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01-28-2014, 07:49 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Highland Park, New Jersey
Trailer: Escape 19 February 2014
Posts: 975
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Campground Guides
Do people use hard copy campground guide books these days or is it all on the internet?
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01-28-2014, 08:25 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Steveston B.C., British Columbia
Trailer: 2012- 17'B.... 2016 Tacoma SR5 TRD
Posts: 504
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Hard copy is the only way. Wi-Fi is not always there when you need it .
I got maps in my door pocket for almost every Province and State in North America.Don't leave home with out them. And there a good read. I study maps and points of intrest days in advance, but thats my way of keeping the trip intresting and fun..
__________________
I've almost been everywhere man.
Almost been everywhere.....
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01-28-2014, 08:35 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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I too have a large collection of hard-copy maps, but when it comes to campground books, I'll pass.
A friend gave me a copy of Woodall's when I got the trailer. It was almost the size and weight of a phone book, and for all that, contained little useful information. In fact, it was a phone book. Just a list of addresses and phone numbers.
And you need your reading glasses and a magnifying glass, the type was so small.
I never actually used it to locate any campground.
I'll use the web to look up campgrounds in an area, but even then, the reviews are suspect.
Best resource is the members of this forum.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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01-28-2014, 08:57 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Steveston B.C., British Columbia
Trailer: 2012- 17'B.... 2016 Tacoma SR5 TRD
Posts: 504
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Ah yes , pulling over in a rest area getting out the glasses and some times the mag glass sounds familar. But you have to wait for the wife to take the dog for a pee brake and then it 's game on. Mind, you only got 90 seconds to get the job done....
__________________
I've almost been everywhere man.
Almost been everywhere.....
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01-28-2014, 09:27 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Longview, WA, Washington
Trailer: 2013 Escape 15B - 2014 Nissan Frontier SL
Posts: 854
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Couldn't live without our Rand McNally road atlas and the Allstays app (along with several other apps) we have a gps but it has taken us astray several times.
__________________
Tim and Julie
2013 Escape 15B
2014 Nissan Frontier, Previous 2012 Santa Fe
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01-28-2014, 09:33 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19
Posts: 895
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I've added a laptop and DeLorme Streets Atlas USA 2014 for my travels. I plan on being flexible on my trips and feel that I want to advance from the atlas "technology" used when I traveled cross country 39 years ago. Figuring that wi-fi will not be available from my kind of campsite, I'll be able to plan my trips as I go.
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Kevin
Thanks to the interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything - Charles Kuralt
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01-28-2014, 09:39 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Longview, WA, Washington
Trailer: 2013 Escape 15B - 2014 Nissan Frontier SL
Posts: 854
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I use these all the time for planning
__________________
Tim and Julie
2013 Escape 15B
2014 Nissan Frontier, Previous 2012 Santa Fe
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01-28-2014, 10:03 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: ..., New Mexico
Trailer: 2013 Esc19/'14 Silvrado
Posts: 4,193
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We very recently got a TomTom for the car. At 7 PM On my drive home from Denver recently I asked Tom to direct me to the nearest Cabelas where I could safely boondock. Knew vaguely where the store was because I spotted it from the road on my way up. But to TomTom Cabelas did not exist as any kind of point of interest. Then I missed a bear-left turn on I-25 where it goes from 6 lanes to 3, and ended up in Lone Tree, but found a Barnes and Noble with Starbucks.
Black coffee in hand, I lap-topped onto Google Maps, got my directions to Cabelas, (on Cabelas Drive). Back in the car just to see, I tried and failed with Tom again, this time with having a specific street address! Guess what, the store was in Lone Tree 2 miles away!
OK so maybe Tom's map program was older than this new store and a new road. Once home I immediately went online to get my free TomTom map upgrade. No lie, my computer required 5+ hours to download it, then another hour and a half to copy it to the GPS device.
Moral of story? Why take a chance. Keep your paper maps.
__________________
Myron
"A billion here, a billion there...add it all up and before you know it you're talking real money." Everett Dirkson
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01-28-2014, 11:00 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19
Posts: 755
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Check out Topo Maps for the iPhone and iPad. I believe it's $9.95, but once purchased you have access to all the 7.5 minute quadrant topi maps in the U.S., and their counterparts in Canada. Download just the quadrants you need, and they stay on your phone or tablet. You can set pins, label locations, get GPS coordinates, calculate distances, etc. And, you can enlarge the maps just as you do a photo, to zoom in. They'll show features not seen on a lot of commercial maps or travel books. Great accessory if you hike or bike.
__________________
2019 Tundra CrewMax Limited TRD 4WD
2014 Escape 19
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01-29-2014, 12:28 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Sequim, Washington, Washington
Trailer: "Teachers' Pet" our 2014 Escape 19
Posts: 185
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruthe
Do people use hard copy campground guide books these days or is it all on the internet?
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We often use the internet as a source, but also carry campsite books and maps for the states we are visiting as well. Neither is perfect, and some books are better than others. I like the Moon camping guide for the states that they cover, but as with many, they don't always list them all.
We have been surprised both negatively and positively on numerous occasions, but what the hey, that's part of the adventure and fun. 8)
__________________
Neal & Sharon
A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.
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01-29-2014, 07:54 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Highland Park, New Jersey
Trailer: Escape 19 February 2014
Posts: 975
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Tim and/or Julie -- So I hate to sound dumb, but is that an app for your phone that you displayed? I don't have a smart phone yet (Terry does) so I need step by step guidance here. It looks like what we need. In the past we had the telephone size Woodalls but if we downloaded the campground guides then it wouldn't matter if we had wifi.
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01-29-2014, 08:29 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 2013 19' & 2013 15B
Posts: 2,634
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Quote:
Originally Posted by santacruzer
Check out Topo Maps for the iPhone and iPad. I believe it's $9.95, but once purchased you have access to all the 7.5 minute quadrant topi maps in the U.S., and their counterparts in Canada. Download just the quadrants you need, and they stay on your phone or tablet. You can set pins, label locations, get GPS coordinates, calculate distances, etc. And, you can enlarge the maps just as you do a photo, to zoom in. They'll show features not seen on a lot of commercial maps or travel books. Great accessory if you hike or bike.
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Bob, the Topo Maps are scans of USGS and NRC maps and do not necessarily show the latest roads and highways. Have you had any issues with the accuracy of these maps?
On a side note, I wonder if the owner of Topo Maps is infringing on any copywrites by scanning and selling the USGS or NRC maps?
__________________
2013 19' \ 2013 15B, 2020 Toyota 4Runner TRD Offroad
"It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it." - 1907, Maurice Switzer
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01-29-2014, 08:31 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,532
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I like to take along a roadmap for the areas we are headed too. It is nice to lay a map out on a table to look at while planning, as it gives a better, broader perspective.
But beyond that, we prefer the electronic methods, much easier to use on the fly, whether it is the car GPS, or maps on the phone or tablet. We do not take much for pamphlets, as all that info and more is available online, and easier to find too.
Here are a few apps I use on my phone. Some more than others. There are still way better apps online, but I bet all the phone apps will only continue to improve.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
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01-29-2014, 08:55 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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The new Rand McNally gps for rv's Amazon.com: Rand McNally RVND 7720 7-Inch RV GPS with Free Lifetime Maps: GPS & Navigation
has built in weather for your route so you can plan accordingly. Also it has lifetime maps, updates and good sam accommodations. One more nice thing, it also has veterinarians for those with pets.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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01-29-2014, 10:27 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Santa Cruz, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19
Posts: 755
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ice-breaker
Bob, the Topo Maps are scans of USGS and NRC maps and do not necessarily show the latest roads and highways. Have you had any issues with the accuracy of these maps?
On a side note, I wonder if the owner of Topo Maps is infringing on any copywrites by scanning and selling the USGS or NRC maps?
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Most of the topos scanned are older and, yes there are accuracy issues with roads and highways. Their value, at least to me, is that they do show some older roads and jeep trails, and buildings that may or may not still be in existence. And, of course, the topographical features are important. There are also issues where areas overlap...contours don't always line up at the edges, for example.
There's no US copyright issue with government documents such as this. USGS stopped printing paper versions of them several years ago, and I know backpackers and others scrambled to get paper maps while they lasted, I being one.
__________________
2019 Tundra CrewMax Limited TRD 4WD
2014 Escape 19
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01-29-2014, 10:41 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Oswego, New York
Trailer: 2017 Escape 21C, 2018 Ford F150
Posts: 5,363
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For paper, I use the AAA sectional versions of Woodalls book. I much preferred their older Campbooks, but they have discontinued them.
While I sometimes use my GPS's campground listings, I find it pretty unreliable, often sending me to trailer parks, closed campgrounds, etc. Much prefer apps on my iPhone. If I was only going to have one app it would be AllStays Camp & RV. It provides a map of the area you are in that shows the different types of campgrounds. You can also scroll it to any other location. It has filters so you can choose what type of campground you are looking for.
Additional apps I use include CampWhere (no longer available) for non commercial campgrounds, and RVParkReviews to check on what others think of the campgrounds I'm interested in. While I haven't used it, I've seen good reviews for the RV Parky app.
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01-29-2014, 11:23 AM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Galesville, Wisconsin
Trailer: 2017 21 "Blue II" & 2017 Highlander XLE (previously 2010 17B "Blue" & 2008 Tacoma)
Posts: 4,232
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Jon - thanks for the tip on the AllStays app - it looks like a good one.
Slightly off topic (one of my specialities) a GPS app that I love is MotionX GPS app. If you love to hike or bike it is an amazing help. When have cell coverage it will constantly download topo maps of where you are, or if you know you will be in an area with no good cell coverage, you can download the maps to your phone via either WIFI or cell before you set out. After using it for a while, I sold my Garmin handheld (with a user interface I could never get used to), as the MotionX app is very user friendly.
__________________
Eric (and Mary who is in no way responsible for anything stupid I post)
"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance." George Bernard Shaw
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01-29-2014, 12:06 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Longview, WA, Washington
Trailer: 2013 Escape 15B - 2014 Nissan Frontier SL
Posts: 854
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruthe
Tim and/or Julie -- So I hate to sound dumb, but is that an app for your phone that you displayed? I don't have a smart phone yet (Terry does) so I need step by step guidance here. It looks like what we need. In the past we had the telephone size Woodalls but if we downloaded the campground guides then it wouldn't matter if we had wifi.
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Yes, I had posted a screen shot from my iPhone but the main app, Allstays is available for computers as well. I use this app mostly for planning. I put in a location of where I am going and then look around for the type and kind of campground I am looking for. I will often go to the site for the campground and read the reviews. We then write them down so we don't have to rely on the phone to re-access the data. Allstays keeps up to date a lot so we find it reliable for campgrounds that are open, etc. The filter is nice for screening out types of campgrounds that you don't want. The others I have listed are also used, but Allstays is our "go to" app. If we are not near Wi-Fi then I turn on my cell data and use that to check to see what is available. Still, nothing replaces paper. A good road map or atlas is essential we have found and it shows campgrounds in the area that are public, state or national but not the private.
__________________
Tim and Julie
2013 Escape 15B
2014 Nissan Frontier, Previous 2012 Santa Fe
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01-29-2014, 12:40 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Highland Park, New Jersey
Trailer: Escape 19 February 2014
Posts: 975
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So it sounds like the Allstay app plus detailed maps (we already have a pretty good Atlas) plus maybe the Moon guide books could be a plan. And it looks like Good Sam campground guides is free on the internet.
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01-29-2014, 01:16 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,532
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruthe
So it sounds like the Allstay app plus detailed maps (we already have a pretty good Atlas) plus maybe the Moon guide books could be a plan. And it looks like Good Sam campground guides is free on the internet.
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Allstay is the best of the bunch, for sure.
Make sure you take pictures on your trip to the moon to share with us too.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
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