Silva Terra Scout H and Terra Drybags | Review - Outdoors Magic

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Silva Terra Scout H and Terra Drybags | Review

Swedish brand Silva’s latest ‘Terra’ product range includes three new award-winning headtorches and a collection of low-impact drybags, all made from recycled materials

As sustainability becomes ever more important in the outdoor industry, we’re seeing more and more brands making a concerted effort to make their core products more eco-friendly. Take Swedish brand Silva, for example. It is probably best known for its excellent headtorches (as well as its expedition-proven compasses). With the new Terra range, it has introduced three new headtorches, the Scout X, Scout XT and range-topping Scout H. All use recycled plastic materials and a hemp headband to give a carbon footprint reduction of 90% compared to the previous models.

OM editor Will using the Terra Scout H while hiking the Cumbria Way. Photos: Joe Whitmore

In addition, the brand has also revamped its drybags. These were already made from 100% recycled PET material. But the new Terra drybags now come in muted colours, which reduces the resource-intensive colouring process to a minimum. The result is a non-dyed dry bag, thereby minimising the use of chemicals and reducing water waste in the process.

According to the brand, these innovations mark the start of an item-by-item overhaul of Silva products that will continually improve and re-work designs into more sustainable versions, a strategy based on the ‘reuse, reduce and recycle’ blueprint. It also has the bonus of creating a collection of eco-friendly products that look really striking and cohesive. We approve.

What Is The Silva Terra Range Best Suited To?

The Terra Scout headtorches are versatile headlamps that work well for everyday outdoor adventures such as backpacking and wild camping. The three different models have maximum outputs of 300 lumens for the Scout X and 350 lumens for the Scout XT and Scout H. All use Silva’s Hybrid Technology, which means they can be powered either by standard AAA batteries or by Silva’s rechargeable 1.25Ah lithium-ion cell. The Scout H comes with one of these Hybrid batteries as standard, hence its slightly higher price point.

“The Terra Scout headtorches have already picked up several industry awards.”

On to the dry bags. These are pretty much an essential for anyone who spends a fair amount of time in the great outdoors. Silva’s Terra range comes in five different sizes: 3, 6, 12, 24 and 36 litres. The smaller bags are great for organising your gear, while the biggest two sizes work well as liners for a daypack. They have a standard rolltop closure and are made from a lightweight but durable 70-denier polyester fabric.

Eco Credentials

The Terra Scout headtorches have a compact LED light unit mounted on an adjustable bracket. Both the light unit casing and the bracket are made of recycled plastic, which has up to a 90% lower CO2 footprint compared to standard plastics. The headband is also made from hemp, a natural fibre that is a more environmentally sound alternative to synthetic fibres like nylon or polyester.

The Terra Scout headtorches have already picked up several industry awards, including the Scandinavian Outdoor Sustainability Award and a prestigious ISPO Award, whilst also being a finalist in the UK Outdoor Industry Awards.

Though arguably a little less exciting in terms of tech, the new Terra dry bags are equally impressive in terms of sustainability. They’re made from recycled polyester material (RPET) that has resulted in a 75% carbon footprint reduction, requiring 67% less energy and 86% less water during production. The fabric itself is uncoloured, as the carbon footprint of non-dyed material is 64% lower.

Construction and Performance

The headtorches are lightweight and comfortable, thanks to a soft, wide strap and an extremely slim, compact design. However, they’re still pretty powerful, with dual white LEDs that provide combined spot and flood lighting plus a secondary red LED for night vision use. The max output of the Scout XT and H is a creditable 350 lumens, and Silva’s Intelligent Light technology delivers a good balance of beam spread and penetration. Operations are simple and straightforward via one big button on top of the headlamp, but you also get a battery level indicator and that hybrid battery technology. Unlike most others, the rechargeable battery pack has a USB-C port rather than the older micro-USB tech too, enabling faster charging.

The drybags do exactly what you’d expect, keeping gear securely protected from water ingress. Despite their lightweight build, the fabric has also stood up to plenty of use so far, being hauled in and out of rucksacks and slung into tents. The side-release buckles are nice and chunky too, being easier to grip with gloves than the flimsy buckles found on some other ultralight drybags.

Verdict

Admittedly, the Terra Scout headtorches are not quite as powerful or as fully-featured as some we’ve tested in the past. But for most adventurers, 350 lumens will be more than enough power to find your way, no matter how dark it is out there. So, they are still eminently practical headtorches that are lightweight, compact and easy to use, whilst also scoring highly for sustainability and versatility. And we’ve nothing but compliments for the drybags, which do the job whilst being considerably more eco-friendly than most rivals on the market.

In fact, we can only applaud Silva for their use of materials like recycled polyester and natural hemp, which is a first for this sector of the outdoor industry. We hope to see more of the tech-focused outdoor brands follow suit in the near future.

On the head torch: “This is what sustainable product should be. It is a regular headlamp design, with standard features, made with better materials – but also at a competitive price.”

Silva Terra Scout H

Selected for our Green Gear Guide 2023
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