MyTopo Option Choices

[npaden]

Okay, I'm about to order a couple maps from MyTopo for my upcoming mountain goat and limited entry elk hunts in Wyoming and am somewhat overwhelmed by the options.

Anyone have some advice on the different choices?

To get the area I'm wanting on a single map I would need to go to 1:50,000, is this going to be too tiny to be useful? I could go to a 36"X48" map and get it down to 1:35,000, will that make much of a difference?

What about the waterproof map vs. the glossy? I don't anticipate using it out in a rainstorm, is there better print quality on the glossy vs. the waterproof?

I've always had folded maps, anyone messed with the rolled maps? Seems like it would be harder to pack for sure.

I have my Garmin with the Wyoming chip so land ownership and things like that aren't needed, I just need to maps to spread out and point to when talking strategy, etc.

My chip is on a 24k topo, so it would be nice to be able to be completely apples to apples in comparing the map to my GPS screen, but it seems like I would need 4 maps to cover the same area as 1 at 50k the way the terrain sits that I would be hunting.

Any other issues I'm not thinking of that folks that have ordered several maps would suggest?

Thanks, Nathan

 

[2rocky]

When I print my maps for elk hunting from my topo program, I like 50,000 for a balance of detail and compactness.

If you can choose how Coordinates units are displayed make sure it matches your GPS.

Do you want to mark up the maps?

I just got the Unit Map for my NV antelope hunt. The paper is HUGE!

 

[npaden]

What about grid lines? I think I have my GPS set to UTM should I go ahead and have UTM grid lines shown?

Looking at the preview it looks pretty busy with the grid lines.

 

[1_pointer]

Don't know if it's possible, but I would not want UTM grid lines running through the map. Along the border/margin should suffice. 1:50K I think would be sufficient unless you are looking for smallish, very specific features. That said, I had to work alot in a previous job with the 1:100K BLM maps so maybe I just got use to the coarser scale...

 

[npaden]

Another option was just to have the tics where they intersected and not solid lines. That seemed to be reasonable to me. That way when talking to others we could just call out the UTM off our GPS and I could look at the map and know where they are talking about. That seemed better than no grid lines at all which is the remaining choice.

 

[drthornton]

I get 24x36 folded, waterproof 1:24k with tics for Lat/long/UTM for each area I plan to hunt. I usually use GE to put all my spots and tracks down then order the maps to cover my spots. I then get a big scale map for macro perspective. I've been just using the National Forest maps but that may not work for every area.

I find that the bigger size maps(36x48+) are harder to mess with in the field. It's not financially as efficient but it works best for me.

 

[Ben Long]

I got the unfolded map, then promptly folded it up to fit it in my pack. So the next time I ordered the pre-folded. I think the only time I would get a rolled map is if my primary goal was to put it on a table or wall. I think waterproof is more important than glossy, but I hunt in a fairly wet climate. The print quality on the waterproof version is perfectly fine by my eye.

 

[npaden]

Thanks for the input.

I went ahead and ordered a couple 24" x 36" maps in the waterproof style. Pre-folded. Ended up with 1:50,000 ratio to fit what I wanted without going to the 36" x 48" size which seemed too big. Did the UTM with intersecting tics instead of grid lines.

$15 each plus $6 shipping. Should have them in time for a scouting trip in a couple weeks.

 

[npaden]

Got my maps in. Less than a week and I have them in my grubby little hands. The 1:50,000 seems to be fine and I for sure wouldn't want to go larger than the 24" X 36" size. Printing is very readable, almost need a magnifying glass for the names of creeks and stuff like that, but the print is clear, it's just small with the 1:50,000 scale. Paper quality is good, I think the waterproof option was good. Very happy with the order.

 

[Ben Long]

I think MyTopo is a good product. Much better then the old days of piecing together paper quadrants.