WHY I STILL CARRY PAPER MAPS, EVEN THOUGH I HARDLY USE THEM

Whenever you bring people with passion together there will always be different opinions and probably disagreements too. And that is the same in the outdoors-loving world. The subject of paper maps versus digital mapping is one of those hot topics, and while I have no intention of inciting arguments in this article, I do think the pros and cons of each are very interesting.

As it’s National Map Reading Week, I thought I’d write about some of the reasons learning to read a map before heading out into the countryside is super important, and ultimately, why I still carry a paper map when I go out even though I hardly ever use it.

Paper Maps vs Digital Mapping

I write this (in 2017) having recently completed the West Highland Way long-distance hike from Milngavie to Fort William in Scotland, a 96 mile route along all kinds of well-trodden and waymarked trail. When planning my adventure north I got hold of the six Explorer Maps covering the full route, along with a guidebook that included mapping together with the expected written description.

While I used the large paper maps to study and plan before I left home, and I had a copy of each day’s route and surrounding area to use just in case, I didn’t use the paper version of the map for that hike at any point during the seven days. I found that the OS Maps app, with the relevant areas downloaded and route information saved so I didn’t use up my data allowance or struggle when there was no signal, was enough on its own.

Actually, apart from two occasions I can recall when forks in the path lead us to consult the digital map to check if we should be heading left or right, just in case our gut feeling was wrong, I hardly needed the phone-based maps either. I used them more than twice because they were there, in my hand, but not really for navigation purposes. The route was so easy to follow, so easy to navigate, we could just walk without worrying. The reason the app was useful was almost solely that it provided me with the answer to the “are we nearly there yet?” question. And that is a very important question when you’re on a 96 mile hike.

Less-Well Trodden

I can say with certainty that should the path have been less well-trodden, with fewer signposts, or I had done less research before heading north, I would have made more use of the maps. At least the digital map, anyway. We did use the guidebook itself, mainly to read the description of the next day before bed so we could dream about the views that were to come. Maybe this is one of the reasons some people suggested I shouldn’t bother with the West Highland Way at all; navigation is just too easy! (More on why I chose to hike it in this article.)

In case it needs to be said at this point in this post, by way of a disclaimer, I absolutely one hundred percent recommend that if you are going to do the West Highland Way, or any other hike for that matter, that you go prepared with paper mapping in your bag, and arm yourself with the ability to use it properly. The point of this very long pre-amble is that I didn’t actually need a paper map on my long-distance hiking adventure, digital mapping can and does provide an excellent way to navigate, but it is not quite a total replacement.

With all that in the back of your mind, here are some of the key things that make digital mapping useful, but why we should still be taking paper maps whenever we head out into the countryside on foot.

Why Digital Maps are Awesome

Mapping in Great Britain is awesome. This is almost solely down to the fabulous people at Ordnance Survey as, even if you choose another map provider for your digital or paper mapping, the chances are that you are making use of their data.

Every year the OS team walk and fly around the UK, updating layers and layers of information that is used by all kinds of organisations to help run their business and, mostly importantly to me, to create superbly detailed maps for hikers. I’d love to have a ride in their mapping aeroplane, it looks so cool!

From all that data, we are blessed with great digital mapping, and while you might be using a paper map that was printed several years ago and so has inevitably become out of date, the digital version is updated at least every three months so you always have the most up to date version of where you are possible.

Thanks to companies who make smartphones putting powerful technology in our pockets, we can have all that mapping with us as we walk. I personally use the OS Maps app, which I’ve had since it first became available. For less than £30 a year, I have access to all the Explorer and Landranger maps in print, which is significantly cheaper than buying them all, and means I have access to mapping wherever I find myself without having to head into a shop for a map before I go; one less barrier to spending time outdoors when I’m away from home. There are other options, of course, but this is the one I choose, and not just because I’m an OS Champion, although that does mean I get the app for free at the moment.

Desktop and Phone

Using this digital mapping tool on both my iPhone and my desktop computer, I can plan my day hike, or even download one someone else has already created, and have my day out organised in no time at all. I can also import my own GPX files, for when I’m joining a group walk (or running one).

The handy ‘snap’ feature means I can choose my start and end point and the system will work out the best path for me to walk along, making it even quicker. I can zoom in so I can read all the little numbers along the contour lines with ease (always a bit of a problem on the paper version!), and I can draw, remove and re-draw my route again without damaging the map surface. Oh, and the system tells me the distance, works out an approximate timing, and automatically works out ascent and descent.

Aside from the planning side of things, the most useful thing about digital mapping is that there is a little arrow on the screen that shows me exactly where I am, right now. I’m well versed in finding my location on a map and reading back a grid reference (more on map reading skills in a moment), but getting out a paper map and locating myself on it takes time, whereas it’s instant on my phone and my grid reference will be very accurate. Should I end up in difficulty on a hill and need to ask for help, using my app to locate me will provide a much less stressful way of doing it.

Extra Features

And then there are the extra features you get with digital mapping besides the obvious. The fact is that a paper map is just a map, and you need to have a certain set of skills to get the most from it. Digital maps can do other things too, taking map reading to another level without any additional effort from your own brain.

You can fly around your prepared route in 3D, checking out the type of terrain, steepness of the climb, and whether there are any super craggy bits or worrying looking gullies you’ve missed during planning. My favourite digital feature is the augmented reality layer in the OS Maps app that means I can hold my phone up to the scenery and it’ll tell me what I am looking at – I mean, I can absolutely work that out on a paper map, but this is way cooler!

Digital mapping is brilliant and it is so useful. I’m not sure how many things I’ve listed here that can be considered benefits – many. But it does have its flaws that mean that even though I would say when I’m actually out I will reach for my phone before the paper map in my pack, I will still have that paper map ready and available.

Why I Still Carry Paper Maps

There is one main reason I carry paper maps, even though I love the digital mapping tools: power. I think power pretty much encompass the whole argument for paper maps. And it’s a biggie.

Power is the key, isn’t it? I mean, the problem with modern phones or GPS devices is that they need it. Lots of it. I’m really asking a lot of my phone’s battery life when I am out walking; it’s my phone, my camera, and my GPS device. Viewing maps uses battery. Using the GPS locator uses battery. And in what seems like no time at all, that battery runs low and means I no longer have access to any of the useful stuff. Let’s not even mention how much worse that is when the temperature is cold.

Digital mapping is pointless if your phone won’t switch on. Yes, you can carry a battery pack (and I generally do, this is a good small one that fits in your pocket, but even with that you run the risk of getting to a crucial point in your route and discovering your phone is dead and you don’t know which way down the hill to go. A map, a paper map, whether it’s a full Explorer Map or some carefully selected sections printed out from the desktop version of the OS Maps app, doesn’t require a battery to work. It only needs to exist.

Necessary Skills

And as long as you have the necessary skills to locate yourself on a map using the features around you, and work out which way you are facing using a compass, you don’t need anything else.

There are other reasons a paper map is great, too. I wrote about some of them over on this post, which you may also enjoy. Most of my other reasons are about using paper maps to feel inspired for a new adventure, or having something to remind me where I’ve been; a map on the shelf is like a photograph on the wall, the key to a memory of a great time in my life. There is also nothing quite like learning to read a map on a paper version – know how to read and use a paper map successfully and those digital maps will be a whole lot more useful.

The fact is that with all things considered, I am definitely a user – and lover – of both paper and digital maps. Day to day, I love to plan my routes on proper paper maps, and always have a paper version in my pack, along with a compass, as a back-up in case I need it.

Paper maps inspire me to go in the first place and then provide a physical reminder of where I’ve been. But when I’m out and about I already have my phone in my hand and the ease of using my digital OS Maps just can’t be beaten. Assuming I have plenty of battery and I’ve remembered to download the section of map I need ahead of time, following a prepared route on my phone is extremely convenient.

Are you Team Paper Maps or Team Digital Maps?

So what do you think? Are you a paper map purist? Or do you rely on your phone for keeping you on the right path? Do you plan your routes online, or sit down with pencil and string to work out how far you can get before nightfall?

At the end of the day it is all down to a combination of keeping safe and personal preference, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on the paper versus digital debate. Comment below.

And if you’re not sure about how to use a compass, whether it’s a physical one or on your phone, there are some great guides here.