Thru hike cost?

[tomsawyer222]

I am doing my calculations to figure how much money i need to have to do my thru hike and i am wondering if anyone has/ remebers a break down of about how much they spent on their thru hike?

[spittinpigeon]

About nine thousand, give or take a thousand. I'm not sure, call my five credit card companies, they'll give you a more accurate run-down.

[Marta]

You've hit on a subject that just about everyone planning a thru-hike wonders about. There is an article by Weathercarrot about keeping the cost down, and there are a number of threads on the cost. If you use the search function in the toolbar above, you will find a number of lengthy discussions of this.

In a nutshell: there are a few hardy souls who manage to get by with a couple thousand dollars; most people spend 4 or 5; some spend two or three times that much.

[Lone Wolf]

I am doing my calculations to figure how much money i need to have to do my thru hike and i am wondering if anyone has/ remebers a break down of about how much they spent on their thru hike?

$5000. todays standards

[Shiloh]

That would be $5,000 (+/-)

PLU$$$ -

The cost of 5 to 6 months for your current Basic Monthly Expenses for things like mortgage/rent, car payments, utility bills, credit card/loan payments, etc.

Also - don't forget the cost of 5 -6 months of Lost Wages.

The Good News is your monthly gasoline budget will go way down.

Cheers.

[Pedaling Fool]

....
The Good News is your monthly gasoline budget will go way down.

Cheers.

Good point. Start riding a bike now and bank the gas money

[jersey joe]

I'm shocked that people are quoting 5k-9k for a thru hike.
I spent roughly $650 for food on my hike and maybe #300 more in towns along the way.
Granted I had my equipment already and thru hiked in less than 4 months, but my equipment cost me about $500. That brings my total to roughly $1500 with gear.
I think most people opt for spending more in towns and gear but a thru can be done for less than 2k pretty easily.

[DavidNH]

I don't think it is unreasonable to budget 5000 dollars for a thru hike. This will allow you an occassional hotel night or big restaurant meals.

yes you can get by on a couple grand.. especially if you want to race and get the trip done in 4 months or less, and will have minimal town time.

But it is also important to take into account the other expenses. The recent college grad or younger, living at home for example, and has no outside bills will have a less expensive time of it. However if you are say 30+ and have to still maintain rent or storage fees, possibly loans, you will have higher expenses.

I think you should set your goal at x dollars for the hike, and then budget for a few thousand more than that so you can account for the unexpected. You may have to replace gear for example.

Also in NC and TN things are cheep. Not the case up in New England.

DavidNH

[jersey joe]

I don't think it is unreasonable to budget 5000 dollars for a thru hike. This will allow you an occassional hotel night or big restaurant meals.
DavidNH

I don't think it is unreasonable either to budget 5k for a thru. But the question was how much you NEED. 5k is prohibitive for a lot of college kids aspiring to thru hike. I was just pointing out that it can be done for less. Probably good to share both viewpoints though.

[JAK]

With this reccession coming people might be changing their view about what is reasonable. You could do a lot worse with $5K however. A lot worse. It is probably one of the more environmentally friendly ways to spend $5K and 6 months if you've got it.

HYOH

[Frosty]

I'm shocked that people are quoting 5k-9k for a thru hike.
I spent roughly $650 for food on my hike and maybe #300 more in towns along the way.
Granted I had my equipment already and thru hiked in less than 4 months, but my equipment cost me about $500. That brings my total to roughly $1500 with gear.
I think most people opt for spending more in towns and gear but a thru can be done for less than 2k pretty easily.

There were two reasons whe your hike was so cheap compared to others:

1. You hike was only 111 days long. Most hikers now take 180 days. That alone would bring the food total up to $1,000 but you are exceptionally frugal. You averaged under six dollars a day for food, so you obviously did not spend much time in restaurants. From your hike, you undoubtably realize that this is the exception.

2. Of the 111 days of your hike, you spent 100 days in the woods and had no zero days. You had a total of only 7 nights where you paid for lodging: 4 nights in a hotel and 3 in a hostel.

In short, you are an exceptional hiker, and I mean that in the most positive sense.

You and Weathercarrot show what CAN be done. But most people still spend around five grand, I believe.

[Johnny Swank]

I'll have data available about this available on our site in about a week, assuming I can get a few hours to play with some data from my thru-hiker study. I'll try and sort things by decade, and give the numbers from the most recent years as well.

[Grampie]

I don't think it is unreasonable either to budget 5k for a thru. But the question was how much you NEED. 5k is prohibitive for a lot of college kids aspiring to thru hike. I was just pointing out that it can be done for less. Probably good to share both viewpoints though.

I also think $5000 is about right for what is required to do a thru. I caretake at a cabin in Mass. and a lot of younger hikers, at this point, are talking about leaving the trail because they have run out of money.
I always tell folks: Two things that you need to do a sucessfull thru are enough time and enough money.

[baxter]

I've budgeted 5,000 for my thru-hike this year, but I don't really expect to spend that much. I have all my gear, and don't expect to spend many zero days, hanging in town.
We'll see how it goes.....

[JAK]

I hope when I go there will be people as addicted to simple things like tea and honey as I am. I think most everybody is like that once they are on the trail though. My problem would be dragging my butt out of town. My arm is just as rubber as the next guys. I would like to see a lot of little tea and coffee shops spring up, with cheap live entertainment. Hard to make a living running a place like that I suppose. Perhaps we will all soon be blessed with another Great Depression, and things might get back to normal.

[Lone Wolf]

the south is loaded with prissy little tea shops with evening poetry readings. that's why i have a hard time getting past damascus

[Pedaling Fool]

I hope when I go ...

So JAK, when are you going to let your feet do your hiking, you must have some pretty stong fingers by now.

[partinj]

I read somewhere can't rember right now that a guy did the trail on $800 took him 7 months to do the trail. he must have stay in the woods mostly incl. off days. I allready have all my gear before i start planing my hike. And i think you can do the trail on less than $2000 maybe $1500. I plan only gone to town to resupply and maybe get a meal sometime in a all you can eat buffers. plus i think you can stay petty clean on the trail with out geting a shower ever few days. If you just carry some wipes or a small fold up bowl to wash up with. I fig just on paying for showers you can spend $400 or more. just 2cent worth

[JAK]

My fingers will still be doing most of my walking for awhile, at least as far as the AT goes. I am thinking that it would be a really cool thing to do with my daughter in a few years if she is willing.

That's good to hear Lone Wolf. I think if I did it as a thru I would want to do it SOBO mostly because it is more natural for me to hike in the direction away from home towards the less familiar. I have driven to Florida many times over the years but only managed to get off the beaten track a few times. It is good to know I would have something to look foreward to. It's not all about the Smokeys and the Whites.

Next time I travel that far south will likely be for Disney or something crazy like that. Wife says I gotta do it someday and Margaret is getting to be just about the right age. If we do I would like to drive down, for reasons of nostalgia mostly. It would be fun to get a taste of places like Damascus along the way, but just as a teaser. Wouldn't want to spoil the dream.

[Jack Tarlin]

$3000 to $4500 is fine for most people, and many folks have great trips with less.