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"When was the last time you used a paper map?" "When was the last time you had to spend 15 minutes planning out where and when you would meet when because your

"When was the last time you used a paper map?" "When was the last time you had to spend 15 minutes planning out where and when you would meet when because your group is splitting up when on a trip?" I do these things all the time as many of my hobbies are outdoor activities. For example, at Arapahoe Basin, a ski area in Colorado near Denver, cell reception is non-existent. So you need to have a plan for people to meet up when we get on the mountain, where to meet for lunch, where at the end of the day. And even at ski resorts with cell coverage, it is far easier in a group to discuss how you are going to meet after the run because people will invariably get separated. E.g., if I'm at Vail, "Meet on the skier's left side of Northwoods, do not go all the way to the base." I always bring paper maps when backpacking and hiking. Sometimes when you are going camping, you have to have this all planned ahead of time since once again cell coverage may be non-existent. And someone always knows where I am going and when I should be back in case I need a rescue. I also go caving as a hobby, and all of these things are especially important there.

iooi 9y ago
You don't need cell coverage to look at maps on your phone. The GPS in your phone will work without coverage. Use Gaia GPS and/or Avenza Maps, they're far, far superior to paper maps. GGP is right, we live in the future. Obviously, it doesn't hurt to bring a paper map, but you'll find that you're not going to use them at all. We live in the future.
- planteen 9y ago
  > Obviously, it doesn't hurt to bring a paper map, but you'll find that you're not going to use them at all. We live in the future. I disagree for multi-day or technical trips. I have done expedition style trips where I am camped in the mountains for weeks. I have been using a Garmin 60CSx GPS for years and love it. It has topo maps on it, typically at 1:24k, and they are invaluable. I have tried bringing a phone, but I don't like phones because touch screens are a royal pain with a hand that is gloved or in mittens. Phones also don't take AA batteries like a GPS or headlamp and are battery hogs. So you need to bring along more junk to keep them charged. For within the US, the National Geographic Trails illustrated maps are awesome. They are rip proof and printed on waterproof paper. And they are large when unfolded, so it's easy to quickly scan and find things unlike trying to scroll around on a small phone screen. http://www.natgeomaps.com/trail-maps/trails-illustrated-maps/ http://www.natgeomaps.com/trail-maps/trails-illustrated-maps... For lots of hikes and climbs that are more on the technical side, your route information ("beta") is probably going to be written on paper. When you are climbing something that is very steep or in canyon country, GPS is useless. You need visual information on the route you need to take and that may be a photo or sketch. And this is easy to keep folded in your pocket and remove with a gloved hand. On a summer weekend in Colorado on the summit of a more difficult 14er (think Crestone Needle or Capitol), you will see many people with printed guides from 14ers.com. So its just not me. I don't see many people using their phones for navigation (but they do for pictures). And in a cave, there is no substitute for a paper map. But that's a different ball of wax.
brockwhittaker 9y ago
There's some planning when skiing (for reference, I ski at A Basin yearly too; great place), but I think this is a bit of an exaggeration. Usually it's pretty easy to plan, esp. at A Basin to say, "meet at the midway restaurant". And from a technological standpoint, all the maps that you can have printed are all online as well, so in the same way that Yellow Book entries are now database rows, maps are either primitive PNGs or interactive terrain maps.
- planteen 9y ago
  Sure and the planning at A Basin depends on the situation. If everyone is leaving from the same car, its easy. But if you have 3-4 car loads of people leaving and arriving at different times, you want to make sure a plan is in place before people have started arriving.

iooi 9y ago

You don't need cell coverage to look at maps on your phone. The GPS in your phone will work without coverage. Use Gaia GPS and/or Avenza Maps, they're far, far superior to paper maps. GGP is right, we live in the future. Obviously, it doesn't hurt to bring a paper map, but you'll find that you're not going to use them at all. We live in the future.

planteen 9y ago
> Obviously, it doesn't hurt to bring a paper map, but you'll find that you're not going to use them at all. We live in the future. I disagree for multi-day or technical trips. I have done expedition style trips where I am camped in the mountains for weeks. I have been using a Garmin 60CSx GPS for years and love it. It has topo maps on it, typically at 1:24k, and they are invaluable. I have tried bringing a phone, but I don't like phones because touch screens are a royal pain with a hand that is gloved or in mittens. Phones also don't take AA batteries like a GPS or headlamp and are battery hogs. So you need to bring along more junk to keep them charged. For within the US, the National Geographic Trails illustrated maps are awesome. They are rip proof and printed on waterproof paper. And they are large when unfolded, so it's easy to quickly scan and find things unlike trying to scroll around on a small phone screen. http://www.natgeomaps.com/trail-maps/trails-illustrated-maps/ http://www.natgeomaps.com/trail-maps/trails-illustrated-maps... For lots of hikes and climbs that are more on the technical side, your route information ("beta") is probably going to be written on paper. When you are climbing something that is very steep or in canyon country, GPS is useless. You need visual information on the route you need to take and that may be a photo or sketch. And this is easy to keep folded in your pocket and remove with a gloved hand. On a summer weekend in Colorado on the summit of a more difficult 14er (think Crestone Needle or Capitol), you will see many people with printed guides from 14ers.com. So its just not me. I don't see many people using their phones for navigation (but they do for pictures). And in a cave, there is no substitute for a paper map. But that's a different ball of wax.

brockwhittaker 9y ago

There's some planning when skiing (for reference, I ski at A Basin yearly too; great place), but I think this is a bit of an exaggeration. Usually it's pretty easy to plan, esp. at A Basin to say, "meet at the midway restaurant". And from a technological standpoint, all the maps that you can have printed are all online as well, so in the same way that Yellow Book entries are now database rows, maps are either primitive PNGs or interactive terrain maps.

planteen 9y ago
Sure and the planning at A Basin depends on the situation. If everyone is leaving from the same car, its easy. But if you have 3-4 car loads of people leaving and arriving at different times, you want to make sure a plan is in place before people have started arriving.