Maps

[wildWoman]

Anyone have good advice on how to protect maps to make them last longer (ie laminate them)?
We have a bunch of laminated ones but that plastic is so stiff, you can't really roll it up and in the winter it gets even stiffer. Are there other options? What do you guys do?

[huntermj]

I tend to use my maps fairly hard so what i do is take clear 1 1/2" tape and apply to the perimeter and hard creases on one side of the map. Not water Prof but they do last a lot longer.

[HOP]

wW Brigade quartermaster and others have a brush (spray also I think) solution that waterproofs the map and adds to the durability. Thompsons water seal will help .

[wareagle69]

i bought a map case from a surveying store keeps the maps dry and safe and you can read thru the clear (whatever material) window

[crashdive123]

Laminating sheets and tape help some. Never thought about a spray. I think WE's idea is probably the most reliable.

[Sarge47]

I would go with the "water-seal", & add a good map case. Right now I'm using a 1 gallon size freezer bag for a map case which is adequate. Hefty even makes a 2.5 gallon zip-lock bag which can hold a map very well, or anything else you might fit into it. :cool:

[wildWoman]

yeah, I'm using ziploc bags and fold the maps to whatever section I need but that of course gives you a badly creased map over time and they start breaking at the folds. I kind of need to fold them for kayaking, you guys who suggested the spray/steal stuff, does that help at all with the fraying at the crease problem?

[HOP]

wW you can try using clear contact paper it might not be as thick or stiff as laminate . Back in my Army days some would iron on the contact paper to the front of the map and then wash of the paper part of the map , I never tried this but have seen one done this way and it worked well for tactical applications.
Another approach is to cut your map into sections so that you don't have to fold them and then protect to what pleases you.

[Stony]

i put this out there just in case wildwoman (or anyone)has access to a plotter
(in some way or other).
i download me the maps i need/want either in the standard 1:50 000 topo form
or as TRIM.
I enlarge the section of the map i need for the day and print it out
(either on a colour printer or plotter, depending how busy).

i got the plotter at a going out of business sale from a foresty contractor for a fraction of a new one.

to protect the map(s) during the day i put them in a big ziploc bag.

[tsitenha]

I have seen but don't know the exact process of a map that was sectioned, and bonded to a cloth backing and was waterproofed in a plastic covering. He folded the map in a pattern and once folded the whole was the same size as a single section but in layers. There was about an 1/8" of cloth in between the sections once unfolded, he could fold and refold his map to show the part that he needed to look at and work with.

[Sarge47]

I have seen but don't know the exact process of a map that was sectioned, and bonded to a cloth backing and was waterproofed in a plastic covering. He folded the map in a pattern and once folded the whole was the same size as a single section but in layers. There was about an 1/8" of cloth in between the sections once unfolded, he could fold and refold his map to show the part that he needed to look at and work with.
If you can find a 1967copy of the Boy Scout Fieldbook, on page 532 they show how to do that very thing using Wallpaper paste mixed with water. :cool:

[wareagle69]

for what purpose are you useing the maps WW let me explain very new area you are in? what are the possibilites of creating your own both thru looking at a known map and one you have created yourself. i look at maps and memorize the major features i am likely to run into when out then i also create a map when out walking for the smaller features then it hepls me backtrack, now ifn i am lost i will already have know about a watch tower to the west and how to get my point from there or to triangulate from a couple of points, now this trick is not for new folks and i usually carry the map as a back up but a least you are not opening it a hundred times, if people would rely on there surroundings more than a map it would improve allot of confidence, but that also means slowing way down, which is not as easy as it sounds especially in a kayak

[Tony uk]

I have a map case, A nice, Cheap waterproof one which i keep any of my maps in. It keeps them in fairly good condition untill i need to buy a new one

[wildWoman]

for what purpose are you useing the maps WW let me explain very new area you are in? what are the possibilites of creating your own both thru looking at a known map and one you have created yourself. i look at maps and memorize the major features i am likely to run into when out then i also create a map when out walking for the smaller features then it hepls me backtrack, now ifn i am lost i will already have know about a watch tower to the west and how to get my point from there or to triangulate from a couple of points, now this trick is not for new folks and i usually carry the map as a back up but a least you are not opening it a hundred times, if people would rely on there surroundings more than a map it would improve allot of confidence, but that also means slowing way down, which is not as easy as it sounds especially in a kayak

I don't really need to bring maps with me for most places I go here because I' familiar with them. I'm just a total map nerd, I love looking at them and seeing, oh indeed, I paddled 30km today or whatever. When I go into a headwind, I look at the map to edge myself on. More of a mental thing or hobby than anything else.
I hear you about paying attention to the surroundings - we use the micro landscape features here for orienting ourselves when out walking. Way more helpful than looking at the map; as long as you know the landscape that is.
But I really like the idea of what you said, making my own map. I've done that for some places around here where there's all sorts of ponds and wetlands unmarked on the "real" map, and I note down osprey nests, beaver lodges, moose wintering grounds etc.
Yeah that would be fun making a set for my kayak routes out. Great winter project too and I could make them so they fit into the trusty old ziploc.

[wildWoman]

I have a map case, A nice, Cheap waterproof one which i keep any of my maps in. It keeps them in fairly good condition untill i need to buy a new one

oh man that totally brings back memories of hiking in the Yorkshire Dales...went there years ago with a friend, loaded down with backpacks and camping gear and constantly getting overtaken by these sprightly Englishmen toating a tiny daypack and with these huge mapcases hanging from their necks :)

[wareagle69]

i have complete faith in you

[huntermj]

Quick tip while were on the subject of maps. I sometimes make my own by going to goggle earth and printing the area i am going to. I have even done this with river trips, printing out the section of river by printing out several pages and taping them together. Not a durable map but maps get trashed on the river anyway.

[tonester]

at REI the maps they sale are made out of some kind of plastic paper or something. they are really cool, just as light and fold up just like any other map but they are tear and water proof.

[Rick]

WW - I've never done it but why couldn't you use heat transfer paper and iron the map onto a piece of cloth like a plain colored bandana? I would think it would last longer, wouldn't be a problem if it got wet and wouldn't have the problem with creases. If anyone has done iron on transfers before perhaps you can help with some information.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....here's some instructions for ironing pictures onto cloth.

http://www.wikihow.com/Do-Iron-on-T-Shirts-and-Make-Designs-on-the-Computer

[wildWoman]

WW - I've never done it but why couldn't you use heat transfer paper and iron the map onto a piece of cloth like a plain colored bandana? I would think it would last longer, wouldn't be a problem if it got wet and wouldn't have the problem with creases. If anyone has done iron on transfers before perhaps you can help with some information.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....here's some instructions for ironing pictures onto cloth.

http://www.wikihow.com/Do-Iron-on-T-Shirts-and-Make-Designs-on-the-Computer

that sounds cool, but our household is one without an iron. Might be able to use the bottom of a big pot heated up on the stove or something...