Let's talk maps.

[24Pink14Stink]

Anybody here have topo maps for their area, or route out of dodge?

I got a family member 2 usgs topo maps directly from the usgs. They were OK, but wanted to dial them in to his area a bit better. I came across mytopo.com. you can buy standard usgs scale, change the scale, etc. They also let you customize the area you want. They offer different sizes, gridlines, waterproof, dry erase options, etc.

I think I'm going to buy a couple each year. A 3'×4' waterproof custom map costs around $30 and smaller maps can be had for cheaper.

Anybody else have/use/have recommendations on vendors, etc?

[MDC]

Woah. this sounds technical and i have no idea.

[phritz]

I've looked at mytopo, but have been hesitant to spend the money. Let us know if it's worth it.

[usmcveteran]

Things are about to get more complicated lol.

Read this about magnetic declination http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advi...clination.html

Also what type of compass are you using? We used these http://www.amazon.com/OFFICIAL-MILIT...nsatic+compass . With the tritium you don't need light to recharge glowing element to navigate at night. But you really do need a lensatic compass in my mind since it's easier to find your location by plotting lines to geographic features you can see that are on your map.

An option for your map is get a non fancy cheaper one and get that plastic stuff that you can heat up to melt around it (forgot name off top of my head) and use felt markers on the plastic to mark lines and can erase later with alcohol wipes.

Also do you have any protractors? http://www.amazon.com/Tools-Round-Mi...ords=map+tools
http://www.amazon.com/Improved-Milit...ords=map+tools

So there is a lot to think about. Look for local orienteering clubs as well for a great way to learn and hone your skills!

[RayKnobs]

Someplace I have NYS topo's you can load into your garmin

[24Pink14Stink]

I've looked at mytopo, but have been hesitant to spend the money. Let us know if it's worth it.

I like the first one I've seen. I think they're worth it.

[Pissed Off Patriot]

Usmc, you are talking about laminating.

[24Pink14Stink]

Things are about to get more complicated lol.

Read this about magnetic declination http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advi...clination.html

Also what type of compass are you using? We used these http://www.amazon.com/OFFICIAL-MILIT...nsatic+compass . With the tritium you don't need light to recharge glowing element to navigate at night. But you really do need a lensatic compass in my mind since it's easier to find your location by plotting lines to geographic features you can see that are on your map.

An option for your map is get a non fancy cheaper one and get that plastic stuff that you can heat up to melt around it (forgot name off top of my head) and use felt markers on the plastic to mark lines and can erase later with alcohol wipes.

Also do you have any protractors? http://www.amazon.com/Tools-Round-Mi...ords=map+tools
http://www.amazon.com/Improved-Milit...ords=map+tools

So there is a lot to think about. Look for local orienteering clubs as well for a great way to learn and hone your skills!

I have a suunto MC2. Already set the declination on it. I had planned on using the lines on the compass and didn't plan on using a protractor. Should I rethink? I know they're pretty cheap.

[usmcveteran]

Usmc, you are talking about laminating.

yup that's the word! that way you can plot coordinates on the map and draw lines and all that and afterwards clean it off so it's not in the way to use again. I would at least suggest doing that on a practice map that you use for practicing.

[Guest]

I got my Topos uploaded to my handheld Magellen Sportrak, right to were I'm running into the Catskill's (3 different routes actually ) but it was a Magellen Topography Map i had to buy..so that probably don't help the original question much..

[24Pink14Stink]

I got my Topos uploaded to my handheld Magellen Sportrak, right to were I'm running into the Catskill's (3 different routes actually ) but it was a Magellen Topography Map i had to buy..so that probably don't help the original question much..

It's actually a good point that you and Ray bring up 4x. I was specifically talking about paper maps as I don't own a gps. I think that's down the road a bit for me, but I think it's a great addition to the conversation.

[Guest]

Being that it's an older model you can find it affordable.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Magellan-Spo...item43d3542dcc

And the topo disc..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Magellan...item5d4b7bd149

[24Pink14Stink]

Cool. Thanks!

[24Pink14Stink]

Woah. this sounds technical and i have no idea.

Not really. The US Geological Survey (USGS) has mapped the entire country. They divide it up in grids and sell copies of each of those grids for about $15 each. They are at a scale of 1:24,000. They can be found at usgs.gov.

The maps are typically used for orienteering, hiking - that kind of stuff.

mytopo.com offers enhanced options, like the ability to customize the center point of the map, change the scale or get them laminated or waterproofed.

Looking at it from a preparedness perspective, it's an effective tool for navigation, but it also provides people in different locations the ability to communicate exact location down to a 100 meter box in a consistently accurate manner.

[24Pink14Stink]

Being that it's an older model you can find it affordable.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Magellan-Spo...item43d3542dcc

And the topo disc..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Magellan...item5d4b7bd149

Question... what's the benefit of a GPS over a mapping app like Google Earth on a phone?