PERSONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Rick Allnutt
51 Year old male
6' 0'' (183 cm) in height
200 lbs (91 kg) in weight
Email address: rick (at) BackpackGearTest (dot) org
Personal Hiking Page: http://www.imrisk.com
Trail name: Risk
I live in Dayton, Ohio

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND
Over the last several years, I have become an ultralight camper with a three-season base pack weight of about 15 lb (7 kg) and skin out weight of 23 lb (10 1/2 kg). I have completed many section hikes on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in all four seasons, with a total mileage of about 600 miles (966 km). I am a gearhead, a hammock camper, and make much of my own equipment.

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: AntiGravityGear
Year Manufactured: 2004
Manufacturer's Link: http://www.antigravitygear.com/
MSRP: US$12.95
Listed Weight: 1.6 oz (45.4 g)
Measured Weight: 1.5 oz (42.5 g)

REVIEW
This Mapdana is a large 27 x 27 in (69 x 69 cm) cotton bandana with a great deal of information printed on it. It has been designed to be useful for hikers on the Appalachian Trail between Damascus, Virginia and Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.  The Mapdana can be divided into several portions, each of which has its own purpose.  The following description will detail the legend, border, map, data,  and companion information.  The information is color coded, and the Mapdana has been printed in multiple colors to facilitate finding information quickly.  Printed on a white background, these colors include: black, blue, red, light green, dark green, and yellow.

I find the manufacturer's website to be very useful in regard to the Mapdana series. According to the website, "For centuries maps have been printed on cloth.  During World War 2, maps with escape and evasion information were printed on silk and sewn to the inside of a pilot's flight jacket.  This information was invaluable in the event of a bail out over enemy territory.  All we have done is adapt the idea to ultralight backpacking." The Mapdana page has a valuable link to any errata that have been discovered by users of the Mapdanas. I have participated in finding several errors in the original AT1 Mapdana and AntiGravityGear has done a good job of posting the additional information. For the version of the Mapdana reviewed here, they do not list any errors.  I wonder if I will find any this Spring and Summer?

The legend identifies the Mapdana as #2, version 0704.  (A previous #2 version covering the same portion of the trail, with a misprinted map, is labeled as version 0304. Owners of the previous version may wish to contact AntiGravityGear for a replacement. Details can be found on the AntiGravityGear website.) The legend notes 27 different services listed on the map or in the data, from restaurants to Internet access. The legend credits the Appalachian Trail Conference's "Data Book" as the source of mileage data and the Appalachian Long Distance Hiker's Association for the town information. The legend also states that "a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this bandana is dedicated to the management of the Appalachian Trail."

The border of the Mapdana is printed in blue (cyan) ink.  This border color is different from the other Mapdanas where the border color is: #1 - black, #3 - green, and #4 - red.  I find it very useful to identify the Mapdana I need in my gear drawer by the border color.  The border reads:
- AntiGravityGear
- Leave No Trace should be the way we hike and not the way we live.
- Please support the associations that protect our trails and wilderness
- www.LeaveATrace.com
- Appalachian Trail Mapdana; Damascus, VA thru Harpers Ferry, WV
on each of it's four sides.

The map portion of the Mapdana is a multi-color rendition of the Forest Service's AT map.  It is of such a scale that no topographic information can be contained on it. Rather, it focuses on road crossings, river crossings, towns, and 12 other points of interest.  These include notable points, such as McAfee Knob, and completely obscure ones such as Calf Mountain in Shenandoah National park. The map appears to have the detail necessary for me to make my way to trail towns for occasional rest and recuperation.

The data portion of the Mapdana is by far the largest of the panels. It begins with the southern entry
"457.3 Damascus, VA (1,928)"  [the first number is miles north of Springer Mountain in Georgia, the second is elevation above sea level in feet]
and ends with the north end of the map
"1005.8 ATC Side Trail; Harper's Ferry, WV."
Between these two entries, there are approximately 220 mileage markers in the data.  Towns or road crossings with services are listed in red. They are also listed in the companion panel below (to be described shortly.) Other points are listed in black, unless they have a water source, in which case they are printed in blue. Water sources include streams, springs, campsites, shelters, and gaps. If a shelter, spring, or campsite is not on the AT itself, then mileage East or West of the trail is noted. For me, I believe this portion of the Mapdana is the most useful. From this data I can find both shelter and water, my daily needs.  All mileage is in US statute miles.

The companion panel information is keyed to the roads and towns listed in red in the data section of the Mapdana.  In this yellow background panel, 22 trail towns are listed. Hostels, outfitters, medical facilities, and occasional shuttle providers are listed with 10 digit phone numbers. Post offices with their zip codes are listed, as are summary listings about the presence of restaurants, resupply stores, money machines, and public phones.

TEST PLAN
I plan to walk most of the trail covered by this Mapdana during the test period. I will usually not carry any other data source and will therefore be checking on each of the data points listed on the Mapdana. Before hiking, I will check the Mapdana against my 2003 AT Data Book. I will also keep track of any discrepancy found and report that to AntiGravityGear. I will be using the Mapdana as a data source, towel, bandana, wash cloth, and water filter. I will be very interested to see how the printing holds up during the anticipated total of 4-5 weeks I will be using it on the trail.  When I have walked all the miles contained on the Mapdana, I will put it back in my drawer to use for my next hike in Virginia. Someday, when I am too old to walk, I will frame the Mapdana as a keepsake of my trail walking days, so my grandchildren can see what their Pappy Risk did.

ANTICIPATED FIELD CONDITIONS
I anticipate using the Mapdana on wet rainy days when others are keeping their data books in ziplock bags.  I will be using it on hot days to wipe my brow or to cool my neck. I will be carrying it in my pocket and not worrying about it getting wet from downpours, and drying it on the back of my pack, along with my socks. It will get use from near freezing, to unbearably hot - because that's what trail walking usually entails. It will be used from the break of day to the depths of night.