[pct-l] Printing maps in color

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good afternoon, all,



I believe Trekker’s process of coating maps is probably the best idea – and
I seriously considered doing that, or something similar – but I didn’t.  I
just carried plain, untreated HalfMile maps.



I carry two 8.5 in. x 11 in. Ziploc bags.  One has only the print(s) for
that day’s travel and is kept close at hand.  This bag has some risk of
becoming wet if the bag leaks and/or I’m not careful when I open the sack to
reposition a map. The other sack has the remainder of the maps and is
carried flat inside my pack -- well-protected with very little likelihood of
becoming wet



On the average, each map covers about 7.5 trail-miles so a day’s travel will
require three or four maps.  Because I print both sides of the paper to save
weight I would then probably carry two sheets – four map pages – in my day
Ziploc.


If a map does see some water it will likely only be damp in spots, and would
remain mostly readable rather than being soaked with the ink running.


I don’t use the maps constantly, sometimes referring to them only once or
twice a day where there may be confusion.


 All that means:  1) IF I must refer to a map; AND, 2) if my Ziploc has been
exposed to moisture; AND, 3) if my Ziploc has leaked; AND, 4) if the leakage
dampened the map I need; AND, 5) if the leakage is in an area of the map
that I need to see; AND, 6) if the dampening has smudged ink in that area
sufficient to make reading not possible -- I may have a problem. That’s a
six-part series in sequential conditional logic.  Assign any percentages you
want to each of them, then multiply all of them in sequence and you’ll
probably see that there is only a 1%-2% chance of having a problem, and
every step of the sequence is within the control of the hiker.

Therefore, I saved the time, trouble, and expense of waterproofing the maps.
Would I do anything different faced with days of rain in the Northwest?  Maybe,
but I would probably just double-bag the daily maps.

Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09



On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 10:24 AM, <trekker4 at aol.com> wrote:

> Once again, print your maps on inkjet, since most of us have one. Use the
> high quality setting, which uses some ink of course, but gets them mostly
> readable. Soak them in Thompson's Water Seal, just long enough to get them
> wet,  and hang in warm to hot sun for at least 6 hours, for complete drying
> and  removal of almost all of the odor. This keeps them from disintegrating
> for  the most part, and protects against minor water spots; the ink may
> bleed
> a  bit if water is left on very long. Tedious? Yes, but works for  me.
>
> Bob  "Trekker"
> Big Bend Desert Denizen, and...
> Naturalized Citizen - Republic  of Texas
>
>
>
>
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