Johnson Outdoors 30 years ago sold REAL Swedish Silva's....

Their relationship with Silva Sweden went sour quite a while ago, but I am pretty sure much less than 30 years ago.

It really is a crazy mess...but I don't buy Silva branded compasses in the US....and now it looks like North America anymore because you really have no idea what you are getting.

Suunto/Recta are my prefered brands....


I really like the matchbox type compasses for compact fully-funtional instruments. These seem to be overlooked by many, but they are worth seeking out.

My old Recta...in the bottom right corner of this old image, goes with me loads of times. It is not quite as easy to use as a baseplate on a map, but otherwise most of the Silva system uses apply.



These can be found with a Global Needle and make for an excellent EDC type compass. The mirror on the bottom limits the usefullness of the mirror for other uses, but it a nice sighting option.