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  1. #1
    Administrator attroll's Avatar
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    Default Guidebook, handbook or atlas

    I have read a lot of reviews on these two guidebooks. I would like to here feedback from others who have had experience using both and which one you would recommend.
    Pacific Crest Trail Handbook by Yogi
    Pacific Crest Trail Atlas by Eric the Black
    AT Troll (2010)
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  2. #2
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    I know it's blasphemy but I really preferred The Atlas to Yogi.
    Everything is in Walking Distance

  3. #3

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    In 2009, I carried both of those and the Wilderness Press Guidebooks (the maps suck and its very wordy). A disclosure, I am a contributor to Yogi's latest PCT guide as I sent in feedback after my hike and last year filled out a very long questionaire on my gear and planning for it. Then again, I sent Black feedback on his guide though I don't know if he did anything with it.

    Well first of all, Yogi's guide can't be used to hike the trail. Half of what you get is a large planning guide which has contrasting opinions on gear, resupply strategies etc. Most of the planning guide portion it is geared towards people new to long distance Backpacking. The 2nd half is her trail guide which has supplemental material for a PCT hike, like what years water was flowing at seasonal sources, common places people make a wrong turn, and other trail notes that are useful. Her town information and maps are the best and updated yearly (she actually calls all the places and talks to them). There are no maps included which are necessary for hiking parts of the PCT, unlike the AT.

    Erik the Blacks PCT Atlas, I used his 2009 edition which he has improved since then (not sure what the changes are though). My issues were missing climbs in the elevation profiles and inconsistant mileage. A mile in one place didn't hike like a mile in another and his milege doesn't match up with any other sources like the Wilderness Press Guidebooks which have crappy maps but Yogi's guide also uses their mileage data since its as close as official on the trail as you'll get. The biggest complaint is how expensive they are. However, you could easily hike the entire trail using just the Atlas and nothing else. It was the primary guide that I used as you could just look at a page and see everything you needed to know. It does have town maps for resupplies though not as good as Yogi's. However, if its a high snow year or you are entering the Sierra Neveda in late May or early June, get the Tom Harrison JMT map pack as NONE of the PCT guides have good enough maps to navigate for miles when the trail is burried under snow. Which seeemed to be a big complaint against Blacks Atlas last year due to being a big snow year. But anyone with cross country experience would have know that from the beginning with just a glance at how little of the surrounding terrain Blacks or any of the other guide maps have.

    2 other choices would be Postholers new PCT guide (cheaper then Blacks and probably good enough to hike the trail though I know no one who has used it). Another is Halfmiles' PCT maps which are free until you have to pring them out. WHile the PCT trail track is current (done with GPS), the maps the track is overlaid on is old and out of date so some of the things on the maps not part of the PCT may not be accurate anymore. A lot of people see to like these (at least they say so on the PCT-L), because they are sorta free.

    If I had to hike the PCT again, I'd just take my Blacks' Atlas and maybe buy Yogi's more current guide.

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    Right, while Erik the Black includes some off-trail info, there's not a huge overlap, the books serve different purposes, not an either-or thing.

    I would get Yogi and then some other way to obtain maps, data book info, and perhaps too some sort of "what to expect on the trail stuff". The yogi side seems really clear to me (just get it). As Miner says, there are other options for the "hiking the trail" part. It's not just about personal preference, but perhaps also budget and just what you're looking for. Erik the Black seeks to give you one set of paper that does most of what you need, and errs a bit on the lean side, easy to find just the essential stuff you need.
    Gadget
    PCT: 2008 NOBO, AT: 2010 NOBO, CDT: 2011 SOBO, PNT: 2014+2016

  5. #5

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    I used Erik the Black's Atlas for my thru this past summer and felt they were more than adequate. Here are the pros:

    -you only have to mail maps to yourself four times (there are five books)
    -they're light
    -the books are all inclusive, with maps, data points, elevation profiles, town maps and information
    -they're reusable, you can sell them or keep when you're done hiking
    -the layout is intuitive and easy to follow

    I was really happy with these for the convenience of everything in one small book and not having to carry, dispose, and send lots of maps to myself.

    My only cons with the Atlas were:

    -the maps are smaller than some other options. I didn't find this a problem as I carried a GPS in the Sierra when the trail was covered by snow and for the rest of the hike, the maps were sufficient (ex. coming to a fork in the road)
    -there were a few instances of inaccuracies with mileages and elevation. Again, I didn't find this a big deal personally, it was infrequent, but I have read other hiker's being more than annoyed by it

    I can't comment on Yogi's guide because I didn't use it. As for Halfmile's maps, I downloaded them while prepping for the PCT but didn't print them out since they were redundant to Erik the Black's and not as convenient for me. The Atlas has maps (like Halfmile) and town maps and info (like Yogi) so it was the perfect combination for me.

    I know this is the wrong forum but I hope it is okay to mention that I am selling my Atlas from last year - you can see my post on the PCT-L for details.

  6. #6
    Registered User frogmanjack's Avatar
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    Many of the people that I hiked with *hated* the Erik the Black books. I had the halfmile maps and found them completely sufficient (though I made friends with people who had GPSes in the Sierras -- probably less of an issue this year, because the snowpack is supposed to be much less). I sent them to myself in 10 chunks, with extra supplies (TP, duct tape, and the like) and food in each package.

  7. #7
    Registered User nathan2's Avatar
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    My GF and I are going with halfmile on our iphones.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by nathan2 View Post
    My GF and I are going with halfmile on our iphones.
    And bringing a hardcopy of Yogi's guide.

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