but pack it in cotton wool!

Jake
Reviewed: 25 February 2008

THE DADDY

Easy to read.
Silicone feet prevent it slipping on the map.
Romer scales.
Bezel that can be used easily, even with gloves on.

None.

This compass is a classic.
The baseplate is reassuringly solid in the hand and large enough to plot long legs of routes even on 1:25,000 maps.
The bezel can be rotated easily and does not slip.
The Romer scales are very useful, particularly when used in conjunction with a GPS.
Some reviewers have mentioned that the markings have rubbed off; a compass is a precision instrument and should be treated as such. If it's left knocking about in a rucksack lid pocket against your car keys, it will suffer.
A great bit of kit - I would rather lose my GPS than this baby.