Mailing home gear at Neels gap

[no-name]

There will be some kind of bug trying to get into one of your bodily openings!!! Haha!!!

No matter WHAT the shakedown guy says, do NOT send home your bug head net, because there may not be Mosquitos, but there WILL be gnats!

[SunnyWalker]

MC is great. I loved it there and I did not send anything home. They went through my pack and told me "good" so it was good. I did buy a pair of hiking shoes though. I still use the same exact brand all these years later. I was not on a thru hike but section hike. I start my thru hike of CDT this June 2014. I did hang off the rock wall on the porch and kind of stood on a wobbly shack thing they had about 4-5 feet below the surface of the wall. I hung on like I was falling and it was a great gag photo opp. Good memories.

[Jack Tarlin]

I object very strongly to Irishlover's comment above, and I challenge him to corroborate it with factual evidence. His claim is an ugly one, and without corroboration, it should be removed.

[Mags]

While I agree with Jacks first statement, people are allowed to express invalid opinions. Seems like the chorus of positive replies negates teh bad damage and actually helps. A tribute to a good business.

[T-Rx]

I have personally always found Mtn. Crossings to be a great place with a staff of very knowledgeable individuals ready to help. My wife and I visited there years ago when we first started backpacking. They helped fit us with packs and shared a lot of long distance hiking tips. We have subsequently made many trips to Mtn. Crossings for gear and info. and always come away pleased. They provide different levels of service for different people and skill/ knowledge levels. If you don't like their services then don't use their facilities. But I already have my next visit there planned next week for an adjustment to my wife's pack. Thanks to the owners and staff of Mtn. Crossings!

[Hill Ape]

irish must not have gotten any love, not even a hug, the brogue failed him causing cognitive dissonance. but i'm a thru hiker hero, with an accent, WHAT?!

[Jack Tarlin]

I appreciate Mag's comment above, but I truly believe that when someone goes out of their way to slag a business, hostel, or other Trail facility, especially under the cloak of anonymity, they should back up with what they're saying. To baldly state that a business is a rip-off, or that it "preys" on hikers, well these are strong words, and if the remarks can't be backed up, perhaps it is best that they simply not be made at all.

[attroll]

They provide a service to hikers that chose not to do the proper homework and test their gear properly prior to leaving. No preying involved.

I agree with this statement. However it is up to the hiker if they choose to listen to there advice or not.

[mountain squid]

I would not rule out the lawn chair.

Why carry any type of chair for 10-12 hrs a day and maybe get one hour of usage out of it?!? Sit on a rock, log, picnic table, shelter floor or even just sit on the ground. It doesn't make sense to me . . . .

Here's another thread on the Neels Gap question. I think it would be beneficial if future hikers would take a pre-trip to Mountain Crossings. Maybe the year before (hint to all you 2015ers) your hike when the current hikers are going through. You'll have done very good Homework as Malto suggested.

See you on the trail,
mt squid

some observations

[Tennessee Viking]

The Nat Geo Channel had a special on about the AT. And a segment was all about Neels Gap mail outs.

Books
Extra tents
Extra gear
Extra food

[bigcranky]

I like Mountain Crossings. They are one of the few outfitters in the country dedicated to long distance hiking. Many hikers show up at Springer with, shall we say, suboptimal gear, and those hikers have an opportunity to fix any issues only 30 miles up the trail. Just enough time to figure out what isn't working. Any hiker who doesn't want help or doesn't need any food or gear doesn't have to walk in the door.

I would object to anyone who claims that MC "preys" on hikers. Unless you want to make that claim about any business near the trail, from restaurants to convenience stores to bars or even hostels, all of which offer goods and services to hikers that the hikers gladly consume.

Harumph.

[rafe]

[QUOTE=mountain squid;1864741]
Here's another thread on the Neels Gap question. I think it would be beneficial if future hikers would take a pre-trip to Mountain Crossings. Maybe the year before (hint to all you 2015ers) your hike when the current hikers are going through. You'll have done very good Homework as Malto suggested.[/QUOTE]

I think a much more practical solution for most hikers would be the take the gear you've got, and head out on the trail (ANY trail with some decent hills on it) and just feel comfortable that it all works and does what you want it to. Learn how it works, or doesn't. Deal with any shortcomings -- before you head out for your once-in-a-lifetime, six month hike.

What I mean is: enough with the shopping and spread-sheeting and basement tinkering. What matters is, do you know if your stuff works, as a package, on the trail? The only way to know is to try it.

[bamboo bob]

A machette.

One year. I think 2000 the Hiker Box at Neels Gap had a Machette, Condoms, and a Flare Gun. But no flares, we wondered where the guy shot them and if he got rescued.

[bamboo bob]

Mountain Crossings is over rated!!! They prey on the hikers that come to them for help.

That is so unfair to say. You think they should say nothing and just let them suffer? Don't replace that metal canteen or coleman stove ? No one forces people to buy stuff. I never needed to buy a thing but I was happy to eat some of their food. And they were very friendly whether you buy something or not. I was surprised they don't sell liner socks. I would have bought a pair!

[fastfoxengineering]

Mtn Crossing's is a great resource for anyone who did not do their hmwk. Believe it or not, more people than you think start an AT thru hike without actually treating it like a thru, more so, they treat it like an extended backpacking trip. They go to EMS/REI or any retail outfitter, and the salesperson sells them heavy, inappropriate gear they don't need. Sure that full mess kit sounded great in the store, but you don't need it and will not use it. That 4.5lb 70L pack is also inappropriate. And yes, you'll see funny stuff sent home. Cross brows, chairs, radios, and things to that nature.

Less is WAY more on the AT. Some peeps just dive into it head first without spending hundreds of hours researching it through the internet and books. All the power to them. Now that's a sense of adventure, not knowing what your getting into. But it sucks when they do realize it is best for them to exchange most of their gear at MC early in their hike, spending a lot of money.

But either way, prepared or unprepared, anyone who makes it to Khatadin, is a very knowledgeable, very experienced, lightweight thru-hiker.

[bamboo bob]

They provide a service to hikers that chose not to do the proper homework and test their gear properly prior to leaving. No preying involved.

Some people are so uneducated about backpacking they simply don't know enough to do any research. " It's "camping" right. What's to know? I went camping in the Whites with my grandpa out of his old Mercury station wagon. Hey, I bet I can use that same gear, its in the barn. This will save me a lot of money down at Dicks. Off a go!"

[Prime Time]

I found Mountain Crossing and the NOC to be the two best outfitters on the trail. Professional, helpful staff that were willing to go above and beyond to help you. They are in a unique spot to do what they do at MC, and I think they do it very well. Some folks just see any place that's doing business as preying on people. A strange way to view the real world if you ask me.

[rafe]

Some people are so uneducated about backpacking they simply don't know enough to do any research. " It's "camping" right. What's to know? I went camping in the Whites with my grandpa out of his old Mercury station wagon. Hey, I bet I can use that same gear, its in the barn. This will save me a lot of money down at Dicks. Off a go!"

Amazing thing is, some of those fools will get to Katahdin. And other experienced, well-prepared hikers will not. Go figure!

[Prime Time]

Amazing thing is, some of those fools will get to Katahdin. And other experienced, well-prepared hikers will not. Go figure!

Yeah, at the end of the day it's a lot more about the hiker's will than about his gear. My hiking buddy did his thru last year with 15 plus year old LL Bean everything. His pack must've weighed 45 - 50 pounds most of the time. He was an animal and probably could have kept hiking north to the Arctic Circle.

[rafe]

Yeah, at the end of the day it's a lot more about the hiker's will than about his gear. My hiking buddy did his thru last year with 15 plus year old LL Bean everything. His pack must've weighed 45 - 50 pounds most of the time. He was an animal and probably could have kept hiking north to the Arctic Circle.

This was basically how it was done 'till maybe 15, 10 years ago. We (well, some of us) just didn't know any better.