In our wide hiking accessories and gear range, we have selected compasses and binoculars to accompany you on your hikes.
A WIDE SELECTION OF COMPASSES
For outdoor or professional use, on land or water, a compass is part of your essential safety kit. It alone can provide a reliable reference point and support sound decision-making in any situation.
Beyond their directional function, some compass models also offer additional high-precision features that are particularly useful, such as height measurement or terrain slope angle determination — important when assessing avalanche risk.
When hiking, a compass is primarily used to locate yourself on the map and identify key landmarks in the surrounding area (summits, hamlets, etc.). The essential first step is to orient it towards North and align it with the direction indicated by the compass needle. From there, simply follow your route. This process acts as a guide to help you reach your destination. In practice when hiking, you will navigate from a known point A to another point B, whether familiar or not. Simply take out the map and keep the tool level to find your bearings whenever needed. For more information on how to use a compass, we have written a blog post and a video along too.
The Silva range Expedition is designed for experienced hikers and professionals. Renowned for its precision and durability, the Expedition compass is your best choice if you want a baseplate compass with a wide range of features, including a clinometer for measuring slopes and a lanyard scale.
The Silva compass range Ranger is a traditional baseplate compass widely used by hikers, backpackers and hunters. The Ranger features a rubber grip for easy handling and comes with a declination scale usable anywhere inside the capsule, a magnifying lens and a baseplate for measuring maps in mm with 1:25k and 1:50k scales.
OUR SELECTION OF BINOCULARS: FOR A BETTER VIEW OF THE LANDSCAPE AND WILDLIFE
For hikers and travellers, versatile binoculars (8x32 or 10x42) are recommended. They should be lightweight, waterproof and robust — a rubber coating is preferable as it improves impact resistance. As with all the gear you carry, the weight of your binoculars is a key consideration when choosing a pair. To keep your pack light, a pair weighing 500 grams or less is the way to go, as heavier models tend to be bulkier.
The magnification of your binoculars is the factor that brings the image closer. You will commonly find them in 6x, 8x or 10x. To get a sense of what this means, 8x binoculars bring you 8 times closer — so if you are looking at something 400 m away, it appears as though it is just 50 m away. An 8x zoom is the most effective: it gets you close enough on a hike while remaining stable, as the higher the magnification, the more any slight movement becomes visible.
Pocket 8X are binoculars you can count on for flexibility, quality and functionality. With quality optics and long-distance magnification, these binoculars are the perfect aid for making route choices on a hike. The lightweight, foldable design and easy-grip exterior make them simple to carry and use.
Scenic 8 provides a wide field of view (114 m) that is well suited to tracking fast-moving objects such as birds. The high-quality Bak-4 optics deliver excellent, sharp images. The rubber coating ensures a firm grip in all conditions, and the double-hinge system makes the Scenic 8 easy to fold and compact to carry when not in use.
To complete your trekking or hiking kit, explore:
