[1895Gunner]

Has anyone bought a map from mytopo.com? I was thinking of ordering a custom made map of our hunting area 3' X 4' size. Thought it would make a good addition to the interior of our hunting trailer and that each of us could push-pin mark where we would be hunting for the day.

Would appreciate any feedback.

1895gunner

 

[Tatersoup]

I wonder what they use for base maps.

 

[Mikewood]

We always used USGS maps.

 

[Festus]

I've neverbought a map from mytopo.com but I have used several waterproof maps. They workgreat for "pin in boards" as long as you keep them dry. My experiencehas been after the pin is inserted a few times moisture gets between the laminateand then the map starts to degrade. If you’re going to keep it in you cabin youshould be ok.

Another thoughtis to get a thin piece of sheet metal behind the map and use the little magnetic “pins”. Itwill preserve the map better and not allow any moisture to penetrate the laminate in doors or out.

 

[neptune]

Try using different color grease pens to mark individual hunter locations. The grease pen marks can be simply wiped of the laminate and there will be no need for pin holes all over your map(s).

Just a suggestion.........

 

[T-Bone]

You might try this stuff:

Map and Paper Sealing - Waterproof Maps |Aquaseal®

 

[Jelf]

I have a small waterproof topo map that I got from MyTopo. The quality is excellent. You could always buy one of their small maps to check the quality yourself before investing in a much larger map.

The MyTopo company (now owned by Trimble) has been buying paper USGS topos and making their own scans. They de-collar the scans and stitch them together with software. By doing this they can produce maps that cover the area you specify.

MyTopo also lets software developers display their topo maps as long as the public can view the maps for free. When MyTopo maps are displayed by 3rd party software then the maps have a watermark and the screen is required to show some MyTopo ads. The following link displays the MyTopo topos for a random spot in the Ocala National Forest of central Florida:
http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?ll=29.174305,-81.922081&t=t2&z=15

OK, full disclosure time. I'm the developer of Gmap4 which is showing you the topo maps. The homepage has a FAQ and examples to quickly get you up to speed.

Although the printed MyTopo maps you buy are high resolution, the MyTopo maps you see online are medium resolution. To see high resolution topo maps online for anywhere in the USA except Alaska, open the above Gmap4 link and then in the very upper right corner click "t2 MyTopo" ==> "t4 Topo High".

Want to show your GPS data on the topo map? Sure, you can do that with Gmap4. Want to click the map and save your work as a GPX file? Yup, you can do that and more. Check out the features under the Menu button.

This project is part of my way of 'paying it forward'. Translation: Gmap4 is free for non-commercial use.

Gmap4 homepage: Gmap4 = Google Maps + Free Topographic Maps + A Lot More

Enjoy!

Joseph, the Gmap4 guy