Does anyone know the weight of one of those Trails Illustrated maps?

I presume they are of similar size.. I'm planning my Colorado Trail thru-hike and trying to decide between buying these generally-useful Trails Illustrated maps @ $11 each or buying the 14 oz $50 CT map book which only shows a narrow corridor around the trail.. the book comes apart of course.

But if I go with the TI maps, wondering how many I can carry at once.

I'm not sure that it is safe to assume anything about their weight.

I have a Trails Illustrated map here from another state, and it weighs 44 grams. I have the same map number printed years later, and it weighs 90 grams.

--B.G.--

well, those numbers are a useful guideline anyway.. so they could range from 1 - 3 oz.

That helps already.. the Colorado Trail is about 500 miles in 5 weeks and needs 13 maps to cover it... almost 3 maps / week which is the length of resupplies anyway. That makes it about 4 - 5 oz of maps + a part of the the guidebook itself, probably another 4 - 5 oz.. quickly adds up, even with a hiking partner.

I'll probably have to photocopy out parts I'm more interested in and leave the rest behind.

Be aware, the Trails Illustrated maps do not show the CT re-routes of the past three years. The CT Map Book has all but the most recent Twin Lakes Dam re-route and you can download that from the CTF website.

I have seven of the required thirteen CT maps on my table right now. There is a lot of weight variation among them as they are not all the same size.

#108 = 2.125...........minimum
#109 = 2.500
#110 = 2.375
#129 = 2.375
#130 = 2.500
#139 = 3.375...........maximum
#144 = 3.250

total = 18.5 oz
average = 2.64 oz
range = 1.25 oz

IMO, #108 (Vail, Frisco, Dillon)is not worth having as there is only a very small portion of CT segments 6 and 7 (showing the Gold Hill trailhead) in the lower right corner of the east side of the map. Save your money and the weight.


for comparison, the pocket-sized CT Data Book weighs only 1.875 oz

I'm cutting apart the CT Guidebook and shipping the relevant pages as part of my re-supply packages.

Edited by wandering_bob on 06/24/2010 13:21:47 MDT.

Thanks for the great tip of TI #108!! Have no desire to be left with many extra maps of a state a few 1000 miles away.

Are you taking the TI maps with you though? I plan to mail parts of the guidebook with maildrops as well..

Yes, I am.

I'm allowing a constant 9 ounces for guidebook pages and relevant maps. The only exception is the 105 miles from Denver to Breck. That's such a popular section that I doubt a blind person could get lost therer without trying hard.

The CT is reportedly very well signed and marked, with perhaps the exception of the stock driveway in the San Juans where the tundra dictates cairns rather than trail tread for many miles. I'll also have maps for that section and a few others that SOUND iffy, like those easy-to-miss road junctions or turns.

I'm told you don't need maps at all for the CT, but after 2100 miles of the PCT, I'm a firm believer in having them - and knowing how to use them with my compass. Besides, it's just more practice for the CDT next year.

The CTF Map Book is excellent, but I like the TI maps for the wider view they give. Old Wandering Bob has been known to fall victim to easy-to-miss turns and go wander off-trail at times, so it's nice to have a bird's eye view to figure out how to get back on course, or find a fast bail-out route. Onbce burned; twice cautious. I'll carry the weight and sleep better for it.


Keep your maps in good shape and you can sell them after your hike to the 2011 CT or CDT hikers.

Edited by wandering_bob on 06/24/2010 16:37:00 MDT.

Sounds great, Bob. My calculation above came out to about 9 oz as well.. and my hours spent on this today led to me to the same feeling that I shouldn't buy / carry maps for the early sections.

On an unrelated note, do you mind telling me where you are thinking of resupplying? You could PM me if you want.. we are just getting to that stage of planning and it'd be nice to compare notes (despite differences in preferences, hiking speed etc etc). We'd want to resupply as often as possible to reduce weight but many resupply towns are just so far from the trail..

Are you dedicating a day or at least a night stay when you get into places like Salida, Creede, Silverton or even Frisco/ Breck etc?