[pct-l] Digital maps

[Don Billings]

Eric,

I can attest, as you did, that the unexpected will happen with electronics.

My wife had her digital camera INSIDE her rain jacket & the water managed to seep into the pocket. It was dead within 30 minutes. 





----- Original Message ----
From: Erik The Black <erik at eriktheblack.com>
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Sent: Tue, January 5, 2010 8:30:29 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Digital maps

It is not a good idea to rely on electronic devices for something as
important as navigation in the backcountry. Aside from battery life, most
digital cameras and other electronics are susceptible to moisture, shock,
dust, rain, temperature and other unexplained malfunctions and failures. 

Most portable consumer electronics are complex and fragile and weren't
designed for anything more rigorous than riding in your pocket around town.
I've managed to ruin several cameras, mp3 players and phones while hiking. 

If you are bending over a spring gathering water and your maps accidentally
slide off your pack right into the pool of water, you can just pull them out
and dry them in the sun (as long as you didn't make the mistake of printing
your own maps with an inkjet printer, in which case they will be smudged
beyond recognition). 

But, if your digital camera somehow gets submerged in water just one time,
that thing is fried (I've done that before...twice).

Over a long enough timeline something stupid like that is almost guaranteed
to happen to you... especially when you are tired and not paying attention
after a long day of hiking.

Goofy mishaps aside, there is still rain and a ton of moisture in Washington
to deal with, dust in the desert, cold temperatures in the high Sierra and
Cascades, rocks for your pack to slam against when you set it down, and
other hazards which are not very friendly toward electronics on the trail.

It's much better to carry a set of real paper maps (preferably printed using
a laser printer or better so they will not fade, smudge and smear from
raindrops, fingerprints and moisture, as home-made inkjet prints will do)


Happy trails,
-Erik the Black
www.blackwoodspress.com



------------------------------

Message: 5
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 2010 18:24:44 -0800
From: Adam Parker <atp.pdx at gmail.com>
Subject: [pct-l] Digital maps
To: Pct-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID:
    <8b7048641001041824n1fa2b421i3489d5ce26fe02d6 at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Has anyone used their camera or similar electronic device as a map display?
I think topo maps of the entire PCT could easily fit on a memory card, and
then be displayed on screen if it has enough resolution/zoom/pan.

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