High Sierra Topix

I generally rely on the NG Trails Illustrated series and found them to be accurate and at a large enough scale to be used for navigation. I like the 7.5 minute maps but i generally just use them for pre-trip research and bring along some smaller versions as a backup on adventure paper in a sealed plastic bag with my backup compass.

Just curious as to what everyone else brings...

I print my own off the USGS site, sometimes use National Geographic (I find that their complicated color schemes sometime obscure the other markings) and also Tom Harrison's map. All work.

Tom Harrison maps for me.

USGS topo quads from their web site.
USFS topo quads if available.

Quads at home for prep, and TH maps on the trail.
I write notes about a difficult section and clip them to my map for reference.

I use USGS 15' if available, 7.5' if necessary. I don't much like the 7.5' because I don't think they give me a big enough picture for off-trail scrambles.

Started out with the 7.5 series years ago-
Probably have 30 - 40, old routes marked, newer ones added,
ragged edges-
Many still creased on the last day's fold.

Old habits and fond memories there...
Too late to change.

Hmmm....

What advantages do you see in the Tom Harrison maps versus the NG Trails Illustrated?

just me, i guess. all electronic on my gps now. I've got the tattered maps as well; pretty much reminders of some great trips.

I plan my trips electronically, research as much as possible both here, and other places; load it up on the garmin, and test it out in google earth. For me it's not so much about complete routes, as it is about important waypoints. I feel pretty comfortable bringing up a waypoint and picking a route to get there.

Kind of a strange question, but those who print their own maps, how do you protect them from water? I'm under the assumption that if you pull your map out, and you printed it with normal ink, you have no map if it gets wet. Of course, the obvious answer would be a ziplock, which i used to do. Any other options in use?

My experience with the NG maps is that they often have so much color coding that some of the trail and topo line info is hard to read. And I don't like that.

As for my own printed maps--we just keep them out of the water. And yes, over the course of a single hike, they get a bit tattered sometimes, but we won't use them again, they're part of the souveniers of the hike!