First time 14er gear

[cottonmountaineering]

PJ88: As with most things in the internet, opinions will vary, often widely. The topic of maps is one of those issues with varying opinions. I'll give you my opinions, you'll of course filter all of the advice as you see fit.

Some who venture into the backcountry are pretty old school, nothing wrong with that. I am too, to an extent. But I mention that with regard to a map & compass because many seem to think they are like lucky charms, just bring them and you'll be fine. Eh, not so easy. Of course you need to know how to use them, duh. But as tools (which is all they are) they do have limitations which I think old schoolers tend to discount (or maybe they haven't actually had to use them except during super easy simulations). Quick: When do you need to know how to use a map & compass? Well...when you're lost, right? By definition that means you don't know where you are, or maybe not very precisely, and quite possibly it's dark or soon will be. And are you in the woods, or above treeline? I pose all these questions to highlight those limitations: Very few people know how to find their location on a map with only a compass if they're lost. If you don't know where you are it's damn hard to know how to get somewhere else. And (a) at night or (b) in a forest it's really damn hard to do so (read: nearly impossible). I do a lot of off trail travel in rugged terrain and have occasionally gotten disoriented (the latest a couple of years ago: pitch black night in a broad canyon, etc.) A map & compass would have been worthless to fix my position, and certainly useless to navigate back to our campsite. So I used my phone, and fixed my position and route in about 90 seconds.

So do I take a map? Yes, occasionally if I don't know the area very well, otherwise no. I don't for 14ers or most alpine work, the trails are easy to spot and above treeline navigation is pretty simple (unless it's a really dark night). If you want a map the standard USGS topos are good ones, but you can print smaller ones you download yourself online.

Now to the useful info: Learn how to use a GPS. No, not a fancy expensive machine. Download a GPS app for your smartphone and learn to master it. These apps do NOT require cell phone service. Yes, yes...naysayer will retort: "You might run out of power!" How often has that happened to me? Zero, never. There are a ton of tips online on how to maximize your battery life, use them, and if you want you can buy an external battery. But I can go for days with my phone and still have power to spare. One tip: switch your phone to airplane mode when in the field, and don't leave it on all the time, etc. Just go to the app's website, pull up the map/satellite imagery or where you're going, then plot your course with waypoints. Start hiking, then occasionally check your route vs. your waypoints. A GPS is hyper accurate, works in the dark really well, and will work in a forest or during a whiteout in a winter blizzard. Carry both a map and your phone, but for real world "sh*t I'm lost" situations a GPS will save your butt. But you have to master your tool! It's not hard, pretty simple actually, but requires just a bit of practice. The two main GPS apps: Gaia and Backcountry Navigator. I prefer Gaia, fwiw.

-Tom

GPS apps have been such an excellent tool for me especially for off trail stuff, well worth the $10 or whatever to purchase

[mtree]

Just remember, there are limitations to a GPS. If you're way off route or lost you may not be capable of taking the GPS route. It also doesn't warn you of the cliff ahead. My point being, if you go with a GPS, bring a topo map as well. Its just another tool in your arsenal. Also, bring and learn how to use a compass. Its a simple tool and could be all you need to get you back safe.

That said, I've only had to use a compass ONCE. It was a whiteout and it proved to be very handy. There have been a few times I could have used one while disoriented in a forest, but I was drunk so whatever.

[PJ88]

Thanks. Sounds like combination of printing a map and GPS wouldn't hurt once I do more complicated routes that aren't well defined and littered with people. That also means I have to upgrade my phone. The battery is next to useless in cold weather.

As for gear, not trying to needlessly spend money but just trying to see what might come in handy. I only asked about the ice axe as I ran into a snow bank gaining the ridge on Sherman last year and luckily someone had dug out some steps. Helmet might be useful down the road.

[TomPierce]

Just remember, there are limitations to a GPS. If you're way off route or lost you may not be capable of taking the GPS route. It also doesn't warn you of the cliff ahead. My point being, if you go with a GPS, bring a topo map as well. Its just another tool in your arsenal. Also, bring and learn how to use a compass. Its a simple tool and could be all you need to get you back safe.

That said, I've only had to use a compass ONCE. It was a whiteout and it proved to be very handy. There have been a few times I could have used one while disoriented in a forest, but I was drunk so whatever.

Yeah, I probably wasn't clear on the process I use. I plot my course using the app's topo map from my home PC before I even start. I'll see the exact same topo map in my home easy chair that I'd see and use in the field, I just plot my waypoints at home to avoid any cliffs, etc. I agree, if you just do the "take me to my car" thing you might run into steep terrain en route, but I don't know anyone who does that.

A GPS is also useful on heavily used trails. I used it on the upper Vallecito basin trail, heading to the Beartown TH, when I did Jagged. There are several tails that criss cross at certain junctions, and some weren't signed. Not obvious which one went where, kind of serpentine sections. I've learned the hard way to fix a waypoint about 100 yards up the correct trail, so that if I wander down the wrong one it's super easy to see my error and correct.

I'm old school for a lot of gear issues, but for real world use a GPS phone app rocks. I've used it to find a 30' wide key ledge on a nearly sheer cliff face in Dinosaur National Monument, and plotted the route from satellite imagery in my easy chair at home days before. Those apps have really made my off trail travel super efficient.

-Tom

[TomPierce]

Thanks. Sounds like combination of printing a map and GPS wouldn't hurt once I do more complicated routes that aren't well defined and littered with people. That also means I have to upgrade my phone. The battery is next to useless in cold weather.

As for gear, not trying to needlessly spend money but just trying to see what might come in handy. I only asked about the ice axe as I ran into a snow bank gaining the ridge on Sherman last year and luckily someone had dug out some steps. Helmet might be useful down the road.

I Phones are notorious for poor cold weather performance. Fully charge your battery before you go, then keep it warm. Chest pocket is ideal, a cargo pants pocket is so-so.

-Tom

[mtree]

Tom sounds like a GPS expert to me. Listen to him if you go that "route".

Just remember, your most important gear is above your shoulders. Enjoy your hikes!

[TomPierce]

Tom sounds like a GPS expert to me. Listen to him if you go that "route".

Just remember, your most important gear is above your shoulders. Enjoy your hikes!

GPS expert? Hardly...just a guy who's gotten burned so many times making the wrong navigation choice. Live and (hopefully) learn.

But these apps have really helped me, for sure. Example: I'm planning to go after a high desert peak in DNM called Katy's Nipple (don't ask me who Katy was or the story...). It's a bear to get to, esp during the rafting season (permits required, etc.) but looking on satellite imagery I think I can piece togther an overland route? Totally off trail, cross country, with several 5th class obstacles likely. I love routes like that, I can spend an hour online zooming in/out, deciding what will go or not, then plotting waypoints. But I mention this example to highlight your point, mttree: Satellite imagery does a piss poor job at identifying vertical terrain. Viewed from directly above a cliff has almost zero profile, so in that case I'll take out the map to try and get a sense of vertical relief. Each tool complements the other. Anyway, as you can guess I'm kind of a geek when it comes to off trail navigation, again, having been burned before!

-Tom

PS: Oh, and you want to talk old school? My prefered compass is my father's old Army compass. All metal, lensatic, circa 1952. Talk about a beast, if I don't need it for navigation I could throw it at a bear and knock it out

[ker0uac]

I like to categorize gear into what is for safety/protection and what is for comfort/performance. I prioritize having all the safety/protection gear I need, top of the line. After that, I look into things that can provide comfort and improve performance. I see a lot of people donning Arcteryx jackets and gloves while climbing with makeshift cordelettes

[DeTour]

May I suggest:
https://14ersmaps.com/collections/14ers-series-maps
Light weight, high quality, low cost, 14er-specific. More granular scale and wayyy better in general than Nat Geo/Trails Illustrated maps. I recall Bill Middlebrook promoting them a few years ago in a thread that I can't seem to find. They take essentially no space in your pack (or pocket) and weigh a couple ounces max.

As a supplement to your electronics, not a replacement. I'm sure electronics are primary for most people these days, including me, for good reason. By all means download route descriptions, use GPS, etc. In fact, because many routefinding errors happen on the descent, I'd suggest that your own ascent track is a valuable tool, assuming you are descending the same route.

But electronics can fail, no matter how careful you are. Water, temperature extremes, bumping, even dropping in use. Especially if you rely on a phone for multiple functions, such as photos and GPS. (If you hike in a group and multiple people are committed to downloading needed info, that minimizes that risk.) Granted the ability to zoom in on a phone is extremely useful, but the small screen can make it difficult to glean the broader lay of the land.

Paper maps can give you a much better sense of where you and your route are in the broader area of nearby basins, other peaks/ridges, etc. If you should ever have to beat a hasty descent down an unplanned route due to incoming weather (granted a very rare occurence), they could be invaluable. Plus they're a lot of fun to look at before and after your trip.

Some may prefer printing their own, more customized and possibly more granular, maps. But you'd have to be awful good with your software, printer and paper to produce anything as cool as these maps.

[nunns]

I am going to throw in 2 suggestions that I don't believe have been mentioned.
I give credit to HighPilgrim for the first: buy a decent quality whistle and hook it to the outside of your backpack where you can easily reach it. Learn the whistle signal for SOS.
Beg, borrow, or steal a reflective silver Mylar blanket or 2 (the kind they wrap marathon runners in at the end of cold races).
These are both in case search and rescue ever needs to find you. Combined they probably weigh two ounces and cost under $20.
You will hopefully never need either one, but if you ever did, they would worth more than their weight in gold.

Sean Nunn
Raytown MO