My wife's trusty Silva Expedition compass got us both out of a tricky situation in Cross Fell two weeks ago. My Bruton universal compass which we use for Arctic ski touring lets us down badly. It was dark,windy and knee deep snow. So I took bearings with the Bruton on the stone pillars to the summit. Within 100m I realized we had a problem. When you took the bearing you drop the compass onto its lanyard..BUT the compass housing moved by between 4 to 6 degrees.

Luckily my wife had her compass in her sack and for the next 90min we used it to safely navigate to a comfortable night at Gregs Hut.It's a simple reliable useable compass. Will be binning the Bruton.

I bought this compass as I love the outdoors and took up hiking and wild camping so needed to get off the beaten track. My reasoning was if I buy the best now I will grow into it so stumped up the cash. The expedition 4 has it all its also nice size and easy to read. A friend once asked me if a compass that cost £30 points more north tan one that cost less that a fiver? Well in truth I don't know. But what I do know is I've never been too lost with this one and its built to last. Great service from facewest

This is the compass I was taught on when I first learnt to map read & it's as clear & good as I remember it.Tough with good, practical, clear scales & a useful, sensibly-sized magnifying glass. The big baseplate means that it's easy to use but I wouldn't say it's heavy because of this. Luminous & use of red ink where it matters. I also love the red cordage & the way the little feet don't slip on the map when you press down slightly - excellent piece of kit.

Just the best and most practical compass out there for me. Use for my day to day job leading groups outdoors for map work. Also for my ML training it's the one they recommend and suggest. Magnifying glass, great scale rulers and built to last, very worthwhile purchase for a compass.

I bought the new version as it has the 1:40,000 scale on it for the OMM. Very big base plate makes it easy to use on maps, very good compass all round.

This is my main compass to date and it's proved invaluable. Admittedly it does have more features on it than I ever make use of, but it's one of those rare products that develops with your knowledge. My favourite features on it, are the simplest, the magnifier is really handy for those tricky spots on an OS map and the grippy feat are excellent for keeping it still when taking a bearing.

If you're looking to buy a compass, save yourself a headache and just buy this.

One of my favourite pieces of kit on the hill - it's just awesome!The baseplate is a good size, and the bezel on top is easy to use even with thick gloves on, but won't slip out of place by accident. The roamer scales are fantastically useful and make life a lot easier.

Slightly more expensive than some alternatives, but it's definitely money well spent!

The Silva Expedition 4 has just been updated with the removal of the 1:63000 scale in favour of the more universal, useful and current 1:40000 scale. Well done Silva. This is the scale that makes up the trio of standard British scales alongside 1:50000 and 1:25000 and is the scale that most Mountain Marathons have adopted as their mapping scale of choice.

This is my second S.E.4 (my two year old son managed to de-magnetise my first) and just the same as my original version, this compass delivers! Winter climbing, summer exploring, mountain marathons and any other time you may need a navigational aid, the S.E.4 is easy to use, has great features, is versatile and has all the usual quality you would expect from Silva.

Quite simply the best compass on the market. Used this for Duke of Edinburgh Gold a few years back, and now continue to use it as a leader. Great features, the size is great and the measurements give you a lot more options.

It's nice to have the cord attachment, as I've seen many people lose ones that don't come with one. For anything in the UK I'd highly recommend The Expedition 4. And for the price, life saving kit is never too expensive.

If you're in the hills in the UK then this is the best compass on the market.It still has a 1 inch - 1 mile Romer scale, because it's so good Silva haven't needed to change the mould for years.If it ain't broke don't fix it, and be surprised if you see any instructor on an ML course or similar using anything else.You could quibble that a Ranger 3 is almost the same compass for cheaper but the extra features make this model worth it as your compass, if looked after, will outlast every other piece of outdoor kit you own.