Thanks guys. Colebatch - I'm definitely planning to stay on the main routes. It's just hard for me to visualize exactly what to expect for road conditions. Everybody I meet says - "Oh! No roads at all! Absolutely nothing! Totally off-roading all the way!" That's definitely what appeals to me, but I'm trying to imagine what that looks like in reality. If there is nothing at all, and I'm just off-roading across the steppe, great! But that means I need to navigate with the map and compass, pretty much at all times, no? You seem to suggest that the main routes are a bit easier to follow. So I guess my main question now is: Is the Reise-Know-How map sufficient for navigational use? Just one map of the whole country? I've used the Reise maps in other countries and I think they're great road maps. But if I'm trying to analyze the topography of the landscape, take a bearing on my compass, and charge across the wilderness, is the Reise map going to be enough? Or are the tracks clear enough to follow where I don't need to be so meticulous with the navigation?

Also, I'm not totally against buying a GPS, it's just that I prefer to use map and compass and I have loads of experience navigating the old-fashioned way. But I don't know where to buy a GPS at this point in the trip and have never even used one before anyway!