Paid $40 for a 'waterproof' map of the Appalachian Trail

Got completely soaked in a light drizzle near Roan Mountain last week and the ink literally ran off the paper like a bad watercolor. Has anyone else had a map turn into a pile of mush on them?

3 comments

3 Comments

willow_morgan22d ago

That's rough for a supposedly waterproof map. Maybe it was just "water resistant" which is a whole different thing. I'd stick with digital maps and a backup battery from now on.

alexw7522d ago

Funny you mention that @willow_morgan, but I've actually found paper maps work way better in the wet if you hit them with a light coat of spray-on silicone first. Keeps the ink from bleeding and the paper from going to mush.

abby_wilson5116d ago

Knew a guy who printed a custom topo map for a week long canoe trip through the boundary waters. He laminated the thing with packing tape and it still turned into a soggy, unreadable mess after one afternoon of rain. He ended up having to guess which portages to take and we took a wrong turn that added like 6 extra miles of paddling. Dude was so mad he threw the ruined map into the campfire that night. Digital backup with a solar charger is the way to go for real.