No mail drops?

[MannDude]

Hey all,

I'm trying to plan a thru-hike for 2013 and was wondering how many people relied on mail drops. Are they necessary?

It's just, I don't really know who I would have mail me items along the way. So, are mail drops more of a 'personal luxury/convenience' as opposed to a 'absolute necessity', or what?

As always, thanks.

[Maddog]

I resupplied in town every few days in 2010. I didn't use any mail drops. Unless you have special dietary or medicinal needs, they are unecessary.

[ekeverette]

that's good to know because i,m same situation....

[Lone Wolf]

Hey all,

I'm trying to plan a thru-hike for 2013 and was wondering how many people relied on mail drops. Are they necessary?

It's just, I don't really know who I would have mail me items along the way. So, are mail drops more of a 'personal luxury/convenience' as opposed to a 'absolute necessity', or what?

As always, thanks.

i've done 5 thru hikes and never did a mail drop for food. drops are totally unnecessary

[Ladytrekker]

I have never thru hiked so totally speaking on opinion and not experience but mail drops seem to me to defeat the purpose of the hike. My thoughts on a thru is to be prepared not stupid but face head on the challenge of each day a mail drop takes that element away from the hike. When I do my thru God willing and good health I will not do mail drops. And who wants to be a slave to have to be somewhere on a certain day seems to much like going to work.

[MannDude]

I have never thru hiked so totally speaking on opinion and not experience but mail drops seem to me to defeat the purpose of the hike. My thoughts on a thru is to be prepared not stupid but face head on the challenge of each day a mail drop takes that element away from the hike. When I do my thru God willing and good health I will not do mail drops. And who wants to be a slave to have to be somewhere on a certain day seems to much like going to work.

Thanks, that was more or less my thought. I read a couple long thru-hiking articles and one of them had this garage full of boxes and food that was going to be sent. It seemed a little.... overkill?

I can't stick to a schedule for the life of me, so it'll be nice to NOT have one.

[Grampie]

I have never thru hiked so totally speaking on opinion and not experience but mail drops seem to me to defeat the purpose of the hike. My thoughts on a thru is to be prepared not stupid but face head on the challenge of each day a mail drop takes that element away from the hike. When I do my thru God willing and good health I will not do mail drops. And who wants to be a slave to have to be somewhere on a certain day seems to much like going to work.

I totaly agree with you. Now I don't have to answer.

[Wobegon]

I didn't use any on my NOBO thru. I see a lot of problems with mail-drops and a lot of hikers around me experienced problems with them on their hikes:

I can't count how many times hikers around me tried to rush into a town early on Saturday to make it before a post office closed. Then, when they missed it, they'd have to wait until MONDAY.

A lot of trail town post offices will probably be closed within the next few years, many already out on the trail have ridiculously short hours.

Depending on where you're from and what you bought to send yourself, lots of people weren't saving any money paying to ship the boxes to you on the trail.

I met one couple that had already bought and packaged 54, 54 mail drops! They got off before Roan Mountain. I hope they still enjoyed eating Lipton sides until the 4th of July at home, since they already had bought them.

Buying as you go lets you buy more variety, and most importantly, it SUPPORTS THE ECONOMY OF THE TRAIL TOWNS YOU VISIT.

[10-K]

They can make things a little easier though. I sent a few maildrops that saved me some time - notably Caratunk and Glencliff.

It's more of a convenience thing than a necessary thing.

[Spokes]

1+ on what 10-K said.

Sorta like saying you don't really need Netflix (you can drive yourself to a movie theater) but it's real convenient to stream a show every now and then.

Hmmm, come to think of it, the story of human ingenuity and evolution boils down to convinience..... i.e., fire, eating utensils, the wheel, printing press, .....