OS Explorer Active v OS Explorer+Map Case

Richard Phillips said:

c) do they actually offer any benefit over a paper map with a waterproof
case? The only thing I can think of is it's easier to refold to a different
page in the rain without ruining the map...

And since a laminated map doesn't need the extra space a case takes up,
it's usually easier to slip in and out of map pockets.

Quoted message said:

d) are they worth the extra £££?

Not sure what the price differential is on the exact ones you're looking
at, but I prefer laminated maps over paper plus case from a functional
point of view. Whether it's value for money will depend in large part
on the amount of projected use: heavily used titles are more likley to
be worth it than sheets for one-offs or once-in-a-blue-moon projects

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Richard Phillips said:

c) do they actually offer any benefit over a paper map with a
waterproof case? The only thing I can think of is it's easier to
refold to a different page in the rain without ruining the map...

And since a laminated map doesn't need the extra space a case takes
up, it's usually easier to slip in and out of map pockets.

Ah, good point!

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

d) are they worth the extra £££?

Not sure what the price differential is on the exact ones you're
looking at, but I prefer laminated maps over paper plus case from a
functional point of view. Whether it's value for money will depend
in large part on the amount of projected use: heavily used titles are
more likley to be worth it than sheets for one-offs or
once-in-a-blue-moon projects
Pete.

The laminated ones are approx twice the price of a regular map. Do you find
they last well then?

Cheers,
R.

Richard Phillips said:

The laminated ones are approx twice the price of a regular map. Do you find
they last well then?

I haven't used the exact ones you're looking at, so it's hard for me to
say how those particular ones will do. I do have quite a bit of
experience with Harvey's laminated ones, and I've always been very happy
with them. Those are "hard" laminations: I've also seen softer ones
which do have a nicer feel but don't last so well. Over a long, wet
weekend with constant map reference (a Mountain Marathon, in other
words!) progression with new maps goes something like:

standard paper map, substantially damaged and unreadable around creases
"waterproof" paper map, fair degree of damage, but still usable
"soft" laminate, looking a little ragged in some places around creases,
but still basically okay
"hard" laminate, not much tangible change.

The laminates do considerably better around the folds IME, irrespective
of whether or not a map case is used. Standard maps I generally go
through by wearing holes through at the creases. Of course, if you
don't use the map much that's not much of an issue, and it's only
heavily used ones that die that way. But die they do!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Richard Phillips <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I need to buy an OS Explorer map for a trip to Cadair Idris, I'm tempted by
the Active laminated version, but am wondering:

a) how durable is the laminate, especially with regard to folding?
b) is it easy to put some kind of retaining cord through them to stop them
blowing away?
c) do they actually offer any benefit over a paper map with a waterproof
case? The only thing I can think of is it's easier to refold to a different
page in the rain without ruining the map...
d) are they worth the extra £££?

Cheers,
Richard.

The laminated maps are probably about the same price as a Tracklogs or
Memorymap map of the area, from which you could print off A4 sheets,
assuming you have a PC...

I also have a laminator which I sometimes use to make them
indestructible, though lately I favour a plastic filing envelope to keep
one or two A4 sheets in. It keeps them dry and they can be rolled up
to fit my jacket pocket.

My Ortlieb case is now too badly yellowed....
--
Gordon H
(Remove invalid to email)

Peter Clinch said:

Richard Phillips said:

The laminated ones are approx twice the price of a regular map. Do
you find they last well then?

I haven't used the exact ones you're looking at, so it's hard for me
to say how those particular ones will do. I do have quite a bit of
experience with Harvey's laminated ones, and I've always been very
happy with them. Those are "hard" laminations: I've also seen softer
ones which do have a nicer feel but don't last so well. Over a long,
wet weekend with constant map reference (a Mountain Marathon, in other
words!) progression with new maps goes something like:

standard paper map, substantially damaged and unreadable around
creases "waterproof" paper map, fair degree of damage, but still
usable "soft" laminate, looking a little ragged in some places around
creases, but still basically okay
"hard" laminate, not much tangible change.

The laminates do considerably better around the folds IME,
irrespective of whether or not a map case is used. Standard maps I
generally go through by wearing holes through at the creases. Of
course, if you don't use the map much that's not much of an issue,
and it's only heavily used ones that die that way. But die they do!

Pete.

Perhaps I'll just try one and see then! It's only approx £15-16, I'll put
it down to experience if I don't like it...

Cheers,
R.

Gordon H said:

Richard Phillips <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I need to buy an OS Explorer map for a trip to Cadair Idris, I'm
tempted by the Active laminated version, but am wondering:

a) how durable is the laminate, especially with regard to folding?
b) is it easy to put some kind of retaining cord through them to
stop them blowing away?
c) do they actually offer any benefit over a paper map with a
waterproof case? The only thing I can think of is it's easier to
refold to a different page in the rain without ruining the map...
d) are they worth the extra £££?

Cheers,
Richard.

The laminated maps are probably about the same price as a Tracklogs or
Memorymap map of the area, from which you could print off A4 sheets,
assuming you have a PC...

I also have a laminator which I sometimes use to make them
indestructible, though lately I favour a plastic filing envelope to
keep one or two A4 sheets in. It keeps them dry and they can be
rolled up to fit my jacket pocket.

My Ortlieb case is now too badly yellowed....

I do have access to Memory Map, but it's the 1:50000 version, fine for some
areas but for somewhere like Cadair Idris I think I'd prefer the extra
detail.

Cheers,
R.

Peter Clinch wrote

Quoted message said:

The laminates do considerably better around the folds IME, irrespective of
whether or not a map case is used. Standard maps I generally go
through by wearing holes through at the creases. Of course, if you don't
use the map much that's not much of an issue, and it's only heavily used
ones that die that way. But die they do!

My Aqua3 laminated for Yorkshire Dales is showing signs of 'death' at
the FOLDS - loss of laminate - loss of sheet info at the crease
BUT its had a good innings and been well used.

Even take out 'screen shots' for the days projected walk as well.

I await with interest the release of Satmap Active GPS come next month
and how that might be used for my personal requirements. A map will
always be somewhere in my sack.
Though going on holiday one needs a PSU for the laptop, DSLR.
A Power device to keep the Flashtrax topped up - that stores the
digital images until back home and saving and catalogue on Hard Drive.

--
dave hill

Have you considered the plastic BMC/Harvey's 1:40k of Snowdonia @ £10-95
incl p&p?

(Always assuming - as I reveal my ignorance - that Cadair Idris is in
Snowdonia?)

Richard

Richard Spencer said:

Have you considered the plastic BMC/Harvey's 1:40k of Snowdonia @
£10-95 incl p&p?

(Always assuming - as I reveal my ignorance - that Cadair Idris is in
Snowdonia?)

Richard

I've never really looked at Harvey's maps... I guess I'm opening up a whole
new arguement but here goes... what are they like?!

1:40000 sounds like an interesting compromise!

R.

Richard Phillips said:

I've never really looked at Harvey's maps... I guess I'm opening up a whole
new arguement but here goes... what are they like?!

1:40000 sounds like an interesting compromise!

I like them better than anything else, at least in fairly rocky areas
with lots of relief. Contours over relatively nasty rocky/chossy steep
slopes are grey so you can get an instant visual on a nasty descent, and
contours are 15m rather than 10 so you very rarely get contours missing
to give a false impression of steepness, as can happen on OS.

Another major win IMHO over the 1:25k is bouldery terrain isn't
explicitly marked in such a way as to make the contours difficult to
read (a major cockup with the 1:25K in the Cairngorms, where the shape
of the land is obscured with the info that it's rocky).

1:40k with 15m contours is, to me, a very good compromise between scale
for detail and getting what you want on a reasonable size of map. They
don't take much getting used to (I use them interchangeably with OS) and
I find them my Weapon Of Choice where they're available.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

The message <[email hidden]>
from "Richard Phillips" <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

I've never really looked at Harvey's maps... I guess I'm opening up a whole
new arguement but here goes... what are they like?!

Quoted message said:

1:40000 sounds like an interesting compromise!

Have a look at www.harveymaps.co.uk ! Very little sample mapping,
unsurprisingly. They are made for walkers by walkers, and 1:40k is about
what I print my MemoryMap OS mapping to - I find it just that little bit
better.

Assuming you are a BMC member/member of a BMC Club, look at the
advertisement on p68 of the latest issue of Summit.

Richard

"Richard Phillips" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Richard Spencer said:

Have you considered the plastic BMC/Harvey's 1:40k of Snowdonia @
£10-95 incl p&p?

(Always assuming - as I reveal my ignorance - that Cadair Idris is in
Snowdonia?)

Richard

I've never really looked at Harvey's maps... I guess I'm opening up a
whole new arguement but here goes... what are they like?!

1:40000 sounds like an interesting compromise!

R.

Unfortunately Harvey's Snowdonia maps don't go as far south as Cadair Idris!

Michael said:

"Richard Phillips" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Richard Spencer said:

Have you considered the plastic BMC/Harvey's 1:40k of Snowdonia @
£10-95 incl p&p?

(Always assuming - as I reveal my ignorance - that Cadair Idris is
in Snowdonia?)

Richard

I've never really looked at Harvey's maps... I guess I'm opening up a
whole new arguement but here goes... what are they like?!

1:40000 sounds like an interesting compromise!

R.

Unfortunately Harvey's Snowdonia maps don't go as far south as Cadair
Idris!

That does pose a bit of a problem :-p
Just when Peter had sold them to me too!

Cheers,
R.

Peter Clinch said:

Richard Phillips said:

I've never really looked at Harvey's maps... I guess I'm opening up
a whole new arguement but here goes... what are they like?!

1:40000 sounds like an interesting compromise!

I like them better than anything else, at least in fairly rocky areas
with lots of relief. Contours over relatively nasty rocky/chossy
steep slopes are grey so you can get an instant visual on a nasty
descent, and contours are 15m rather than 10 so you very rarely get
contours missing to give a false impression of steepness, as can
happen on OS.

Those sound good ideas.

Quoted message said:

Another major win IMHO over the 1:25k is bouldery terrain isn't
explicitly marked in such a way as to make the contours difficult to
read (a major cockup with the 1:25K in the Cairngorms, where the shape
of the land is obscured with the info that it's rocky).

Oh, I know exactly what you mean here. I find the 1:25k maps have almost
too much info sometimes to extract what I really need to know from them
(primarily staying away from anything I can fall off!).
Sometimes I do prefer the 1:50k because they are less cluttered, but they
can be slightly harder to follow on complicated terrain. I DO prefer the
colour scheme with the 1:50k maps though... easier to read by a mile!

Quoted message said:

1:40k with 15m contours is, to me, a very good compromise between
scale for detail and getting what you want on a reasonable size of
map. They don't take much getting used to (I use them
interchangeably with OS) and I find them my Weapon Of Choice where
they're available.
Pete.

Unfortunately, as somebody else has mentioned, they aren't available for
Cadair Idris.

Cheers,
R.

Ysgrifennodd "Richard Phillips" <[email hidden]> mewn neges
newyddion:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I need to buy an OS Explorer map for a trip to Cadair Idris, I'm tempted
by the Active laminated version, but am wondering:

a) how durable is the laminate, especially with regard to folding?
b) is it easy to put some kind of retaining cord through them to stop them
blowing away?
c) do they actually offer any benefit over a paper map with a waterproof
case? The only thing I can think of is it's easier to refold to a
different page in the rain without ruining the map...
d) are they worth the extra £££?

Cheers,
Richard.

I've got one for North Snowdonia and it's been really abused. I mean, it's
my sit mat and i'm out in all weathers.

It's only now starting to wear - but it's not going to last forever and i've
definately got my money's worth out of it (over a 1000km walking).

I did use laminated print outs from Tracklogs, but when you really need to
navigate, i found that the small pieces made life difficult. I find the
printed maps great for printing off 1:50,000 which can be used to navigate
in good weather and/or give an overview of your route. I've got an A3
printer now too, so i'm goign to find out if that size is more useful once i
work out how to protect the map (map case probably as it will provide the
stiffness i need to put the compass on the map for navigation).

I'm off to Scotland soon and i am very likely to buy a couple of waterproof
maps for the are i'm going to. I really can't trust the printed maps unless
i can properly laminate them - or i've got an alternative map (such as
printing off 1:50k mapping as it's cheap and buying the 1:25,000 waterproof
ones).

As it happens, ineed the exact map you're getting as i sold off my cadair
idris map on ebay last year - the paper type.

BTW, if you're buying a lot of maps, then Aqua is a decent little supplier.
I'm negotiating with a mate to buy 10 of them at £9.99 apiece! The only
problem i have is that i've designed the Scotland routes in 1:50,000 but i
dont know what explorer maps i need. This will be fun!

T Dave R

--
The Snowdonia Blog.....
www.blogs.walkeryri.org.uk