Did you throw away that that old road map?

2002 Garmin eTrex Legend
2004 Street Pilot 2720
2007 Zumo 550
2010 Zumo 665

Paper maps do not give me enough of a planning tool for trips. Between POIs and the ability to zoom in to see all the roads in any part of the US, I have no need for old paper maps. Even if the GPS signal were to go down, I'd still have my laptop mapping program and street signs to navigate better than any paper map museum piece.

So far I have been resistent to giving the cell phone providers another $25 a month for smart phone technology. Virgin Mobile has a great $25/month program for everything, but the coverage map won't handle my travel needs.

Threw out the stone tablet and chisel a long time ago.

I have a habit of buying an updated map book every year and keeping it in the car. In fact I generally use it at least once a month despite having the GPS mounted inside the car at all times. I don't believe GPS has fully replaced the paper map.

What road map? I visit clients in the field as part of my job and my coworkers joke that I wont go in the field on cloudy days in case there is a chance of interference with GPS (I know, I know)...

Here is a link to the DOT sites where you can order the latest official road map of each state for free.
http://www.roadmaps.org/statelinks.html
Beware: Some states share your name & address with merchants & tourism organizations.

Why would you travel without a backup plan? If it's a familiar road, then sure you don't need a map.
However if you travel on unknown roads or go to unknown places, its better to be safe than sorry and not be completely dependent on technology just in case.

I keep an updated atlas in the pocket behind my seat.

Still use paper maps & keep 'em current. Have a B&W TV too, just in case the flat screen craps out.

The last time I used AAA they routed us wrong.The road service is good if your car doesn't have On Star.The AAA Plus will tow your car up to a 100 miles.

I'm a total techno geek, but I learned the hard way to keep a map around. While you can look at the whole route on GPS, it's not as telling as glancing at the map to see the areas you'll be travelling, maybe an unexpected point of interest and while the GPS might route you around traffic, nothing like the map for a major detour around storms or something.

The problem is finding them. A few rest areas and AAA, but that's about it. Not so much as the local gas station.

All gone

Yes you can zoom out to see the whole area but on what size screen? The map makes everything a bit clearer since it's larger.

What's paper?

Good Point. Makes perfectly good sense to me.

I haven't used a paper map since 2001

I don't carry paper maps as back up anymore. Sometimes I take my laptop, which has Microsoft Streets and Trips installed on it, just in case. I also carry a spare GPSr in the console, in case my primary has a glitch.

I keep one in my truck, neatly folded, because I can't swat that wasp the inside of my windshield with my GPS!

I still have a few maps from when gas stations gave out for free.

I still have a paper map, but haven't used one since I bought a GPS, maybe before since Streets & Trips and other online maps are more convenient.
Its much easier to print out parts of a map that you need, than use a much larger map.

i did!

You have to admit there is something nostalgic about an old map. I have quite a collection. More for collecting and gazing at for a potential trip but not much else.

I still consult road atlases, paper maps, and map websites as backup when I have any question about the best route, and I want a paper map along in the car. Though it has happened less than 5% of the time to me, my Nuvi occasionally has led me seriously astray. Also, as with any electronic device, GPS is subject to sudden failure or loss, so to me, it's only common sense to have paper backups in the vehicle.

I still keep my old AAA(sm) Maryland map which shows segment US40, now is I-68 and US40.

I still have some old AAA maps. I don't know why I keep them as I haven't looked at them in years. but still haven't thrown them out.

I just showed my teenage daughter an old map of Chicago. She asked me if they had printed the GPS output only bigger.

For cities with beltways (i.e. DC and baltimore) and bypasses the only way to know where things are in relation to each other is thru using a map. Some of these roads are listed as south, for example, but actually head more westward.

I hadn't open my Thomas Guides in probably 10 years so I finally threw them in the recycle bin. They were really old and a lot has changed in 15 years so I got rid of them.

Paper Maps went OUT the window(into a trash can at McD) about the time that I graduated from High School. At that point, I was not reliant on GPS, but my own internal I know the way to wherever I'm going attitude. Since then I've had 10 vehicles, 5 GPS's (4 with Maps on them), and Hundreds of thousands of miles driving, and more fun than you could shake a stick at.

My Current eTrex Vista Hcx is getting its 40,000th mile in the next week, and has 2 mapsets on it. Our new Oregon 450 has the same mapsets on it as well.

I make sure to look for map updates every few months, and promptly load them in. Heaven Forbid that a road has changed a few feet since the last update.

IF the paper maps showed the detail that the GPS maps show(including where you are, speed, nearest geocaches, etc...) at a glance, then they might still have a use, but even then, having Lat and Long is much more useful than I'm in this area...

I DO remember as a kid figuring where we were on maps, scouting with Map and compass, and all the fun that brought. Though I will say that we are all still kids. Our toys just get more expensive...

The Steaks