TexasCHLforum.com

ELB wrote: ↑Fri Jul 26, 2019 4:19 pm

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 11:16 pm ...I’ve had Kinko's laminate 8.5x11 and smaller sheets before, but I wonder if they can handle a 20"x26" sheet.

I was just at Office Depot getting a sign laminated. They told me they can handle anything up to 24" wide and an indefinite amount long. Apparently the material for that size comes in a roll.

That's for the one in Seguin. I don't know if that is true for all Office Depots.

Thanks!

crazy2medic wrote: ↑Fri Jul 26, 2019 5:06 pm I'm a bit rusty on this so correct me if I'm wrong the distance between contour lines is 100ft?
The closer the lines are to each other the steeper the terrain?

A. Depends on the size of the map. I’ve seen 40 ft contour lines.
B. Yes.

OldCurlyWolf wrote: ↑Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:20 pm

Jusme wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 12:45 pm

I have a few, that I have had for a while. I keep one in my get home bag, showing the area, between where I work, and live. I used to carry two, due to distance. I need to get more, but like you I find them overpriced. Which to me makes little sense with satellite mapping technology, almost making land surveys obsolete, they should be cheaper. I used to take them on my son's boy scout campouts to teach the boys, orienteering skills. It's been so long ago that I don't remember where I got all of them but I know I got one or two at a map store in Fort Worth on Henderson street. It's long gone now though.

If you think land surveys are becoming obsolete, you do not understand what they actually are. A common condition among the uninformed.

I don’t think they are even close to obsolete. I just think that there is a common.....and INCORRECT....public perception that they are obsolete. It’s like when inexpensive digital pocket calculators came along, people forgot how to use a slide rule. But we sent men to the moon in rocket ships that were designed using slide rules. And we could still do that today .... if anybody remembered how. I regard knowing how to use topo maps and compasses the same way - as an essential skill....right up there with knowing how to start a fire, cook well with it, and handle firearms safely and skillfully.

BTW, I just now received the DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer for the state of Texas that I ordered about a week ago. On reflection, I actually used to own one of these back in 1978, when it was stolen from me at a truck stop in Van Horn, 2 days before Christmas. I was driving solo from NYC to Los Angeles, and stopped to eat in Van Horn. I had the map book with me at the table, and had to go relieve myself. I asked the waitress if she’d keep an eye on my food and stuff and I’d be right back. She said she would. When I got back to my table, the food was still there, but the book was gone. I hate a thief, but I do love this DeLorme book. I’ll buy the ones for the states contiguous to Texas, and maybe for Arizona too. But these are merely "overview" maps, if you will. I still want to buy the actual USGS 1:24,000 quarter maps for the specific areas of eastern OK, western AR, and northern TX.....and maybe others.

OldCannon wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 8:55 am

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 8:23 am

OldCannon wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 6:24 am You can get some topo maps printed on Tyvex (MUCH better than laminating!) here:
https://axlesandantennas.com/collection ... minute-map

Does the ink Bond well enough to the tyvek not to flake off after folding and use? Tyvek isn't really a permeable surface.

Not sure, TAM. my hunch is that the coloring is bonded well enough to hold up under weather, sun, and repeated opening and closing. On the other hand, I’ve never used a tyvex topo, but it sure seems to be a good idea.

I’m going to have to try one, to see if it’s worth doing.

OldCannon wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 6:24 am You can get some topo maps printed on Tyvex (MUCH better than laminating!) here:
https://axlesandantennas.com/collection ... minute-map

Does the ink Bond well enough to the tyvek not to flake off after folding and use? Tyvek isn't really a permeable surface.

ELB wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 4:26 pm

PUCKER wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 3:51 pm

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 2:20 pm Where do you guys go to laminate your maps?

I've had 8.5" x 11" or so maps/photos/items laminated at FedEx Kinkos (right next to Lava 10, Main St & Hwy 114 in Grapevine).

Office Depot does laminating as well, if you have one of those around.

I’ve had Kinko's laminate 8.5x11 and smaller sheets before, but I wonder if they can handle a 20"x26" sheet.

AndyC wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 1:57 pm

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 12:35 pm In my opinion, orienteering with nothing but a map and compass is one of those very basic skills that ANY adult should know how to do. It’s a skill that could save your life some day.

It's also valuable to learn how to interpret topo maps in your head so that you can recognize terrain features easily; this made me the most-prized "navigator" on my officer's course as I was able to find easier routes for my class in the mountainous bush.

I was really surprised that nobody else seemed to be able to do this; the other navs took their classmates in almost straight lines up and down mountain-cliffs to the next waypoint; brutal!

To my mind, being able to navigate contours is a primary benefit of having a Topo.

Nuts wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 1:17 pm I’ve always liked the DeLorme Topographic Atlas. Covers the whole state. Got one in all of my vehicles.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Where do you guys go to laminate your maps?

I love topo maps. In the days before cellphones and GPS, I used them frequently as I was an avid hiker/backpacker. Over the years, the ones I had went unused, and I don’t know if I eventually gave them to someone, or lost them in a move, or what. But lately, it’s been on my mind to buy some. I am most interested in topo maps for north and east Texas, east Oklahoma, and western Arkansas right now, but I am interested in such maps for almost any wilderness area. So I was on eBay recently, and won this auction: LINKEY. It includes 16 maps, all of them are 7.5 MOA, printed on 20"x26" sheets, representing a number of mountainous wilderness areas in the central California Sierras. For instance, one of them has Tuolomne on it. This purchase was a no-brainer.....16 USGS topo maps for $20. Unfortunately, it seems like these maps are getting rare and harder to find...at least the US gov’t printed ones...and the prices are much steeper than what I paid for these. There’s a website called mytopo.com that you can order these kinds of maps from, but they’re printed on demand, and I know nothing about the quality of either the printing or the quality of the paper they’re on. The real USGS maps were printed on durable paper, as they were meant to be used in a rugged environment.

Heck, although I’ll most likely never backpack in California again (or anywhere else for that matter at my age), these kinds of maps would be invaluable in a grid-down situation—which is why I mentioned my interest in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas topographical maps. In my opinion, orienteering with nothing but a map and compass is one of those very basic skills that ANY adult should know how to do. It’s a skill that could save your life some day. But even if that wasn’t my interest, these maps are also suitable for framing and hanging up for decorative purposes. I might put a couple of these ones up in my man cave.

If any of you have topo for Texas, eastern Oklahoma, or western Arkansas that you’d like to part with, let me know. I might be interested if the price is right. Heck, I might even be willing to barter some of my California maps for some of your Texas/Oklahoma/Arkansas maps.