Thread: How do you carry your topi maps while hunting/tramping ?

Map pouch/case, ziplock bag ?

Any special tricks you have for folding them ?

Curious to see what other folks use ?

take big topo map into local shop and get the bit you need photocopied and laminated....fold it up and poke in bumbag. my whole hunting area is more than covered by a single A4 page.

On my phone nowadays.

I download section of map I’m going into, print out (usually half or 2/3 of A4) and then laminate. Often I’ll do a bigger scale covering bigger area, then a blow up of smaller area where I plan to focus the hunt - then print out and laminate them back to back in the one pouch. Pretty bullet proof in regards to water and wear and tear. This gives a better large scale view of the area than you can get on small screen of your gps. GPS great for the detail and track marking, way points etc.

I've got Freshmaps on my laptop, print out the exploded view of a given area being hunted, print out the wider area as well then sharpie marker in my east and north grids, put them back to back and laminate them together and stuff it in my pack. Keeping your map dry and undamaged from handling becomes largely unnecessary.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

take big topo map into local shop and get the bit you need photocopied and laminated....fold it up and poke in bumbag. my whole hunting area is more than covered by a single A4 page.

Wot he said.

laminated maps too.... but rather than folding them i keep them in a plastic tube (50mm pvc waste pipe) length of pipe is the same as the width of a4 paper.
just find the maps last longer if they arent folded must be the scottish in me ....

Print from topomaps onto A4 photo paper and keep in a pouch. Ink doesn’t run on photo paper unlike ordinary paper I’ve found

Print relevant area (good A3 colour printer at work) from nztopo or wherever, put in ziplock bag or clear plastic map pouch. Folded business side out so you don't have to keep unfolding and refolding to read it.

Also have backcountry navigator app on phone, but if I'm going anywhere interesting I take a paper copy and compass as well.

I just bung the folded topo map with the appropriate area showing and compass into a snaplock bag, into daypack. Job done.

Gotta always allow for tech meltdown @ebf - Honestly have a gps, phone with topo but I'll allways carry a silva compass and topomap (laminated) or actual map in zip loc in my belt kit.

Just the way I was taught.. tech fails once, bugger - twice, shame on it - I don't take a map and compass - shame on me!,

Originally Posted by Carpe Diem

Gotta always allow for tech meltdown @ebf - Honestly have a gps, phone with topo but I'll allways carry a silva compass and topomap (laminated) or actual map in zip loc in my belt kit.

Just the way I was taught.. tech fails once, bugger - twice, shame on it - I don't take a map and compass - shame on me!,

I dislike anything with short battery life when I am out in the boonies. That includes most GPS units...

Most of my nav is printed topo map, and the one concession I make to battery power - altimeter on my Kestrel 2500.
That thing's battery seems to last for years, and the replacement is TINY
I've just invested in a decent analogue altimeter/barometer. Majority of the time in the bush I can't see enough to take decent bearings, so altimeter is much more useful.

Switch my mobile phone to flight mode so the battery lasts several days. Got downloads of the LINZ map images, and use Avenza app to view those with integrated GPS pointer from phone.

Oh and I have a casio pro-trek watch for last 15 years which is more than enough for baro, compass,alti oh and a watch somewhere in there.. sorry old hbits die hard used to use a baro for river guiding fishing for the baro dropping like a stone generally meant the fish were going off the bite and needed more inducement as far as flies were concerned (aggression rather than food). That became a staple when i got back into hunting.

That s my back up to breaking the silva in a fall or something oh and its on my body. always!

Originally Posted by Carpe Diem

Gotta always allow for tech meltdown @ebf - Honestly have a gps, phone with topo but I'll allways carry a silva compass and topomap (laminated) or actual map in zip loc in my belt kit.

Just the way I was taught.. tech fails once, bugger - twice, shame on it - I don't take a map and compass - shame on me!,

Agree with what you are saying but nothing is perfect. I had a Silva compass completely reverse polarity on me a few years back. Thought I was going mad.
Digital maps do have some advantages. The ability to overlay other information and being able to change scale at will is great, but yes, they can fail.
Exactly how many layers of mapping I take depends on the location and duration of a trip. If taking paper it is a laminated colour photocopy of the relevant area.

Originally Posted by 257weatherby

I've got Freshmaps on my laptop, print out the exploded view of a given area being hunted, print out the wider area as well then sharpie marker in my east and north grids, put them back to back and laminate them together and stuff it in my pack. Keeping your map dry and undamaged from handling becomes largely unnecessary.

Take a look into the settings on freshmap, as mine prints off with grids etc