Tuff Maps, laminated Ordnance Survey maps with a detached cover

It says on the sleeve, WRITE ON WIPE OFF!
I've not tried that yet....

I’ll start this blog with the old saying, “Never keep all your eggs in one basket!”

I will use whatever means of mapping that is available and suitable at the time.

That might help to explain up front, that this blog, is in no way intended to contradict my previous blog about Toughprint Waterproof paper.

Like many people, no matter what their hobbies are, I’m keen to try new ideas, innovations and variations of existing ideas and kit.

These views and are my own and no one else’s.

If you haven’t read my previous blog, may I suggest you do. It will explain why I’m, eager to use as compact and convenient mapping as possible.

As part of my quest to use a map conveniently and easily, I’ve ditched the everyday paper map and waterproof map case, in favour of compactness and ease of use.

I accidentally stumbled across Tuff Maps, while browsing through an outdoor shop in the Peak District. Curiously, I opened the package up and out fell one laminated map, with the cover still in the plastic sleeve!

At first, I thought the map was either damaged or faulty. However, after looking at the map more closely, it suddenly clicked, it was an Ordnance Survey Lamfold, but with the cover page detached.

I thought, “Brilliant idea”.

I quickly reached for my credit card, grabbed two copies, one White Peak and one Dark Peak Tuff Maps, and paid for them.

Tuff Map sleeve, cover and map

In my previous blog, on Toughrpint Waterproof Paper I raised the question, “How often has it been a pain to fold a map, stuff it in a map case only to find you need to get it out, refold it for another stage of your hike?”


This took me from the good old paper maps, stuffed in waterproof cases, on to Ordnance Survey Lamfold Maps, which sometimes, can be just as bigger nuisance to fold as the old paper maps, particularly where the cover, which is larger in dimensions, than the folds of the map, get in the way.

I have used Lamfolds successfully for some considerable time. Especially as over time, the maps became used and abused, would start to fold more easily no matter what part I was using.

So I started to use my White and Dark Peak maps with great ease, folding them just as I wanted, no forcing a crease, particularly where the cover was concerned.

Good bye old faithful map and waterproof case
You've served me well over time

This is brilliant; I can fold the map just as I want and need, depending on the area of my walk. Folding is a synch, no great fiddling to try and make the map cover fold against its will. No messing around when refolding the map to cover the next stage of my walk, my days walk, or night hike, became so much easier.


I was hooked; I wanted to replace my all current Lamfolds with these Tuff Maps. But it would be costly. So I would start with the maps I use most, two of which I’ve already got, the White and Dark Peaks, then next purchase would have to be OL17, Snowdonia, another area I frequent.

Now the fun, searching the web, to try and find who sold them, was proving difficult.

So I contacted Ordnance Survey, because I was under the impression it was one of their products.

I had a genuinely, very helpful reply from OS, who advised me that Tuff Maps were not one of their products, but happily provided me with contact details for the company that prints the Tuff Maps under licence.

Nice and easy to fold
and the elastic band holds it all in place

Sadly, this company, Trail Card, doesn’t have a web page, but the gentleman who I spoke to, was extremely helpful.


I managed to obtain a list of suppliers, one of whom was reasonably local to me, with a chain of stores across the country, others that I visit when I’m in the area.

OL17, was coming my way very soon. I phoned my nearest stockist, who had just one on the shelf and reserved it for me. I just couldn’t wait to go and buy my new map, especially as I was heading up to Snowdonia in a couple of weeks time.

Annoyingly, I had only a few months previous, replaced OL17. But, it just had to be done; my new Lamfold OL17 was relegated as a reserve map, where my old 2004 copy of OL17, which had been relegated as a reserve map, was now really tired, could be retired gracefully.

So the opportunity came, to use my newly acquired OL17 Tuff Map, on the Northern Carneddau, a first outing for both me and the map.

Once again, folding the map to expose the area I was walking, while making the next stage easy to find without too much fumbling.

I just loved this, it was so much easier, no map case to get in the way or to be gripped tight in windy conditions and no awkward covers to try and force fold. Things are just so much better with these maps.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m hooked, but budgets dictate, a gradual replacement of maps over to Tuff Maps.

You might consider, as I did, cutting the covers from your existing Lamfolds. No I haven’t cut any covers off, but I had wondered about it.

The side of a Lamfold cover, is glued to the map before laminating.

DON’T do it. The cover of a Lamfold map is attached to the map paper and effectively laminated all in one. If you cut the cover off a Lamfold map, it will leave a gap for water ingress, reducing the lifespan of the Lamfold map in adverse conditions.

On the image to the right, you may be able to see the point where the cover is attached to the main Lamfold map.

One thing I’ve not tried with on the Tuff Map, is writing on them, and then wiping it off.

Just to summarise, as part of my quest to use maps in as compact and convenient form as possible, while I like Lamfolds, they are tough and hard to destroy under reasonable use, I do find that Tuff Maps have the edge, with the detached map cover.

You may initially wonder, what if the cover became mislaid, how would you quickly identify the map?

The map title at the top centre of the sheet

Not a problem, as with all maps, they have the title on the top margin centre and to the top right corner, is the sheet reference number.

While I prefer to use one of those thick elastic bands to keep the map folded, they are supplied with a plastic sleeve, in which you can slide the map ready folded to view the area you are interested in.

The Tuff Map in its sleeve. it will go fully in,
I've just left it part out to demonstrate

However, I felt that the sleeve would eventually tear, particularly if the folding wasn’t compact enough or I was a little rough. Personally, I would rather use the sleeve to keep the map and cover together while on my map shelf, ready and waiting for the next time I need to use them.

You may be wondering about the cost of the Tuff Maps, from all the suppliers I’ve visited, they are extremely comparable to OS Lamfolds.

In my opinion, while you can put a financial value on most things, to put a real value on anything depends on how well it serves you with respect to what you need that item for. With that in mind, I think the Tuff Map is worth having.


Tuff Maps are available as either 1:25000 Explorer series or 1:50000 Landranger series.


Finally, happy rambling and thank for reading.

Peak Rambler

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