February 17, 2005

Personal Information:
Leesa Joiner
leesaj@gmail.com
Southwestern Maine
43 years old
Female
5'7" (1.7 M)
150 lb. (68 kg)

Product Information:
AntiGravityGear Mapdana
AT4 Falls Village, CT through Katahdin, ME
Manufacturer: AntiGravityGear

Website: http://www.AntiGravityGear.com/
MSRP: $12.95 USD
Material: 100% cotton
Size (as advertised): 27" x 27" (69 cm x 69 cm)
Weight (as advertised): 1.6oz (45 g)

Size (measured): 27" x 27" (69 cm x 69 cm)
Weight (measured): 1.5 oz (45 g)

First Impressions:

    The Mapdana arrived in good condition. Upon opening the packaging I found the brightly colored 'Mapdana'. I spread it out on the kitchen table and first looked at the map. On first glance it looked very odd. I couldn't get my bearings. After turning the Mapdana at an angle, it made perfect sense. The map is designed so that the Appalachian Trail runs bottom to top. When first looking at the map, it would appear that the AT is a direct north - south route. In reality it runs at an angle from southwest to northeast. Once that was figured out, it was easy for me to pick out different features of the map. I am fairly familiar with the towns along the Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine sections so I was able to get my bearings. Although unfamiliar with the Connecticut and Massachusetts sections, it wasn't difficult to get a feeling for distances and nearby towns.
    The map covers approximately one-third of the bandana, the other two-thirds contain a listing of mileage, campsites, hiker services and other area features (mountains, ponds, etc). The map legend shows symbols for the usual - towns, highways and water and also hiker related symbols. These include things such as medical facilities, elevation, mail drops, banks/ATM, internet access, re-supplies and shuttles. There are a total of 30+ symbols on the map.     The Mapdana itself is well made, with well-finished seams, vibrant colors and easy to read print. I have worn the Mapdana as a bandana while outside doing chores, in order to see how well it fit. I found it comfortable, as it did not slide back on my head as some bandana's do. The fabric is not slippery which helps it to stay in place. I will be taking it ice fishing/snow shoeing today. I want to see how well it blocks the wind from my neck and face. We will be out on an unprotected lake and the temperatures are hovering around freezing.

Background:

    My camping, hiking and backpacking experience has included trips varying in length from one-day hikes to two-week trips. My experience hiking began with my father when I was about six years old. We hiked along the river pathways in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. While enjoying the outdoors with friends and family, I spend time hiking, geocaching, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and camping. Although I am not a lightweight backpacker, I am trying to 'lighten up' and primarily use hammock for sleeping.

Test Locations:

    March will hold two trips, both in Massachusetts along the Appalachian Trail. During the winter, I snowshoe and am planning to snowshoe along part of the trail in Maine. During the spring and summer, my children and I take off both on day hikes and mid-week trips along northern New England sections of the AT.

Test Plan:
    I will carry the Mapdana along on my AT hiking trips, to use as both as a map and as a headband (my usual use for a bandana). I will be hiking in sections from Massachusetts north, through Vermont, New Hampshire and into Maine. The actual dates and length of each hike will be dependent on the weather for the most part. I am curious as to how accurate it is as a map both topographically and available trail services, etc. I've used bandanas for many things in a pinch - for a mask when the wind picked up and I was snowshoeing, wrapped around a sprained wrist, soaked in ice water and wrapped around my neck when overheated and to wrap 'precious' stones. my daughter found along a trail. I don't think I'll have a problem giving the Mapdana a workout - a bandana is an incredibly useful item, the question is whether the Mapdana is a better bandana? Other than checking for accuracy, I am curious as to how the Mapdana holds up to water –
will the colors stay vibrant and the print easy to read?

Test Conditions:

    The majority of my testing will be done in northern New England, where current day temperatures are in the -20 - 32 F (-18 - 0 C) range, with night temperatures falling to well below 0 F (- 14 C). Over the next four months the temperatures will range from - 20 F (-29 C) to possibly 60 F (16 C). It is not unusual to have 30 in (76 cm) of snow on the ground by February. Most of my hiking is done below 3000 ft (914 m), but some spring climbs go over 4000 ft (1219 m). There is a wide range of types of terrain on these hikes. Everything from well maintained trails to hiking through heavily wooded areas. Some trips involved backpacking into campsites and at other times I set up camp and hike out from there.

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Initial Report

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