SILVA

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Silva are the world's premier manufacturer of map reading compass for hiking, orienteering and trail running, as well as one of the best brands for head torches and walking poles. In 1933 Silva invented the first ever liquid compass. Before this innovation, compasses had needles that would swing back and forth for up to 30 seconds before settling, making them slow and difficult to use accurately. Silva’s liquid-filled design damped the movement of the needle, allowing it to settle in just four seconds. This made navigation significantly faster and more precise. Silva added to this a protractor baseplate with map-measuring scales, allowing users to place the compass directly on a map to quickly and accurately determine a bearing and calculate distances.