Hi All Does anyone know where I can get a few OS maps laminated at a reasonable price? Thanks for any help that may be forthcoming in terms of web addresses etc. Regards, Gerald
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Why laminate them, laminated they are terrible to fold. Or trying to create a wall poster?
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 Aqua3 supplies OS maps ready laminated, using a less bulky film than the OS use on their own laminated maps. I have one Aqua3 laminated map and it's yet to crack, tear or fail in any way.
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You can do them yourself. The clear sticky plastic is available from places like W H Smiths or places that sell artists supplies.
Yeah and that stuff is terrible to fold. The pre-laminated maps of OS (landranger-series) use a ver thin method of 'lamination'. I actually believe the maps are printed on somekind of waterresistant paper so no actual lamination took place at all. hence they are perfectly foldable.
If you own normal maps you might as well invest in a good mapcase like the ones of Ortlieb. My personal favorite is the A3 mapsleeve of Ortlieb. They are very sturdy and for a long time very clear seethrough. They are svery softish so you can easy roll them up. I own one now for almost 10 years and it still doesn't really need to be replaced. It saves me good money on so called waterresistant maps. Oké ofcourse there is a small weight penalty of an A3 mapsleeve.
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I used to laminate my own maps many years ago, using the sticky-back plastic you get from stationery shops. The end result is too bulky. The plastic tends to stick to itself to a certain degree, and eventually it cracks along all the folds, and once the water gets in, the damage progresses MUCH faster than if you'd simply left it as a piece of paper. On the other hand, I'd cheerfully use a pile of Aqua3 laminated maps as groundsheets for my tent. The one I already possess has been used as a sit-mat often enough, and I've demonstrated it to people by chucking it in streams!
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is that aqua3 map than a special (commercial) extra treated already waterproof OS landranger map? I thought it just were the OS landranger serie maps. The ortlieb mapsleeve I use can also be used as sitting lap as long as you take care you do not puncture it. Using your maps as groundheet is well.... amazing good idea when you go tarping or bivving!
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I just use A4 laminating pouches and copy the area im walking in, if need be i can do the area im in double sided. The laminated map just fold in 2 and straight into my trouser pocket. The map goes into the rucksack for emergency back up. If need be cut down the pouch to suit your map size, don't use double sided sticky plastic its a nightmare.
I find my maps last longer. If you don't have a laminater i have in the past used a hot iron with a T towel over the top of it.
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Zuma... I met the Aqua3 guys shortly after they started their business. They buy in OS maps, laminate them, then sell them on. They'll also laminate any maps you care to supply them as a special order. If you're heading for some far-flung destination and you already have a map, they'll laminate it for you. I gather that they scoured the world looking for the 'right' material to use as a laminate, and when they found it, they got the rights to use it. The stuff they use is thin, but incredibly durable. It has a matt finish, rather than gloss, so it doesn't reflect dazzling sunlight. It's not a stick-on material... it has to be rolled onto a map and heated using a machine, creating a substantial bond between the laminate and the paper.
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yeah more like a painting procedure, it probably also impregnates the paper as well and need to be backed to bond and get fixed instead of fluid. I guessed something like that if they did it them selves. Nice service... But I stick to my Ortlieb (cost reasons)
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 Print off the relevant section and stick it into a ziplock plastic bag. Or wander about aimlessly(sp). Much more foolfilling.
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 I print the relevent area onto an A4 sheet of sometimes ordinary paper and sometimes Toughprint paper and put it into an Ortlieb case.
The only problem I find is that the print can tend to mark the inside of the case which means me turning it inside out and washing it now and then.
...unless someone has a way of preventing this?
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 I normally photocopy or scan and print A4 sections then laminate them or buy them laminated.
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 I've got some old OS maps which were given some sort of commercial lamination treatment... marked with a "wilderness waterproof mapping" logo, though the fact google doesn't seem to turn up any result for that phrase doesn't bode to well for their success and continued existence. The finish is quite robust, and adds a bit of weight (208g for one laminated explorer map here, 128g for an unlaminated one, both with covers still attached) and the maps have lasted a fair old time without suffering any of the normal wear and tear. They still fold nicely and pack down well enough (maybe 50% thicker than an unlaminated map). Thing is though, they're not cheap, and I often find fiddling around with maps to be pretty annoying, especially in lousy weather, and I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time on folds and on borders between two maps. I mostly just use my GPS nowadays, though that's probably a sign that I haven't been anywhere particularly remote...
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 Just went to my map shelf and tried some on the scales Plain OS Explorer 129g - in line with Serriadh's results OS Active Map Explorer 208g - in line with Serriadh Aqua 3 Explorer 200g Wilderness 208g Tuff Map Explorer 205g (without cover), 240g with cover and plastic wallet The back fo the wilderness map has the phone number 0800 834 920 which seems to resolve to Mayfield Books in Sheffield http://www.fphiliphollandpoetry.co.uk/shop.html Tuffmap still exist but are not currently trading http://www.tuffmap.co.uk/
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One thing figures me as a bit strange... I usualy walk around with 1:25.000 and mostly when I walk from A to B most of the times I need two sheets of A3 size or even sometimes three. 2 A4 sizes would be too less. So one thing I don't like is changing maps in my map case. With A3 that's only sometimes needed once during a trip. Hence my choice for A3 and A3 mapcase. Beats looking on a small GPS screen everytime. about keeping the inside of your mapcase clean. I don't know that problem I use color laserprints perhaps that's the difference... A3 Map case weighs: 111 gr. A3 lasercopy weighs: 9 gr. Weights of maps are known (see above) In short I can take 9 A3 copies (double sided if needed) and still keep on the same weight with a laminated map. Glad to know I'm not entirely stupid weight wise.
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Beats looking on a small GPS screen everytime.
Indeedy; I usually use the GPS when I've planned out the route ahead of time (usually on a proper PC) and mostly want to be checking on my progress and making sure I'm not wandering off in totally the wrong direction. Its no fun at all to plan news routes with.
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