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[Alex11]

What do people use?

Electronics like phones and Garmins and GPS thingys?

Or traditional maps?


Alex

 

[Bodhbh]

Ye olde mappes + ye olde compass. I like pouring over them in the pub after a hard day, drawing on them, and pointing out at strangers how far I've ridden.

 

[Pottsy]

I use a mix. Large scale map on the handlebar bag - perhaps pages torn from a motoring atlas if it's a long trip. With that a general village to village plan in my mind.

But I also have a Garmin Etrex 30 for some finer details, making sure I'm going in the right direction and general reassurance. It's an Etrex 30 as it takes regular batteries, no need to find a plug socket, just take a spare pack or two that you can buy anywhere. It probably spends 80% of the time switched off.

The combination works well for me as I have a shocking sense of direction, so I get some invented and unplanned bits but know it can't go too horribly awry

 

[betty swollocks]

Maps. You get context: where you are in relation to everything else.

 

[xilios]

Ye olde mappes + ye olde compass. I like pouring over them in the pub after a hard day, drawing on them, and pointing out at strangers how far I've ridden.

X2 a compass and a map you can never go wrong

 

[doog]

I use a Garmin Etrex Legend Hcx backed up with Michelin road maps 1:200 000.

 

[rich p]

Maps enable you to tweak the route at any time but get a decent rain case. Even if you use a garmin a few pages torn from a good road atlas is essential.

 

[taximan]

Believe it or not I don't use anything most of the time yet I usually get to where I am going.

 

[robjh]

Maps. They show you the whole picture, don't need recharging, and you can replace them dozens if not hundreds of times for the price of one electronic device. Sure, a Garmin is great for micro-navigation in a town, but how much of you tour is that?

 

[Brains]

Both.
A map to see where you have been and where you are going.
A GPS to see where you are.

 

[Alan Frame]

Believe it or not I don't use anything most of the time yet I usually get to where I am going.

+1

Part of the fun for me when touring is to have no plan and just bimble around aimlessly seeing where I will find myself.

 

[Ticktockmy]

Paper maps if off road OS 1:50,000 and 1:25,000, A5 philips road maps for touring, tear out the maps I need for my route. I do carry a Satmap GPS which if it running allows me to log my speed and hight ascended and decended.

 

[cyberknight]

Follow the shouts from a ride leader or arrows
I have a general knowledge of roads i know after many visits but if you asked me to navigate you would soon see my sense of direction is about as good as a blind mouse in a farm kitchen .
I have off line maps on my mobile phone that i can look up if i get really lost.

 

[TheDoctor]

Maps all the way.
Easie for getting an overall view, don't need charging and you can have hours of fun finding stupid place names.
If you're on your own and kind of sad, that is...

 

[Mile195]

I prefer maps for long rides out in the hills... If I'm just trying to get somewhere local quickly though, I use my phone. I was originally looking at the Garmin Edge with maps built in, but it's ridiculously expensive, so downloaded this app called Cyclehub. Designed as a Sat-Nav for bikes, and it's bl**dy brilliant... well - for free anyway.

Maps are better when you're out in the middle of nowhere, because you can see your current point and your destination and everything in between. That's simply not possible with a phone. Zooming out you lose detail. Zooming in you lose your start or end point.