Silva Map Case M30 Review - “An excellent map case that improves upon other brand offerings.”
Posted by Mark Richardson on Jan 03, 2023
The M30 map case is 295mm x 295mm viewable area which is basically A4 which fits with the size of Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure maps. It’s a welded construction with a double ‘zip-lok’ type seal at its opening, I’ve used quite a few of this type of map case over the years and the seal can sometimes be hard to close and very hard to open, especially in cold weather, and definitely not with gloves.
Silva has largely sorted this problem out with the addition of two flaps which you can grab to pull the seal open when you want to change the map viewing area. This is simple, but should not be underestimated because it’s far better than other map cases I’ve used which rely on you getting your finger nails into the opening to pull it apart. The Silva is still tricky with gloves though.
Closing the seal on the Silva M30 also seems easier than map cases I’ve used in the past, I’ve not used it in really cold weather yet which tends to stiffen the rubber, but compared to some it’s a breeze.
So far so good then, there’s no doubt the case is waterproof and it comes with a strap fastened to the case with two plastic clips – these I don’t like, I always fold the map case in half and keep it that way using the clips to hold the edges together – this makes it easier to carry and not so susceptible to wind. The clips on the M30 are pretty poor, they work fine when fastened to one edge of the case but when using them to keep the case folded one edge kept coming adrift, a close look at the clips reveals why, they just aren’t very good. Luckily you could change these for better ones.
The strap/cord has useful graduations on it for use on 1:50k and 1:25k scale maps, I couldn’t see myself using these to plan a route, but they were good for a rough check on how far to the next waypoint.
All in all, this is an excellent map case that improves upon other brand offerings, though the clips let it down and I would change these for better ones.
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Mark Richardson |
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Mark was the founder of Ultralight Outdoor Gear back in 2006 and has completed long distance backpacking routes in some of the remotest parts of the world. His favourite hikes have been Torres del Paine (full circuit), the John Muir trail and the Markha Valley trail (Ladakh, India). Although semi-retired Mark has not lost any enthusiasm for minimalist backpacking and is tackling Scotland’s Munros choosing multi-day backpacking routes over the more usual guide book excursions. |
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