Switch's custom map holder for his favorite Navigator (a work in progress)

My wife is an awesome navigator. She didn't start out that way but after 25 years together I don't have to think about navigation. Because she owns it! She manages all of the electronic stuff but always has a paper map at hand. If we encounter traffic, she is quick with an alternate route. If there is something interesting on the way, she'll suggest checking it out. She calls out turns and freeway exits; finds gas stations, lodging, and restaurants. She checks CalTrans road conditions and calls 911 to report road hazards. She watches ahead when I 'm distracted and sends text messages on my behalf. She's my spotter when off road and also the expedition naturalist. She manages a small library of bird books, field & travel guides, maps, and brochures. She records places we've camped at before so we can find them again. She takes notes on the way home after every trip for things to improve, replenish, or repair. She calls her parents to say "hello" and let them know we are out having fun. She's everything a navigator should be.

So it was with some embarrassment that I realized after our last trip through the Sonoran and Mojave deserts that I've never done anything to help her store and organize the maps we take and collect on our trips.

It starts off easy enough, we have the Topo maps for our destination in the glove box and the big California Road Atlas tucked between the passenger seat and center console. But as our travels progress, we collect maps: National Park guides, State Park guides, campsite maps, wine country maps... By the end of a typical trip the dashboard on the passenger (AKA navigator) side looks like this:



And I've always hated that reflection of the maps on the windshield and how the maps slide around on the dashboard.

My navigator (and wife) deserves better...

So I started looking and not finding much.

I found this thing:


But it really doesn't work for maps and nobody on that thread like it. In part because it added so little storage but also because it impinged on leg room next to the center console.

And this product doesn't do anything for maps



And I already optimized the glove box.

But that got me thinking.

What about a pocket just for maps? And just on the passenger/navigator side?


My wife has small legs but even my muscular legs don't contact this location because it is mounted above my shin.


So I got to work on FreeCAD and my Prusa MK3S 3D printer and started prototyping:


How to attach something new is always a problem. Nobody likes to drill holes. I didn't see any obvious points to clip into. So for now it will be double-sided tape.





So from this:


To this?:


It is a small improvement but worth it to me since it will affect the quality of every trip we take for years to come.

Having done a few of these 3D printed projects now, I know that past the initial excitement of a cool idea, comes the hard part of tuning the 3D print to fit the contours of the space, getting the attachments points just right, and tuning dozens of other parameters. I've already built the entire CAD model from scratch twice (the second one is better) and printed two prototypes destined for the plastic recycle bin.

But this one is for my Navigator. So I will see it through.

 

My navigator pointed out that attaching the map holder to the underside of the dash just made it harder to use because maps could only be identified, added, or removed from the open end of the holder; that it would be better to have it open on two sides (top and front). She also pointed out that it should be possible to mount without using double-sided tape; perhaps by pinching to the console plastic. Lastly, she didn't like how thin the plastic was, said it looked "cheap".

So with that feedback, I started on the 4th iteration:



The slotted side fits tightly on the thin plastic of the center console where it meats the carpet in the footwell.



Side view


Installed the fit is quite snug


Here is a close up of how the slotted part grips the console plastic.


And here is the finished part:

 

Awesome! Are you selling them or willing to share the STL for personal use? If willing to share, I’ll pM my email!

 

Good job.

 

Thank you.

When I do projects like this, I usually post for sale on TW and Etsy. Right now this is a work in progress. There are still some minor things I'd like to improve. I rounded some corners and fixed some minor bugs. I'm printing the next version now. It's an 8 hour print on the fastest (Draft) setting...

 

doesn't a gps or smart phone eliminate the need for hard copy maps? much cheaper than a wife/gf

 

All in good fun my friend.

 

that is true, until you get to where you don’t have cell service and the Tacoma GPS doesn’t show roads.

I like what he did, but it looks like it would be too small to hold my DeLorme maps.

 

Paper maps have much more functionality than just being available when out of cell phone service, or having no battery power. The social aspect of sharing them during a trip, being able to write notes on them, and the ability to return to old notes for a revisited area make them actually fun to use. Also, they provide a unwired experience if you are on vacation and just want to enjoy the experience without all the sht a phone brings into one’s life. Also, have you seen all the big green blobs on your navigation system when you’re driving off road? Maps fill all that in without a subscription fee.

 

I was wondering about the DeLorme map books, that’s too bad it’s too small because those are our favorites as well. But all those little county and state AAA paper maps are the ones this would be great for!

 

Here’s another fun activity for kids and adults at camp: hand them a real compass and a map, and tell them to find out where we are. It used to be just kids that couldn’t do it, but more and more I find adults getting totally lost when handed a topo map. Pretty sad.

 

My navigator keeps the 11"x17" California map book between the passenger seat and center console. I've found that map lasts much longer if I replace the staples with 10# fishing line. I also reinforce the cover with clear packing tape and run packing tape down the center page (where the fishing line runs between the staple holes).

 

On the latest iteration, I'm changing the angle of the front to match the contour of the center console.


And making a mirror image for the driver's side. FreeCAD makes that easy with the "Mirror" operation.



I don't think I need this on the driver's side, but I wanted to see how it fit. My leg doesn't touch it. More importantly I like the angle that follows the contour of the center console. And it will make the maps on the Navigator's side easier to identify with a corner exposed.




Now for sale on TW

 

Nice work!

I've been hesitant to start into using PETG, but that finish looks fantastic!

 

Love the change to follow the contour of the console! Just wondering though, what's to keep the maps from flying out if you hit a bump or incline?

 

I just a download the maps into my phone on Google. Problem solved.

and I don’t think that PET will last out here in AZ. Maybe I’ll print some parts and test them.

 

I often prototype with PET, but if I need durability will shapeways with nylon.

 

I got a question about using this same "clip-on" design for a cell phone holder and realized that was already on my to-do list:



My first version of this was twice as tall and twice as thick; which was just stupid. And this version is still 50% too wide; which is still dumb. Then, after carefully measuring my cell phone, I realized I should check the specs of the latest models. So I'm printing what I think would be the right size for current iPhones now.

I'm wondering if there's anything else that could go on the side of the console panel. My garage door opener is one candidate (it is currently pinched between that same console plastic and the carpet).

What else would you want to mount on the side of the console? A pistol? A multi-tool? A PEZ dispenser? How about this gem:

 

You'd have to hit a hell of a bump but I suppose a long bumpy incline could dislodge the maps. I can tell you that compared to the maps that have been sitting on top of the dashboard this would be a welcome problem. But I have been working on a version that would address these concerns.

But it would be even larger- the biggest part I've tried to print:

 

People still use maps, GPS , Satellite Navigation ? lol....