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Maps??

blindndead

blindndead

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Do you keep a map in your bug out bag or no?
If you do what type do you use? Laminated, plain cheap paper, the kind you get in a roadside gas station. is it one of the entire U.S or just the area you are in, Or is it overkill?
 
I'm a trucker, so I still have several laminated state by state atlas'. A holdover from the pre GPS days. Everyone should have one. In the event of an internet shut down, or a disruption in the satellites, they could prove to be invaluable. Just think of how the sheep conduct themselves when a little precipitation falls, let alone an evac situation. Back roads are your friend.
 
No Trucks Allowed said:
I'm a trucker, so I still have several laminated state by state atlas'. A holdover from the pre GPS days. Everyone should have one. In the event of an internet shut down, or a disruption in the satellites, they could prove to be invaluable. Just think of how the sheep conduct themselves when a little precipitation falls, let alone an evac situation. Back roads are your friend.
Click to expand...

Is there a difference between a map and a road atlas?
 
As a former trucker I too have a bunch of road maps. I keep them in both vehicles. None in the BOB.
I would think topographic maps might serve well if youy had to travel on foot and wanted to stay off the "beaten path". Also knowing how to read a map. I'm always suprised at how many people can't even read a simple roadmap.

I couldn't put a value on the orienteering skills I learned in Boy Scouts.
 
road maps are while not completely useless are best at worst situation.
USGS or .mil maps if you can get your hands on even old ones ARE invaluable! not the 'shitty road atlas usa' not for serious SHTF anyways.

i would not discount GPS quickly however. as long as you can get the charge going when off the grid you will have much better tool than 'road atlas' \. this assumes you don't have your average car-only 'tom-tom' in you pocket, but serious durable hiker's GPS.

with 27 USNAV satellites in space already i doubt they all disappear in case of SHTF. being 20, 000 km away those are really hard to get to. if owners don't just turn them off, or change orbit, those will be spinning and probably still transmitting out there long after you, me and every GPS on the planet will die of old age.
But i don't see those turning off any time soon, .mil will need to use them for themselves if god forbid any serious global SHTf does happen.

But if you are really paranoid you can get GLONASS based receiver and be double covered.
 
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Why? I think of all the topographical maps we use on the job. They help when you go to places like Iraq. For the home turf, its not unfamiliar... Probably a gps would work fine. The civilian handhelds will get you within 50 meters of a grid (i think).
 
Every few years I go into a AAA office and grab a map of the whole USA and a couple regional ones for the North East. I find them handyier if I need a detour than the small screens on mobile devices. Of course with a few decades of driving most places and a whole lot of time staring at maps (paper and online) for fun, it is not too often I need one to get around.

Now if I was trying to find a truely secluded spot outside of my normal stomping grounds to hole up for a while the USGS amps and some road maps to help get there would be pretty useful.
 
I have the road atlas, a Garmin Rino 120, and an innate knowledge of the area around me. If SHTF and TEOTWAWKI happens, the GPS satellites are going to continue circling and doing their thing for quite some time. Stock up on batteries, and get good and breaking trail on your own path.
 
blindndead said:
Is there a difference between a map and a road atlas?
Click to expand...

Yes, about $35.00 bucks. [laugh]

Seriously though, the Atlas will have topo's of the rural areas and will show which roads are paved and which are not as well as rivers and streams They may also show known buildings. Can be handy if you're looking for high ground to avoid flooding.
 
this just reminded me of a funny memory. Personally owned vehicle (POV) inspections

just a typical safety check by an NCO to make sure your car was in good running order, it was mandatory in order to get your DoD sticker.


the checklist had a map. i remember being so pissed because i went to wal mart and bought one of those atlas 50-state maps. way overkill.


my squad leader was like "you going AWOL?" [laugh] i did use it on a drive to Texas, i got detoured from MO through TN or something. pulled over, pulled out the map and was on my merry way. [rofl]
 
OB1Kenobi said:
Why? I think of all the topographical maps we use on the job. They help when you go to places like Iraq. For the home turf, its not unfamiliar... Probably a gps would work fine. The civilian handhelds will get you within 50 meters of a grid (i think).
Click to expand...

DeLorme PN-60 was routinely within 7 meters up in the Whites this past summer. And you can download as many maps, with as much detail as you want and store them on an SD card. So even without signal, you've still got the entire country in a water resistant, handheld device the size of an old cell phone from the 90s. Think Qualcomm 860. And you can charge it indefinitely on a $100 foldable solar panel that weighs less than 1 lb. Cost you $500 or so to get set up though. That's a lot of Cliff Bars.
 
ya know I don't but its a good idea to have a back up for the gps's I have some map books of all the towns of massachusetts pretty good detail and not so big it couldn't be stuck in a bag
 
I keep a GPS but not much on maps. I tavel a huge amount so it would be difficult for such a huge area. I would rely on my gps. If that was down, we would have some real problems and would track along major roads.
 
Nobody thinks the gov will shut down the gps signal? Some of you must remember when it was encrypted and we got 300 meter accuracy. I kept the Loran C on my boat next to the gps for 3+ years. I have a complete set of Arrow street atlases for MA, RI, CT, southern NH, and VT, the DeLorme topo of all MA, and Rand McNally of all US in my truck. I also keep a complete set of MA including the topo in my house. Never had any use for a gps for the road.
 
They can shut down GPS for civilian use, and still leave it working for military use. They can also control what areas(s) it shuts down for, disabling its use as it flies over the area of interest to be shut down, re-enabling after it passes that area. So, when the big shutdown of all communications and Internet eventually happens, as many of us suspect they are planning, you're going to want paper backup. Interestingly, that time will probably be a time many of us will want to bug-out somewhere, and may really need a map to get there.

I just carry the DeLorme topo map books you see sold in a lot of the stores, one book per state. I keep NH, Maine and MA in my truck at any one time. They're also good for a high-level view of where you're trying to go. Just try doing that with a little GPS screen trying to scroll it around and zoom in/out to figure out what's up ahead.

That said, my auto GPS has been invaluable. And, I have a hiking GPS as well (Garmin GPSMap 62s). I also had a DeLorme PN-60 but it was a piece of garbage and really difficult to use, and near impossible to sync with a PC. In my 62s, I have the entire area around where I live (most of the county and neighboring county) loaded with topo and satellite imagery.
 
Prepper said:
I also had a DeLorme PN-60 but it was a piece of garbage and really difficult to use, and near impossible to sync with a PC. In my 62s, I have the entire area around where I live (most of the county and neighboring county) loaded with topo and satellite imagery.
Click to expand...

Agree entirely that the PN-60 is difficult to use and sync. I tried a couple of times and then just did everything on the PC and moved it to the SD card. I really like the fact that I can store everything I want and open it later though. And it's ruggedly constructed enough and light weight enough not to really worry much about. Being able to pull up a map on that tiny screen and plot waypoints, check distances was handy. Regardless of whether or not there was sat signal. I'm pretty old school when it comes to land nav. I prefer maps. But having everything stored in that format is extremely handy.
 
AAA maps and an atlas of eastern MA in my car at all times. I update the AAA maps every 2 or 3 years. Hadn't considered the possibility of GPS being shut down... but I do have all 57 states and most of Canada stored in my Garmin. Even without signals the map is still there.
 
What is your battery life and how many spares do you keep on hand? You prob won't have recharge capability.
 
Timber said:
What is your literacy rate, and how well do you read threads before posting in them?
Click to expand...

I never heard of "literacy rate" used in that context. My literacy rate is 100%. I am one person and I can read. Maybe I should ask what your vocabulary volume is?

As for my level of reading comprehension? In that case, touche. I skimmed over the part about the foldable solar panel. Then again, I wasn't replying to your specific post either.

Six other people in this thread posted that they have a gps and you are the only one that mentioned actually having the capability to recharge when off the grid.

How much do you know about batteries, and the fact that they all have a finite life span, rechargeable or not? Oh and one more question. How often do you feel the need to be a d*** to someone you don't know?
 
dgrafton said:
How much do you know about batteries, and the fact that they all have a finite life span, rechargeable or not? Oh and one more question. How often do you feel the need to be a d*** to someone you don't know?
Click to expand...

Believe it or not, I actually know quite a bit about batteries. Not only do they have a finite lifespan, but some variants develop "memories," based on rate of charge, etc. And no, that's not Google internet knowledge being regurgitated. And we could go on and on about NimH, Lithium Ion, etc., Not worth it.

I also know a bit about traditional Land Nav with maps. For instance if you've never actually tried to navigate using a topo map and compass, then you're 50 state road map isn't going to do you a damn bit of good. And even if you've done extensive work with topo maps, if you haven't brushed up on it in the field in 5, 10, 20 years, then you're screwed again. And I don't care if it was the Army or the Boy Scouts or whoever you learned from initially.

If you're not training on it, or at least trying to brush up again, you're going to be screwed when the big, bad SHTF EMP knocks out all the electricity and Sat feeds and FEMA goons are looking for you because you're really important to the resistance. Even topo maps look quite different than what you're going to be looking at on the ground.

99% or the SHTF bag prep stuff is total horseshit because the folks doing this kind of thing are mentally masturbating looking at their maps and compasses in their homes instead of going for a hike, camp-out, walk, run, learning how to shoot an azimuth, what their pace count is, dead reckoning, whatever.

And as to being a dick online? Dude it's the internet. It's a filtering system. Those who can handle it, learn. Those who can't don't. Everyone is a hero and an expert on the internet with Google these days.
 
Timber said:
Believe it or not, I actually know quite a bit about batteries. Believe it or not, I also know a bit about traditional Land Nav with maps. Believe it or not, Everyone is a hero and an expert on the internet with Google these days.
Click to expand...

Well, you sure proved your point!
 
Ok, hero. Where you going with all this stuff? And how are you going to use it? Why don't you instruct us instead of just criticizing those who think having a GPS is a good idea. Obviously you're hardcore enough to navigate the entire US on foot using just a Rand McNally 50 State map set when the .gov shuts down the satellite system.

dgrafton said:
Nobody thinks the gov will shut down the gps signal? Some of you must remember when it was encrypted and we got 300 meter accuracy. I kept the Loran C on my boat next to the gps for 3+ years. I have a complete set of Arrow street atlases for MA, RI, CT, southern NH, and VT, the DeLorme topo of all MA, and Rand McNally of all US in my truck. I also keep a complete set of MA including the topo in my house. Never had any use for a gps for the road.
Click to expand...
 
What happened to your filtering system? A little too hard on you when someone pushes back?

It's not my place to teach everyone how to prepare for shtf. I just pointed out that they should prepare for the gps system to be shut down. The gov had us locked out during relative peace. If the shtf, then we will definitely have limited or no access. I think it is great to have all that info stored on a little handheld, if you are comfortable with that. Personally, I don't like the small screens, and without gps capability and with finite battery life, I can't see the benefit.

I doubt that I would need to traverse the whole US for any reason, and have no desire to prepare for that. I am prepared to survive roughly where I am at. I also have a couple fallback locations if needed. A good deal of survival comes from will power and the willingness to do whatever one needs to do. Mindset is one of the most important preparations people need to make.
 
There is a book by Joel Skousen called Strategic Relocation containing detailed maps and even contingency routes for emergency events.

A brief overview of some of the details included in the book can be found in this video:
[video]www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir1xj2oQ9nw&feature[/video]
 
A while back I picked up a mess of those laminated 'Street Finder' maps on clearance at Sports Authority for like $1 each. I picked up each of the local ones they had, but the scales on them are pretty large compared to paper maps.

Inside my motorcycle helmet I keep a small map that I printed out, which covers my typical riding radius. It's a single sheet and it's in a ziploc bag. I don't have a gps on my bike, so I figured it would be good if I ever got lost on one of my rides. Something similar could be helpful in a BOB.
 

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