What do you recommend as an infantry ready map board in the field?

Go to supply and get a flight crew book. It's a small, blue notebook with rings. Inside of it, is basically smaller sheet protectors. I use this for all of my reporting formats, leaders book info (names, battle rosters, blood types, serial numbers, etc) and for any map overlays that I may need.

Seriously you're going to laugh. Glad brand press and seal. I used it for my land nav at wlc, my map went into puddles and swamp, it stayed dry. I brought it with me in country. It provides a perfect seal around maps, and you can use dry erase, pencils, pens, and sharpies on it. A roll of it is a lifesaver. Plus you can fold it if you need t.

Sir- You need to get a "Hobbit" map. Its a map special, made at the Hobbit Shop, just outside the gate of Fort Bragg. They take orders over the phone, and will hobbitize your map, regardless of your current duty station.

A hobbit map is a standard 1:50k, broken down into multiple sections, on the backside of my hobbit map, I would attach FSCM, reporting cheatsheets, and any whatever else i needed. Best part, when it's all folded up, it fits perfectly in the center compartment of your Army-issued TAPS. Throw any overlays, and whatever else you need in there. It worked great for me throughout 3.5 years as a light 1SG.

If you have more questions about what I mean, or want pictures of what I'm talking about, I will send them to you via another medium. Just reply back here and we'll get the ball rolling.

Here's another idea for the overlays problem, introduced to me by the foreign legion- use a typical laminated map. Lay packing tape on top of your map for your general AOR, with a pull tab built into the end. Draw, write, plot, whatever you need to do on top of the packing tape. When you're finished, you can lay more packing tape on top to waterproof it. Then, in the event of compromise, you can rip the whole thing off, and your mission will remain a secret.

Finger and dirt if you really want to go light.

I had the very same issue: my first assignment was with a mechanized infantry battalion, and the map board was key, but my second assignment was with a light infantry battalion, and my nice, big map board just didn't fit in my cargo pocket. My solution was to make a mini-map board that DID fit in my cargo pocket. Same concept as the big one, just smaller; it was maybe 5 x 8 or so, perfect for the cargo pocket or sticking in a cargo carrier on the IBA. I commanded two light infantry companies (a rifle company and an HHC), in Iraq and at Ft. Riley, for a total of just about 31 months, and I used my mini-map board the whole time.

I really like the flight book idea. I didn't know it existed. At my level I didn't need much for maps so I always kept it simple. Laminated maps or ziplocks. I used pencil during the opord with very little markings and abbreviated bullet notes that only my squad / section could interpret. Once sealed I used sharpie for hard references and dry erase for variable references. If something changed the dry erase removed the sharpie. Fine tip marking pens worked best since I like to see under the writing. I'm going to try the flight book and I thing I'm going to give the glad press n seal a try. So many great ideas on here. Reports I always wrote the line in sharpie and then I would add the variable info in dry erase on the go. I made my own shorthand so it was fast and I wasn't standing on objective doing administration type stuff for too long. I've always kept a low profile admin pouch on my kit right under my name tape. It's modified for what I need and excess was cut and trimmed off. It's also where I mount moral patches... ;-)

I used the shiny self-adhesive acetate (the thinner matte kind will permanently stain with alcohol pens and non-permanent pens are worthless in a light mode). Get two maps and cut the first one to the size you desire (cargo-pocket size worked the best for me). Then acetate them (front and back) and tape the seams with 100mph tape to lower moisture seepage at the edges. Use more 100mph tape to create "hinges" between sections so you can fold the whole map...the other map is so you can cut it offset from the first to account for the areas the tape overlapped. The flight crew book others mention is ideal for the other things you might have to carry as a leader, but this can go in your backpack or assault pack as you don't need it all the time. Anything you need readily (areas to sketch, notes, etc...) can be done by leaving part of the backside of the map uncovered by the 100mph tape. That way you have a nice white area to mark on. If you're looking for a less permanent solution, clothing sales will usually have something like this (http://www.tacticalnotebookcovers.com/store/map_cases/tactical_admin_data_organizer_map_case.htm). If not, try a Ranger Joes, US Cav store, or whatever the local civilian tactical store is near your post. These map covers fold up nicely and will hold a map sheet folded in two. The advantage here is you can change out maps. The disadvantage is you can't write on them and expect the map to stay in place (plus permanent markers are usually permanent on these).

Well there CPT being an 11MJ3 years ago and platoon Daddy/Leader I use to laminate my maps then I used green duck tape and cardboard for backing and sprayed waterproof spray on the back of it when it was done for I did have the same thing but now it was more flexible and water proof then what I had like you. Improvise is key here and lots of imagination when you a Mechanized Infantry Grunt. Master Gunner class of 90'. 5/18 mech inf batallion, "Spartans
kills Tanks" Friedburg Germany Desert Storm 91'!!!! 3AD Spearhead.....Capt Cloy awesome Company Commander!!! Ohh Waaa!!!!

I used a zip lock bag....