Overheard a guy at an REI in Boulder talking about paper maps

I was grabbing some fuel canisters last weekend and this older guy was telling the clerk how he still traces routes on USGS quads before every trip. Made me realize I haven't touched a paper map in maybe six years. I just pull up Gaia on my phone and hope the battery holds. Has anyone else gone back to paper after having electronics fail on you?

2 comments

2 Comments

veram9928d ago

Oh man, I get it but honestly how often does your phone actually die mid-trip if you pack a backup battery? Your mileage may vary but I think people make a bigger deal out of this than it really is.

gavina7327d ago

Knew a mate who swore by that logic until we were hiking in the Lake District and his backup battery turned out to be just as dead as his phone. Left him stranded without maps or the meetup time with the rest of the group. Ended up having to ask a random farmer if he could use his landline to call someone. He carries two fully charged backups now, so maybe it's not a huge deal day to day, but when it goes wrong it really goes wrong. How often do you actually check your backup's charge level before you head out?