When in the backcountry do you use a case for your maps?

www.sectionhiker.com has an interesting post on a case option.

Blake

www.outdoorquest.blogspot.com

I use an Ortlieb Map Case even when using Ordnance Survey Active Maps

Interesting article about map cases as I thought folks in the USA would want to ensure that they don't get soggy maps as well when venturing into the wider areas of true wilderness. I was a little surprised with the end of the following quote;



Have commercial printed paper maps gone out of fashion in the USA?

http://sectionhiker.com/tgo-challenge-2013-trip-report-part-2/

This area is typical of the area within an hours drive away where you sometimes get all 4 seasons in a single afternoon.

I also was rather surprised at some of the comments in the article, for example according to "Section Hiker":



I reckon that Mr Section Hiker has obviously never been to Alaska! While we have a few "well marked, blazed, or signed" trails, more often than not trails around here are obscure, steep, with very little (if any) maintenence. It also has been known to rain around these parts, now and then.

For hiking I usually just carry my maps in a large zip lock freezer bag in my pack. If think I'll need to refer to maps often, I will print a small key section (using National Geograpic Topo!) on water resistant paper, put it in a smaller zip lock, and carry it in my shirt pocket.

I do have a nice fancy map case that I carry on the fore deck of my sea kayak. However in that case I usually have several items in it such as topo maps, nautical charts, tide books etc.

SH hasn't ventured to the American Southwest, either. There are plenty of routes here which feature less than optimum maintenance. I have used various mapcases, including the ubiquitous ziploc bag for many years. In dry desert conditions, it isn't the rain that degrades maps, it is your constant perspiration which waterlogs the map,and everything in your pockets.

If I know I will be using a map extensively, I give it a bit of waterproofing compound and then precut it into sections, joining them with a good flexible tape. That avoids the wear and tear that occurs at the joins of an unprepared map. Due to some mysterious process, vital information is always obliterated, when you fold a map several times in the same way.

The waterproofing compound helps when you shave off the margins of the map to use for starting a fire. Multipurpose!

Mytopo is a great place to get maps. Waterproof prints of maps are a lot easier to get in NA than in other countries. Mapcases are really unnecessary unless you only have access to paper maps. Even then, you can paint the map with a waterproofing solution.

Ziplock bags! cheap and they work. I have tried many other things, but the freezer bags always seem to be what I end up using.

i considered all of the alternatives.

but i thought i'd try a ziplock freezer bag first.

that was six years ago.

i'm still using the same ziplock.

I've been using zip lock bags too. For a multi-day hike I'll also print maps using water proof paper.

Blake

I usually make "pocket map" for quick reference. I'll scan my map (or use an electronic copy) and print it on an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper that can then be folded up and put in a sandwich-sized ziploc to be carried in my pocket along side my compass:



This typically provides a map that covers approximately a 10 x 13 km of land (1:50,000 map). Additional information (park provided trail maps, trail book descriptions, additional maps, etc) can also be printed on the flip side and, if want more info on-hand, I can always just print a second or third page.



I find that by doing this I have the information I want on-hand quickly, but I also carry the full size map in my pack for when (or if) I need it. For example, I don't often transcribe the UTM info on to my pocket map so if I want to figure out exactly where I am using my GPS, I'll pull out the full map. It's also there if I require a larger view of things, like when triangulating my position or something.

I hadn't really thought too much about the redundancy aspect before, but I guess this also would mitigate the risk of not having a map due to loss or damage.