Australian Hiker

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Silva Expedition 54 Compass Review

Silva is one of the two best known compass brands available on the Australian market for outdoor use. They sell a large range of compasses into Australia and the Silva Expedition 54 Compass would probably rank as their main selling ‘top of the line’ model. There are also military versions available but unless you know what to do with the additional features then don’t worry about them.

This compass is robust, reliable and reasonably bullet proof and provides a high level of accuracy through the inclusion of a built in sighting prism. This sighting prism allows you to look over the compass and into the prism at the the same time which is a much more accurate way to use a compass than looking down onto the compass and trying to line up a bearing. Over short distant taking bearings from the top of the compass wont have to much of an effect but over longer distances this can compound and have big impact. In addition the sighting prism has an internal scale that Silva claims can be read to 0.5°. While you can quite clearly between the degree marks in this prism I’m more inclined to take 1° bearings than try to quibble over anything smaller.

While for most hikers this compass is overkill and something like the Suunto A-30 or the Silva Ranger compass is more than adequate,the Silva Expedition 54 Compass is aimed at the navigation enthusiast that wants a high level of accuracy over longer distances. So if you are the sort of hiker that goes off trail and needs a high level of navigation accuracy then this is the compass for you.

NOTE: Don’t buy from overseas stores unless your are very sure that what you are buying is the correct version otherwise you are buying a very lightweight paperweight.

We Like

• A robust reliable compass
• Sighting scale to achieve a more accurate bearing
• Luminous bezel which makes this compass easy to use during the day as well as in low light/ nighttime
• Magnifying lens for use with fine print on maps
• Sitting scale accurate to 1°
• Map measuring scales of 1:25,000, 1:40,000, and 1:50,000, inches, mm

We Don't Like

• The price. Having said that you are paying for a very high quality compass

Best Uses

• An excellent high quality compass for those hikers that want accuracy over long distances.

Buy One

You can purchase the Silva Expedition 54 Compass from Snowys, or  Wildfire Sports

If you live in the southern hemisphere buy this compass from a southern hemisphere store to ensure you get the correctly balanced compass

Disclosure:  We may earn a small commission, at no additional expense to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!

If you have used the Silva Expedition 54 Compass or if you have questions, we’d like to hear from you. Post your comment or question below

Investment

AUD $169.99 RRP

Other Versions

Silva produce and import a large range of compasses into Australia. The compasses listed below are all available in Australia but can be hard to find

• Silva Expedition Military 54 Southern Hemisphere Plate Compass
• Silva Expedition Military 4 Southern Hemisphere Plate Compass
• Silva Expedition S Southern Hemisphere Plate Compass
• Silva 2017 Expedition 4 Southern Hemisphere Plate Compass
• Silva Field Southern Hemisphere Plate Compass
• Silva Ranger S Southern Hemisphere Plate Compass

Silva Expedition 54 Southern Hemisphere Plate Compass

Disclaimer

This review was done with product purchased from a retail store by Australian Hiker

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