Maps

Thanks for all the great replys!

pitch wrote:
I am a belt,suspenders,and garter kind of guy. I use S&T with the gps puck, and a stand alone GPS unit. I email the states dept of tourism and get a free official map along with a ton of brochures and have a Wal Mart atlas to back that all up.
We start off with a plan, but normally by the middle of day two we are working off the cuff.

you forgot to join AAA and get a ton of stuff there.
bumpy

I am a belt,suspenders,and garter kind of guy. I use S&T with the gps puck, and a stand alone GPS unit. I email the states dept of tourism and get a free official map along with a ton of brochures and have a Wal Mart atlas to back that all up.
We start off with a plan, but normally by the middle of day two we are working off the cuff.

I recommend the Motor Carrier's Road Atlas for planning, and the AAA state maps for more detailed navigation. You will also find some special series AAA maps (e.g., the Smokies, a great city map for Lexington KY that shows the scenic drives through horse country).

I recommend the AAA maps since they are consistent and good to use for navigation. Also, and this is very important, you can get new ones every year or so. You should have relatively recent maps so that road changes are reflected (just as you want a GPS that you can update maps).

P.S. My recommendations are based on a degree in Geography and 30 years working in the map making field.

I like to use the Rand McNally Motor Carrier's Road Atlas as one of my planning tools, since I like to use the trunk and secondary highways more often than the Interstate System (which does not very well serve the middle of the country). This atlas identifies the highways designated to carry vehicles with the maximum standard weights, heights, widths and lengths.

This is essentially the same road atlas Rand McNally sells in supermarkets, except that it has the additional map markings and limits and clearance information for truckers.

However, my primary maps are the tourist road maps provided by each state to visitors at no cost, and I carry a second atlas. In the RV, it is campground atlas (Reader's Digest or National Geographic, don't remember which) and in the car a Michelin Road Atlas of North America. I like the Michelin because it is tiled all at the same scale, rather than organized as separate maps for each state.

For trips I pre-plan in some detail (used to do this a lot when my wife still lived, because she liked having a plan) I've used Streets and Trips and DeLorme's Topo, which includes their Street Atlas planning tools but has much more map information. Those require a Windows computer to be available.

More and more, to check things locally, I am using either Google Maps or Apple's Maps app, on iPhone or iPad. Mobile data connection required, but it also means fresh information, almost anywhere I've been in North America or Europe.

Highly recommended are the 'Mountain Directory for Truckers and RVers'. It comes in both the east and west issues. We travel mountains all the time and refer to it a lot. It will give you mile by mile on what to expect.

We travel secondary roads rather than interstates. If you travel the western states we have found that the Benchmark individual state atlases are awesome. They're only available for the western states.

Much happiness in your new lifestyle!

We like the Good Sam GPS. Rv parks all loaded in the GPS.

DeLorme, both software and paper atlases, are very good, especially for smaller roads, and public lands, including campgrounds.

Any newer GPS can do all that. But I'm sure you're aware of that answer.

Buckel,

I get accosted about this subject a lot. That may be because most people that know me also know that I have been a navigator all my life and I still am habitually so.

First, never leave the driveway without paper maps (charts) covering the areas you plan to or might travel. Paper still works when the lights go out. I carry them from two sources: AAA can provide a wealth of information and a USA Street Atlas from Walmart - A is less expensive than others and printed by RM, - B has a somewhat accurate listing of Walmart locations and parking situation. About AAA, if you are not members, go to a location and get someone to talk to you. Not only do they provide charts (maps), but also travel/tour directories and camping guides printed and prepared by Woodalls.

If you don't have a GPS, stay tuned.

If you have a laptop you can use to travel, then get one of the navigators like Strips and Treets or Street Alas, the GPS that goes with it (SA can us any, but S&T not so much) and a way to power it from the vehicle power. This can be your travel director. (It is neat to have a big map screen with a "You Are Here" on it. Go to the Discovery Owners site and get the overlays for just about anything of interest to RVers. Learn to use the software by planning trips or even re-planning trips you have made. This alone will take a lot of the stress out of traveling.

When you get started, consider a stand alone GPS, but I have never successfully (in my opinion) used one for planning. The way we use ours now is very simple, at the start of the day, the navigator loads the driver's GPS with the day's destination or route (this can be a bear if off route stops are planned). It is also handy as we travel in Canada and so we reset that one for KPH to limit confusion.

Everything you have asked for (and more) is covered in the above and it all at your finger tips all the time.

Matt