I've done a lot of scav runs this wipe, usually after frustrating raids, or just to chill out and relax for some loot. Thought I'd give some insights on a few maps, since woods in particular gets a lot of hate.
Benifits of scav karma for the those who don't know: Shorter scav cooldown, lower chance of boss agro up to the point they'll never shoot you, as well as faster scav case runs for your hideout. Plus, after 6.0 rep, you can buy extra stuff from fence. This has been mostly a miss for me, but you can get some super cheap barter items (IE: round sunglasses, gas masks) good ammo at a super low cost, or if you're lucky high tier gear.
BEST MAP: Lighthouse
Obviously, not much else to say here. High competition, big loot payouts. If you've ran the map then you know.
MOST UNDERRATED MAP: Woods
Now, I know what you're all thinking.. "I HATE THIS MAP" but really, its a diamond in the rough when it comes to scav runs (or even PMC). I usually do night scav runs here, and the majority of the time the Military camp (near RUAF, i know it has a few names) is not hit. Its one of the few not key gated o.scopes spawns, goldenstars on shelves, 2 crates each for med/food/tech, a few duffle bags, and lots of ammo box spawns. In addition to that camp, especially if you have high scav rep, sawmil is worthwhile. 11 jackets iirc, a safe, keycard spawns, and if you're lucky + high rep, you'll find some dead PMCs who got murked by the Svetloozerskiy gang all without being shot at yourself. In addition to all of that, only one small part of the map is locked, and the majority of the stashes get ignored by those who run the map.
THE HIDEOUT / TASK MAP: Interchange
If you're looking for something for your hideout or tasks, you can usually find it here. Oli for hideout, IDEA / computers / tech stores for tech loot, Goshan for food, plenty of stashes, lots and lots of weapon boxes scattered throughout the underground / back of Goshan. Plenty of good stuff to get here if you know where to look, but even just going around aimlessly it'll likely still be profitable.
THE HAILMARY MAP: Reserve
This map has definitely been toned down, but you can still find the odd military item, even late in the raid, from a few different areas like the hangers that get mostly untouched. You can find your OFZ shells, tank batteries, and if you're lucky, a military power filter. While nerfed, there is a shit-ton of filing cabinets so its a great place to find your flash drives as well. With the flea nerf, this is probably the best place to find high tier ammo literally scattered throughout the map. Lots and lots of ration / med crates, so get your sugar and more here!
THE QUICK BUCK: Factory
Only have a few minutes? Want to kill some PMCs? This is the place for you! Not much to say here in terms of consistent loot, but theres some jackets, lots of weapon crates, and usually bodies everywhere.
THE STASH RUNNER: Shoreline
To me, unless you know the majority of the stash spots, this map can be a dud. The hot zones tend to be looted early, or are heavily key gated for the best stuff. That doesn't mean you can't walk into resort and come out with a Ledx, it's just unlikely. The true Cheeki Breekis who run this map go for stashes. They're all over, and you can come out with some slick gear if you're lucky.
THE LETDOWN: Customs
So far, this has been the worst map for me to scav on. Dorms / new gas / big red all kind of suck without keys, on top of that, crack house and stronghold are usually hit early in the raid, so you really are picking up just scraps even in night raids. In terms of stashes, ya, they're there, but if that's your goal you're better off going to Shoreline. Obviously you can still come out big, but for me its been a rarity on this map.
If anyone has questions about a particular map, I'll do my best to answer in the comments!
