What maps do you carry?

If you've been searching for the best source of information and stimulating discussion related to Spring/Summer/Fall backpacking, hiking and camping in the Sierra Nevada...look no further!
User avatar
obiwan canoli
Topix Novice
Posts: 19
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 6:39 am
Experience: N/A

Re: What maps do you carry?

Post by obiwan canoli »

Mike M. wrote:By the way, there was a post here (it was moved to the gear board) that talked about a great deal for TOPO! customers to upgrade to new state maps. The idea was that owners of Wildflower Productions TOPO! regional series maps could upgrade to a National Geographic TOPO state series map for only $19.95, plus shipping. When I called, National Geographic told me it wasn't true, the offer did not exist. I wonder if the original poster can shed some light on this. (I posted this on the gear board too but it is not as active as this board.)

Mike
Mike, that was me who posted about TOPO! Wildflower and the great deal on newer software. As I posted on the original thread, the deal was as I noted... If you were a former TOPO! Wildflower customer who'd picked up the Regional Series CD's (there were several, each for a different area of, in my case, California), then I was told, over the phone, by the NatGeo rep who'd responded to my initial inquiry and told me to call him, that there was a standing offer, still on the books, as it were, that you were eligible to purchase the newer version, one State Series TOPO! package, for $19.95 + S&H.

Kevin Lance was the guy's name, and he was a department supervisor who'd informed me this was the deal offered several years back when they stopped offering the Wildflower version, and began offering the newer version. He also informed me the offer was still valid, as the "upgrade" offer was never rescinded. I use quote marks because he was insistent that the new TOPO! 4 version was NOT an upgrade, that it was an entirely new version of TOPO! (accounting for why you could not simply go to the NatGeo site and download - free - the new improved version), but that it was a simple matter.

Check out that prior thread, as I noted his contact info. there.
User avatar
SSSdave
Topix Addict
Posts: 3523
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 11:18 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Silicon Valley
Contact:

Re: What maps do you carry?

Post by SSSdave »

similar topics on this board in the past

7.5m USGS topos because I'm off trail often so need more accuracy than 15m
offtrail my map is often handing from a string on my chest strap right in front of me
where i can use it continually
these days will often print out maps from libremap project and enhance them
or fromacme especially for short spur of the moment trips.
User avatar
oldranger
Topix Addict
Posts: 2861
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2007 9:18 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Bend, Oregon

Re: What maps do you carry?

Post by oldranger »

Since I've been reading 15' series maps since the late 50s I find I can read the nuances better than when reading the 7.5' series. I know that technically there is more detail on the 7.5' series but I just can't visualize what the information means as well. Despite knowing distances from the legend I have a difficult time estimating travel time when using 7.5' maps. Maybe it is a matter of teaching an old dog new tricks but my judgements of whether a route will go based on a 15' map have not failed me (yet). So I take my old 15' maps (sometimes now in pieces) and usually a larger scale map with relatively recent updates as to trail locations. But trail relocations and differences from old maps are a problem only when deciding where to cut cross country but so far that has not been a problem either. I never realized how easy it is to navigate in the sierra until I moved back to Maine in the late 70's for a few years. The rolling, forested topography coupled with mostly gray days made cross country travel much more challenging. Similarly the heavily forested complex micro topography in the Central Oregon Cascades makes cross country travel much more challenging. Comparatively, off trail travel navigation in the Sierra is a piece of cake! In the Sierra I seldom, even in new country, check my maps more than a couple of times a day.

Mike
Mike

Who can't do everything he used to and what he can do takes a hell of a lot longer!
User avatar
LMBSGV
Topix Fanatic
Posts: 1013
Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2007 8:42 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: San Geronimo, CA
Contact:

Re: What maps do you carry?

Post by LMBSGV »

I’m another 7.5m USGS user. I sometimes carry a 15m map, but usually just try to memorize the peaks outside the 7.5m before the trip. I’ve just updated to the new NG and I agree with their not being up to date. My wife and I did a hike last week in the open space area where we live in San Geronimo Valley. The NG map did not show two fire roads (that’s roads, not trails) we hiked on. The Marin Open Space District map we downloaded was far more accurate. I’m considering printing out trips in the Sierra from the NG maps on waterproof paper now that I have a color printer, but I’m going to do this well before any trip so if I need to order from USGS I’ll have time to get one from my old reliable source.
I don’t need a goal destination. I need a destination that meets my goals.

http://laurencebrauer.com
User avatar
adam
Topix Acquainted
Posts: 99
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2008 5:17 pm
Experience: N/A

Re: What maps do you carry?

Post by adam »

I think that the whole act of choosing what scale, orientation, etc to use when printing pages off of TOPO (or wherever) makes me think about routes, landmarks, etc. such that I feel pretty familiar when I actually arrive at the destination. Plus, I can fold and refold the maps with the current area displayed, and hold the maps in my hand with my thumb on the current location (orienteering trick that works great for hiking too). I don't have to worry about destroying the maps, because I'm only going to use them for one trip. I used to pay for the special paper maps, but I've found no problem with just regular old paper in plastic bags-- although I always carry a second set of printouts just in case. For larger scale, I much prefer the 7.5 min info shrunk-to-fit than the larger scale maps without so much information-- although the text is sometimes impossible to read in these printouts, I find the topography much clearer.

For the high sierra I actually LIKE the out of date maps-- especially the old wilderness press maps from my parents' 70s hiking guides, which are full of xc routes and old trails not on the current ones.

However I agree with the previous posters that the usgs topos are a mess for areas with more recent fire roads/trails/private property, etc... It would be nice if in addition to the pdf's of trails that land management agencies often make, they also had gps tracks superimposed on to topos-- although I guess they often don't WANT you to think about exploring like that...
User avatar
Take-a-Hike
Topix Acquainted
Posts: 89
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 4:28 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Alta Loma, Ca

Re: What maps do you carry?

Post by Take-a-Hike »

I take Harrison maps for the big picture, but usually get a "Mytopo" for a 'blow up" of the area I want to go....especially if going off trail. I give the Harrison map to the wife so it gives her something to do.

Wondering though, when I order the "mytopo's", it seems that one quadrant or a section of the map comes in meters vs. feet. So I'll get about 90-95% of the map in good ole feet and then a section in metric which drives me nuts. How Come??

However, I did buy a Wilderness Press Topo Map of Yosemite & Vicinity for our trek in Aug from Granite Creek area. That seems helpful, but still did order a topo of the area as well....just not as much of the area.
User avatar
balzaccom
Topix Addict
Posts: 2952
Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2008 9:22 pm
Experience: N/A

Re: What maps do you carry?

Post by balzaccom »

One thing to add to this thread...

I print out a lot of the maps for our trips, and I used to be very careful about not wasting paper, or carrying extra (!) weight...until one trip when we decided to explore a little bit, and realized that I had only printed out exatly what we needed for our trip--not some of the surrounding countryside. So we explored, but we didn't really know what was on the other side of the mountain. And it was a lesson I won't forget.

What, me? Anal compulsive?
Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-R ... 0984884963
User avatar
Hetchy
Topix Regular
Posts: 269
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 8:51 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Santa Cruz Mountains Ben Lomond

Re: What maps do you carry?

Post by Hetchy »

I am so glad you asked.
I have just completed printing 310 maps of the 7.5 minute variety at 1/24000 scale blended so they are seamless. I sourced these maps from Jonathan Ley, a noted CDT hiker and Amazing philanthropist. Jonathan Ley updates the maps and water information yearly and gives a CD Rom full of them away for FREE! It is customary for hikers to donate something but he asks nothing! They cover a 3100 mile route from Mexico to Canada either on on very near the Geographic Continental Divide of the United States. I printed them on photo paper so they won't run when they inevitably get wet. I also have the relevant delorme atlas pages to give an overview in case it becomes neccesary to "bail" off the divide, get lost and "walk off the map", or when heading down to towns to resupply.
The entire set of maps and Delorme pages weighs 8lbs. Along with town guide pages and Jim Wolfs Guidebooks(most of which I copied onto the backs of the map pages) I have 11 lbs of paper to "guide" my hike this year.
I have divided it all up into 5 USPS flat rate boxes I will have a friend (MOM!) mail from California to various towns on or near the trail along the way.
At a minimum I will have 2lbs of maps in my posession. By far the heaviest single item in my pack are the maps!(Including the backpack which only weighs 14.7 ounces!)
It took me 50 hours to print them so I am torn on whether to:
1. Burn them as I go to start my homemade woodburning stove each night.
2. Write notes on the margins (remember the backs are full of copied guidebook pages) and mail them home from trail towns.
3. Leave them in hiker boxes or Post offices along the trail in the hope that they are useful to Southbound hikers that come along later in the season.(I am Northbound)
4. I know what you are thinking.. But I don't use toilet paper on the trail anymore and the heavy photo paper would be like wiping with saran wrap anyways..(HeHe sorry for the information!!) :D

5. Simply throw them away at town stops since the likelyhood of even seeing another CDT hiker is almost nil as there are only about 30 of us in the entire 3100 miles in a good year.
Cheers-Hetchy

PS. I have to add.. the compass rosette is Jonathans unique way of integrating GPS into the map system. There is a standard..like a ruler printed on the margin of the maps. Cutting the standard off, and using a reciprocal bearing from the noted gps coordinates in the compass rosette combined with the distance to those coordinates as stated by your GPS unit allows you to plot your position on the map. Pretty clever dude this Jonathan Ley.
Of course it's all lost on me cause I am a WAY cranky old curmudgeon of a "map and compass" guy... No GPS for me Thankyou. Go ahead.. CLICK THE MAP! YOUR EYES WILL POP!
:eek:
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
You can make more money, but you can't make more time.
User avatar
richlong8
Topix Expert
Posts: 837
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 6:02 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer

Re: What maps do you carry?

Post by richlong8 »

3 things I have learned the hard way not to worry excessively about saving weight on, maps, food, and insect repellent!
User avatar
mokelumnekid
Topix Expert
Posts: 475
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2008 4:45 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Seattle
Contact:

Re: What maps do you carry?

Post by mokelumnekid »

richlong8 wrote:3 things I have learned the hard way not to worry excessively about saving weight on, maps, food, and insect repellent!


Amen to that. I bring all kinds of maps, and duplicates, including geological maps (the weight- oh the horror!) :unibrow: I quit carrying a compass a long time ago as I rarely need it in the SN. (Is there anyone on this board who really has trouble navigating cross country in the SN? Maybe, but I never have. Just saying is all.) The Cascades and Coast Range and other countries it is a different story (amazing how turned around one can get in the southern hemisphere). The only thing I might add to that holy trinity is the tequila, simply for medicinal purposes.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot], Google [Bot], sdchesnut and 124 guests