The Weasel
10-24-2002, 00:09
I strongly urge anyone who hasn't thought about it to visit the Maptech site about getting their CD-ROM topo maps/guidebook set.
http://www.gps4fun.com/tech_at.html
Here's why, from my perspective:
I'll mildly disagree (and for once, truly toot my horn) with Jack, and suggest that I've probably dealt with maps - all kinds - as much as (and longer than) Rock, and frequently in situations where more than mere convenience depended on it. That includes, especially, topos and their kin. From my perspective, if you can't use a topo completely, you don't belong in the outback, and if you don't have one with you, you don't belong either. And of all of the maps I've every used for land navigation, the most useful in every possible way was the Maptech series. (I have their complete Michigan State set, showing every bloody foot of the Wolverine State, and I use it constantly for backpacking and other outdoor fun.)
The Maptech AT series is a CD Rom set, and it gives you topos at VERY small scale (i.e., you get to see VERY high detail, such as almost every building that exists within a mile or so of the trail is at least a dot), made from US Geodetic Survey maps. You can make the scale anywhere you want, and print maps of any scale. It shows the AT precisely matching the Guidebook Sections, and provides ALSO a COMPLETE AT Conference guidebook (every single blooming word!) including mileages, details, and all the rest. It's cheaper than the map/guidebook sets, and USEABLE.
I used this on my '00 thru hike, and put section printouts in my mail drops so that I only carried 20-30 pages of maps AND guide pages for each section, total, which weighed LESS than the (useless) AT Conference maps with the pages from the guidebook. It also made having the Data Book unnecessary. As a bonus, there a a few hundred pics of the AT on these disks as well. Since the AT itself is shown on the maps, it also automatically will show you (and allow you to print out, if you want) profiles that are USABLE for each strech, rather than showing 50 miles of "profile" in just an inch or two.
Oh. Since it is made from "official" AT Conference Guidebooks, the ATC makes money on it too. And you save, by not buying a lot of crap you don't need or that isn't useful. Check it out. If you don't like it, I believe they will accept returns. But you won't return it, if you're serious about route planning from day to day. The acid test: Every time I pulled out my pages to plan my day over the shelter breakfast table, everyone else put away their "Official" AT maps and borrowed mine.
The Weasel
http://www.gps4fun.com/tech_at.html
Here's why, from my perspective:
I'll mildly disagree (and for once, truly toot my horn) with Jack, and suggest that I've probably dealt with maps - all kinds - as much as (and longer than) Rock, and frequently in situations where more than mere convenience depended on it. That includes, especially, topos and their kin. From my perspective, if you can't use a topo completely, you don't belong in the outback, and if you don't have one with you, you don't belong either. And of all of the maps I've every used for land navigation, the most useful in every possible way was the Maptech series. (I have their complete Michigan State set, showing every bloody foot of the Wolverine State, and I use it constantly for backpacking and other outdoor fun.)
The Maptech AT series is a CD Rom set, and it gives you topos at VERY small scale (i.e., you get to see VERY high detail, such as almost every building that exists within a mile or so of the trail is at least a dot), made from US Geodetic Survey maps. You can make the scale anywhere you want, and print maps of any scale. It shows the AT precisely matching the Guidebook Sections, and provides ALSO a COMPLETE AT Conference guidebook (every single blooming word!) including mileages, details, and all the rest. It's cheaper than the map/guidebook sets, and USEABLE.
I used this on my '00 thru hike, and put section printouts in my mail drops so that I only carried 20-30 pages of maps AND guide pages for each section, total, which weighed LESS than the (useless) AT Conference maps with the pages from the guidebook. It also made having the Data Book unnecessary. As a bonus, there a a few hundred pics of the AT on these disks as well. Since the AT itself is shown on the maps, it also automatically will show you (and allow you to print out, if you want) profiles that are USABLE for each strech, rather than showing 50 miles of "profile" in just an inch or two.
Oh. Since it is made from "official" AT Conference Guidebooks, the ATC makes money on it too. And you save, by not buying a lot of crap you don't need or that isn't useful. Check it out. If you don't like it, I believe they will accept returns. But you won't return it, if you're serious about route planning from day to day. The acid test: Every time I pulled out my pages to plan my day over the shelter breakfast table, everyone else put away their "Official" AT maps and borrowed mine.
The Weasel