To mail drop food resupply…or not... [Archive]

O'RYAN

12-30-2014, 18:05

Looking for advice on whether or not it is reasonable to complete a NOBO AT thru hike without using mail drops for food resupply. I thought that I read somewhere that it could be done without much real difficulty, but after much searching I can't find the post. I know that without mail resupply the food expense will be higher, and the food selection poorer, but how much of an issue is it likely to be?
Comments from anyone with thru hike experience, or who has hiked the trail without mail drops would be great.
Planning to begin my NOBO thru in mid to late March, 2015.
Thanks.

Lone Wolf

12-30-2014, 18:12

i did 5 thru-hikes with no food mail drops but folks with no where near my experience are gonna tell you to send mail drops. just wing it as you go. or not

Grampie

12-30-2014, 18:22

During my thru I only did two mail drops. I liked going into towns for resupply. Never had a problem buying enough food to get me to the next town. I saw quite a few folks who brought food they thought they would like, sent it to POs for resupply and than gave much of it away because their tasts had changed.

swjohnsey

12-30-2014, 18:25

You can get by without mail drops or bounce boxes. I used some mail drops. I even sent a mail drop to Mt Washington just to see if it would work. It does. Have you ever tried to buy a single roll of tp or one of those little tubes of tooth paste in a convenience store? Getting a mail drop is sorta like getting a package from home . . . well, it is like getting package from home. It always boosted my spirits.

Slo-go'en

12-30-2014, 22:17

Its always fun to see pictures on Trail Journals of people with 2,000 power bars and piles of food ready to go and then find out they quit the trail after 2 weeks.

Its sort of a wash. Mail drops can tie you down and screw up your schedule waiting for it to arrive if you show up in town on the wrong day or after the PO closes. Postage isn't cheap these days either, but food at little stores along the way can be expensive and the selection minimal.

But there are enough Dollar Generals and supermarkets which have a decent selection at decent prices. It's not like your doing some kind of expedition into the God forsaken wilderness after all. Heck, there are large sections of the trail where you can go and get lunch everyday someplace off the trail and still kick out a 20 miles day. I did that pretty much all through PA, NJ and NY. Its called the deli to deli hike.

Del Q

12-30-2014, 22:41

I could see not doing them but prefer my own food. No way I could find this stuff on the trail. Having said this I am a section hiker so timing is not as much an issue

aaronthebugbuffet

12-30-2014, 23:22

Started with them.
Cancelled them all after Damascus though when I realized how easy resupply was.

Jeff

12-31-2014, 07:51

If you are dehydrating some of your meals, then mail drops make sense.

garlic08

12-31-2014, 09:00

Some end up with a hybrid approach. Set yourself up from home for the first few weeks. Then every month or so after that when you get to a large town and want to take a day off, pick up a few boxes, go shopping at the supermarket, fill up the boxes, schlep them to the PO and mail them to yourself farther up the trail. By then you'll have a good idea of what you like to eat on the trail, and even if resupply boxes are necessary for your hiking style and appetite.

I did some of that on my first long hikes out West, but not on the AT. Resupply on the AT is so easy, it's almost negligible, as long as you don't mind the occasional load of peanut butter and hot dog buns or the like.

bigcranky

12-31-2014, 09:27

If you're on some sort of very restricted diet, maildrops might make sense. Otherwise it's easy to get into town to a grocery store every 4-6 days. Some places you'll be resupplying at the Exxon station, but most towns have real stores.

RED-DOG

12-31-2014, 11:47

I have done three AT thru-hikes and on both my NOBO thru's i bought 100% of my food along the way except on my 96 Flip-Flop i did what i called 50/50 i had half mail drops and i bought the other half to me mail drops became a big hassle so i quite doing them, and i agree with Lone Wolf their is no need for Mail drops on the AT, unless you have like Medications or special dietary needs then mail drops would probably be a good thing.

Sly

12-31-2014, 13:50

Mail drops can not only be for meds, dietary restrictions and dehydrated food, but maps, sections of guidebooks, or other items you can buy beforehand at substantial savings including food, such as batteries, socks, maps, etc. Cold weather gear can also be mailed out and back.

One huge benefit of doing mail drops is knowing beforehand you have enough food to complete a thru-hike. If you shop as you go, and blow your budget by Damascus or Harpers Ferry, etc. you're screwed. You can shop frugally before your hike and save costs associated with postage. You can also supplement drops with fresh foods, as you hike.

So what if you make 30 drops beforehand and have to leave the trail short of your goal, due to injury, boredom etc. The food will not go to waste.

dangerdave

12-31-2014, 15:00

heck, there are large sections of the trail where you can go and get lunch everyday someplace off the trail and still kick out a 20 miles day. I did that pretty much all through pa, nj and ny. Its called the deli to deli hike.

^^^^^me^^^^^

RED-DOG

12-31-2014, 16:04

If your going to do Mail Drops look into " Trail Logistics.com " sounds like a pretty good deal.

O'RYAN

12-31-2014, 17:22

Many thanks to everyone for the great replies to my query. Each reply provided info that is valuable to me in making my decision. At this time I am leaning heavily toward not using pre-arranged mail drops for food resupply. Means less up-front preparation for me, less effort for a support person as the hike progresses and maybe a less strict schedule since I won't have to be concerned about meeting resupply points. I will plan to use the mail (either send home, or a bounce box) as clothing/equipment needs change during the trek. Thanks again for the input, and everyone have an outstanding New Year.

Lone Wolf

12-31-2014, 17:26

jimyjam

01-01-2015, 02:22

I start my thru hike March 2016 and do not plan to do mail drops. I may decide to have a few things mailed to me at some point but not regular mail drops! Too expensive, too much planning and rushing or waiting around (I'd rather enjoy the hike) and a dedicated menu that'd surely become boring!

Life is full of ups and downs! Hike on!

MuddyWaters

01-01-2015, 08:05

Even with mail drops, you will find you will hit stores too for perishables. Fruit, tortillas, bagels, cheese.

So why bother except where there is no choice.

Sly

01-01-2015, 10:59

Even with mail drops, you will find you will hit stores too for perishables. Fruit, tortillas, bagels, cheese.

So why bother except where there is no choice.

Because you could show up at places like Mountain Crossings or Fontana Dam with nothing to buy or pay double the price. You dehydrate food. You found a deal on your favorite meal. You don't care to carry 34 maps for the entire trail. Lithium batteries are hard to find. You mail sections of guidebooks. You want your loved ones to be part of your hike.

ericmack

01-01-2015, 11:31

I would assume meds are an important part of mail drops. For us oldsters- heart meds, pain meds, replacements braces for knees/ankles, and all sorts of stuff to keep an old battered body moving over a very tough trail.

MuddyWaters

01-01-2015, 11:49

Because you could show up at places like Mountain Crossings or Fontana Dam with nothing to buy or pay double the price. You dehydrate food. You found a deal on your favorite meal. You don't care to carry 34 maps for the entire trail. Lithium batteries are hard to find. You mail sections of guidebooks. You want your loved ones to be part of your hike.

mailing Li batteries is not allowed.:(

Lone Wolf

01-01-2015, 12:02

mailing Li batteries is not allowed.:(

yes they are
http://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2012/pb22336/html/updt_004.htm

MuddyWaters

01-01-2015, 12:08

yes they are
http://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2012/pb22336/html/updt_004.htm

You are correct. But its only surface mail, which excludes priority mail, which is how most food drops are often mailed due to weight in the single price box. You also have weight restriction of package size to be ~3 day max.

"5. The outside of the package must be marked on the address side “Surface Mail Only, Primary Lith*ium Batteries—Forbidden for Transportation Aboard Passenger Aircraft.”6. The mailpiece must not exceed 5 pounds.

Ill revise my statement to be " mailing Li batteries is a pain." :)

I dont know if there is a hazard material surcharge , because Ive never mailed Li batteries due to the restrictions. But it wouldnt surprise me.