Ranger S MS

The Silva Ranger S MS is a folding mirror sighting compass for walkers, climbers and hunters who navigate by map and bearing. The MS version has its needle balanced for the Magnetic South zone, the mirror lid lets you sight a landmark and read the dial in one look, and the clear baseplate is marked for 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 maps.

Who it's for

Anyone heading off track: a traverse of the Western Arthurs, a navigation day in the Budawangs, a rogaine, or the first time you leave the marked trail in the Victorian high country. The Ranger S is built for the navigator who takes bearings on distant features and follows them across open country, and it is the kind of compass you learn on and keep using for years.

Accuracy and features

• Mirror sighting with a sighting hole, accurate to 1 degree, with 45-degree angle assistance on the mirror
• Needle balanced for the MS zone, so it sits level rather than tilting
• Declination scale printed inside the capsule, east and west
• mm ruler and 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scales on the baseplate for measuring distance straight off the map
• Luminous markings for reading the compass in the dark
• Rotating housing set up for the Silva 1-2-3 System

Using it in the field

Set your bearing on the map with the housing, then flip up the lid and hold the Ranger S at eye level. The mirror shows you the needle and the landmark at the same moment, so you are not glancing down and losing the tree or saddle you are aiming for. That is what makes a mirror compass worth it on long legs across open ground, where a small error at the start becomes a big one at the end.

The rubber grip makes it easy to hold and turn, and the detachable safety-release lanyard keeps the compass around your neck and lets go if it snags.

Durability

Folded, the lid closes over the capsule and protects the mirror and dial in your pocket or pack. The whole compass measures 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.7 cm.