Bounce Boxes

[AAhiker]

I am curious if there is a size or weight limitation on bounce boxes. I know it is an odd question but I am debating bringing my dog with me and if I can get a 30lb bag of food take what I need and bounce it on that would be awesome. Is this possible.

[SunnyWalker]

On the CDT I read where one hiker used a orange 5 gallon bucket with lid from Home Depot for a bounce box. He used plastic ties to "lock" the lid on.

[SOBO_Pace]

Yes it can. The p.o. has specific boxes that are sold and the motto is "if it fits it ships". I saw a lady ship a huge rock in one. You may want to ask them to weigh the box first as it may be cheaper in some cases to use a regular box and just pay the freight on it. The large paid shipping box was around $16 I think.

[flemdawg1]

Cumalutive postage will kill whatever $ savings there would be in buying the bulk amount. For instance mailing a 25lb package measuring 30*6*20 from Hot Springs to Erwin is $17. And you probably only take out 5-10lbs before mailing it forward, so that's even more expense ($10 for ship on forward the 15bl, 20x2x8 remainder). If your dog needs a special food just call ahead to the next towns Pet Smart or a vet to ensure they have the food. Otherwise just get a smaller bag when you resupply.

[leaftye]

You'll pay a lot to ship 30 pounds over and over again. For me to ship a 30 pound package within my county using Priority Mail, it costs over $20. Whenever you open your package, you have to pay shipping again. It'd probably cost less to split it up and mail them to multiple locations via parcel post, even if you have some excess to throw away each time or bounce that small excess forward.

Priority Mail Flat Rate medium and large boxes have a 20 pound limitation. The traditional Priority Mail and Priority Mail Regional Rate has a sliding scale. Traditional Priority Mail has a 70 pound weight limitation and would allow you to use a bucket. Regional Rate Priority Mail tops out at 25 pounds, requires specific boxes and for printing labels to be paid for and printed away from the post office.

[flemdawg1]

Yes it can. The p.o. has specific boxes that are sold and the motto is "if it fits it ships". I saw a lady ship a huge rock in one. You may want to ask them to weigh the box first as it may be cheaper in some cases to use a regular box and just pay the freight on it. The large paid shipping box was around $16 I think.

The large box costs $15, and it costs $15 each time you mail it again. You can bounce it without opening it, but each time you do (open it) its $15 again. Financially its still a loser.

[AAhiker]

I was worried about that. He is on a special food, well really just a high quality, high protein one that can't be gotten at grocery stores. Hmm.... Thanks for the imput.

[SOBO_Pace]

Yes it can. The p.o. has specific boxes that are sold and the motto is "if it fits it ships". I saw a lady ship a huge rock in one. You may want to ask them to weigh the box first as it may be cheaper in some cases to use a regular box and just pay the freight on it. The large paid shipping box was around $16 I think.

The large box costs $15, and it costs $15 each time you mail it again. You can bounce it without opening it, but each time you do (open it) its $15 again. Financially its still a loser.

I found the boxes to be to expensive too. It was easier just to get things in towns. There were some that I really look forward to getting to and it was a plus but other times either the box wasn't there or the p.o. was closed. If I were to do it again I would do it with minimal bounce boxes. In the end I'd of rather spent that $15 for the box on a couple burgers..

[flemdawg1]

Check and see if its on Amazon and if its Prime eligible. Then just order it a week ahead and have it shipped to a hostel or held at the PO. Prime membership gets you free shipping on many items and for some thats is worth the $70/yr.

[leaftye]

Check and see if its on Amazon and if its Prime eligible. Then just order it a week ahead and have it shipped to a hostel or held at the PO. Prime membership gets you free shipping on many items and for some thats is worth the $70/yr.

Have you done Prime to a post office? I tried it once, and it failed miserably. I was out doing trail work, and not only did I have to drive about an hour one way into town, but I had to drive another hour to the next town to pick it up at a UPS mini hub because Amazon shipped it with a courier that would not deliver it to the shipping address. Customer service said they'd fix the problem, but even so, I'd contact customer service after placing an order to make sure they use USPS or Fedex SmartPost. I've heard bad things about Fedex SmartPost, so even though Prime deliveries are supposed to arrive within two business days, I'd allot at least a week or two because they might use Fedex SmartPost.

[AAhiker]

I'm thinking about switching to dehydrated dog food. It costs more but I can buy it in advance of my trip and 8lbs makes 24 and I think my 70lb dobbie can haul that with relative comfort.

[AAhiker]

Thanks for all the imput again btw. Not sure if I will use a bounce box now at all but not nearly as frequently in any event.

[rocketsocks]

I'm thinking about switching to dehydrated dog food. It costs more but I can buy it in advance of my trip and 8lbs makes 24 and I think my 70lb dobbie can haul that with relative comfort.

Had no idea they even made such a thing...pretty cool.

[quilteresq]

Yes it can. The p.o. has specific boxes that are sold and the motto is "if it fits it ships". I saw a lady ship a huge rock in one. You may want to ask them to weigh the box first as it may be cheaper in some cases to use a regular box and just pay the freight on it. The large paid shipping box was around $16 I think.

Favorite quote of my husband - "Flat Rate Boxes - Best thing to happen to Geologists."

[CarlZ993]

You'll pay a lot to ship 30 pounds over and over again. For me to ship a 30 pound package within my county using Priority Mail, it costs over $20. Whenever you open your package, you have to pay shipping again. It'd probably cost less to split it up and mail them to multiple locations via parcel post, even if you have some excess to throw away each time or bounce that small excess forward.

Priority Mail Flat Rate medium and large boxes have a 20 pound limitation. The traditional Priority Mail and Priority Mail Regional Rate has a sliding scale. Traditional Priority Mail has a 70 pound weight limitation and would allow you to use a bucket. Regional Rate Priority Mail tops out at 25 pounds, requires specific boxes and for printing labels to be paid for and printed away from the post office.

I thought the Flat Rate boxes only had a 20 lb limit if they were shipped to an APO address (military overseas).

[leaftye]

I thought the Flat Rate boxes only had a 20 lb limit if they were shipped to an APO address (military overseas).

You're right. That limit was for International.

[Blissful]

That would be expensive, bouncing up dog food on the trail.
You can get 5 lb bags of chow in towns. Guess it depends on the brand.

[bennett254]

My vet is Dr. Golden at North Asheville Animal Hospital. He's extremely well respected. He's former faculty at Auburn. He's written numerous articles and conducted a number of foundational studies in veterinary medicine. He says the majority of high end foods and limited ingredient foods are marketing scams. There's no need for them at all unless your dog has a specific allergy. He recommends a mid priced food like Iams or Science diet. Both are readily available and cheap. If you need more calories or protein then supplement with olive oil and peanut butter. The dogs will love it and they'll get extra omegas. Canned mashed pumpkin is a good vitamin supplement that most dogs love too. There's a reason so many vets pimp science diet.

[Coffee]

I'm planning to use a bounce box on the Colorado Trail this summer and will probably do so on the PCT next year. In doing some research on postage rates, I came across a very interesting option that is much more economical than medium or large flat rate boxes.

The Priority Mail Regional Box B measures 12" x 10.25" x 5" and has a capacity of 615 cubic inches. It costs just $6.16 to mail this box within two postal zones. In practice, mailing a bounce box is unlikely to exceed two zones. For example, Breckenridge to Creede is just one zone.

In contrast, a medium flat rate box costs $11.30 to ship anywhere in the US and has only a 546 cubic inch capacity. A large flat rate box costs $15.80 and has a 792 cubic inch capacity.

Regional Box B seems like easily the best value at 78% of the capacity of a large flat rate box while costing far less. In fact, it would be cheaper to mail two Regional Box B than a single large flat rate box.

So unless I'm missing something, using Regional Box B overcomes the cost issue that stops many people from using a bounce box. Of course, the question of being tied to USPS hours and/or finding businesses to mail boxes to remains an issue. Still, given the much higher cost of some things in resort towns or the total lack of availability makes it seem like a bounce box could be worthwhile.

[leaftye]

Regional Rate is a better way to ship if you're mailing it from near the trail. Last time I checked, it also required making your own shipping labels and order your own boxes.