Topographical maps

[joe817]

I'm a huge fan of maps....use to spend hours looking at Atlases / road maps, etc....to answer the eternal question (well, at least for me, when I was a kid...) of "Where does the road end?" Topo maps are very cool as well! I still like looking at Google Maps and the like....seeing where things go....

I have love of maps too starting at age 6 when my parents & I would travel up to Colorado Spring/Manitou Springs every summer(in an un-airconditioned car) to get away from the summer heat. I would spend hours navigating for my dad when I got bored asking: "are we there yet?"
The learning experience served me well in later life when I wound up at Camp Eagle at Ft.Sill. I was the only one in my training battalion that scored 100 on the night map reading/land navigation exercise. (still don't see how I did it. I think someone made a mistake on grading) .

In the 70's when I was doing the gun show circuit in the area, I fell in love with the availability of WWII USAAF escape and evasion cloth maps so I started collecting them. Over the years I've accumulated all but 4 or 5 maps printed by the Army Map Service issued during WWII, and the maps issued by the U.S Navy for their pilots. I think I have ALL the maps issued during the cold war. Truly a labor of love. I don't look at them as much as I used to. It's a shame as they just sit in the garage in the air tight storage bin.

[The Annoyed Man]

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.

[OldCannon]

You can get some topo maps printed on Tyvex (MUCH better than laminating!) here:
https://axlesandantennas.com/collection ... minute-map

[The Annoyed Man]

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.

[OldCannon]

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.

[The Annoyed Man]

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.

[OldCurlyWolf]

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.

As a Land Surveyor, I never let go of quad maps.

[OldCurlyWolf]

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.

[The Annoyed Man]

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.

[OldCurlyWolf]

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.

DeLorme as a company no longer exists and has not for going on 2 years. They were bought out by Garmin. Garmin does not support any DeLorme product except the Emergency pack which is a Sat phone with text only capabilities with a gps unit and a solar recharger. Really irritates me.

I have been using DeLorme products since 2000.

You might want to check this site out. You can download the maps and print what size and portion you need.

https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#4/40.00/-100.00

[jmorris]

I used to have a program, can't remember the name now, that did really nice topo maps. It was shareware, used what was thenTerraserver (at the free level), could create maps of just the area you wanted at various scales. I'd print onto water resistant paper. Then Microsoft brought Terraserver and the free part went away. Killed the program.

[Sport Coach]

I have to admit I am getting a Garmin do-it-all watch for Christmas/anniversary/Tuesday but I refuse to let my map and compass skills lapse. My wife and I still like to backpack to places that might get us lost and certainly don't count on electronics to work.

[Stick_Shift]

I get the fascination, I’ve got some old oilfield maps from the 1950s that I’ve kept just because they’re cool to look at.

[ELB]

...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.

[crazy2medic]

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?