View Full Version : cheapest way to eat on A.T?
BrandtCantWatch
03-06-2015, 21:41
Hi there, I am going to try and flip flop the a.t this year starting last week of april headed nobo from harpers ferry. I only have a budget of around 3k for the trail. I need to eat cheap. Any suggestions on food or other money saving tips?
Don't splurge on expensive eat out sit down meals. I find it's not so much the food but the other things like hotel stays, alcohol, impromptu gear replacements, sometimes gear repairs, shoes, etc that most often eat most deeply into my limited trail budgets. REALLY, not getting caught up in town is a primary way to avoid blowing a trail budget for me as well as many others.
swjohnsey
03-06-2015, 22:00
Stay out of town except for groceries. Don't drink alcohol.
BTW, in 2006 thrued the AT NOBO on $2800 total which INCLUDED money spent on trips into Washington DC for July 4th and getting off the AT at Hanover NH to head to NJ for my bro's wedding.
BrandtCantWatch
03-06-2015, 22:09
I plan on staying in town as little as possible. When i hike i like to smell and go a week or more without a real shower. i am a tad overweight so for the first month i wont need to eat as much. dogwood i would like as much advice as you are willing to share
Slo-go'en
03-06-2015, 22:11
Get the discount card for each major grocery store you get to. Go right to the service desk and ask for one. Look for items which are on sale. If possible split bulk items with another hiker. Shop at the Dollar General when ever possible.
But a lot of times you will be buying in small grocery or even convenience stores where the prices are high and the selection less then desirable. If your diet consists mostly of ramen noodles and sugar your going to have health problems due to poor nutrition. You can get away with that for a little while but it will catch up to you with serious weight loss, loss of stamina and possible long term health problems. Most people find they have to supplement their diet with a lot of restaurant food. Your gonna get hungry. Very, very hungry.
Figure out what it costs you to eat now and triple that, then add 100%.
Slo-go'en
03-06-2015, 22:17
BTW, in 2006 thrued the AT NOBO on $2800 total which INCLUDED money spent on trips into Washington DC for July 4th and getting off the AT at Hanover NH to head to NJ for my bro's wedding.
Yea, but that was 9 years ago and food prices have gone up significantly since then.
swisscross
03-06-2015, 22:22
The faster the thru...less money you will spend.
fiddlehead
03-06-2015, 22:22
Cheapest way to eat on the AT: Ramen noodles, Oatmeal (the real thing, not the instant), mashed potatoe flakes, tea instead of coffee, and of course, hike boxes.
You'll get sick of this food eventually.
But it is cheap.
Also, the generic brand of mac & cheese (more expensive than ramen but easier to enjoy IMO)
Now, if you can add a few shelter mice to that mac and cheese, it will give you some protein and help out other hikers also.
Good luck with that cheap food.
I started out that way myself. (not the shelter mice though)
But, now that I can afford a little more, I go for the Kraft.
bigcranky
03-06-2015, 22:23
Ingredients are cheaper than prepared food, so buy bags of nuts and dried fruit and make your own gorp instead of buying "trail mix." Same with food that needs to be cooked - the little instant mac&cheese bowls are really easy, but m&c that you have to cook is much less expensive (and not hard.) Avoid freeze-dried backpacking meals, they are very expensive for what you get.
Hike faster = much less expensive hike.
Last week of April means you won't hit a lot of winter weather, which will save you money since you won't have to get off for bad weather. A shorter thru-hike saves a lot of money: 150 days = 5 months = roughly 21 weeks. That's $150/week. Make it a 4 month thru and you're up to $187/week, which gets you a hostel stay each week for no extra money (but you have to average 18 miles per day, vs 14.5 mpd, so it depends on your basic hiking speed).
$3K can be enough. Good luck.
I agree with Slo-go'en. Don't overlook nutrition. Ramen and instant potatoes are cheap but you won't get far. You will find you need to supplement with real town food to maintain your health and stamina. You will find food occpies a lot of your attentions once you are on the trail. Stay away from convenience stores. Check out the hiker guides to see what resupply options are available in trail towns. If there is not a real grocery to resupply, use a mail drop.
4eyedbuzzard
03-06-2015, 23:30
When in towns, try to eat the things you don't get with your typical carbohydrate/fat/sugar foods on the trail. 1)fruits 2)vegetables 3)lean meat/protein.
Yes, Ramen and the Lipton noodles are cheap and can appear filling, but make sure to get enough Protein!
Protein can come from: Jerky, tuna, beans, other meats....
Heck, I would put a Slim Jim stick in with a ramen noodle to add protein (a lot of sodium, but for some people, this is no big deal).
In town - get your fruits and vegetables!
Suggestion on trail: take a multi-vitamin AND a vitamin B.
NY HIKER 50
03-07-2015, 00:00
You might want to throw some multi vitamins into the mix to make up for some of the losses. That way you won't wind up with a deficiency.
NY HIKER 50
03-07-2015, 00:01
I didn't see the post before so make me +1
Odd Man Out
03-07-2015, 00:43
Last summer I met a guy between Daleville and Pearisburg who was hiking NOBO with no money at all. Every week he would call a different friend and tell him he was hiking the AT and ran out of food and money and asked if he would mail him a box of food to the next PO up the trail. He figured he could get to HF before he ran out of friends. I'm not really recommending this strategy, but seriously, this is what he was doing.
CarlZ993
03-07-2015, 00:45
Disclosure: I didn't hike in the fashion you're suggesting. I saw some guys that were on a tight budget. I'll give you a few suggestions.
Always check hiker boxes in towns. Possibility of free food & other items (i.e. ziploc baggies, foot powder, fuel, etc). If you hook up w/ others watching their budgets, share purchases in bulk. I saw guys buying day-old bagels that were discounted & adding peanut butter (cheap breakfast). By minimizing town stays, you can maximize your budget. Use the AT Guide to find the cheapest (or free) lodging options & don't pass them up (Kincora in TN; Jailhouse Hostel in PA; etc). Maximize your food purchases at places where the food costs are minimal & go longer to the next resupply (bypass expensive resupply locations & go further to the next cheap location; think 'Walmart').
I wish you luck on your hike.
Sirsnappy09
03-07-2015, 06:39
It is worth it to invest in a dehydrator and make your own meals ahead of time. Sure it will cost a bit to do mail drops but the diversity of meals and nutrition offered far outweighs that imho. Not to mention that it really is cheap in the long run. Meal possibilities are nearly endless when made and dehydrated at home. Just my opinion.
Starchild
03-07-2015, 07:57
1 Start at Springer during the bubble. If you can hike 20+ m/d you may not have to carry or buy any food as there is so much trail magic provided. Actually this was a bit frustrating in that my pack weight did not decrease because everyone and their brother was feeding me.
2 Check hiker boxes before shopping.
3 Learn the skill of Yogi'ing
Use those 3 to get your variety, as #1 falls away you should be building skill #3
Supplement with cheap boring store bought hiker food such as ramen, which will also encourage you to work on skill #3.
This taught to me by a 3 time thru hiker who did each one for less then $1000 complete.
Starchild
03-07-2015, 08:04
Yes, Ramen and the Lipton noodles are cheap and can appear filling, but make sure to get enough Protein!
Protein can come from: Jerky, tuna, beans, other meats....
Heck, I would put a Slim Jim stick in with a ramen noodle to add protein (a lot of sodium, but for some people, this is no big deal).
In town - get your fruits and vegetables!
Suggestion on trail: take a multi-vitamin AND a vitamin B.
The OP stated he wants to stink, and a large part of that nasty, lasting, needing to burn your gear to get rid of the small, thru hiker funk comes from the body scavenging it's own protein by breaking itself down. So lack of protein would help him in this.
BrandtCantWatch
03-07-2015, 10:02
Thanks everyone. i am bringing multi-vitamins for sure. I will probably live off of rice sides, ramen, gorp and mash potatoes on the trail. But when i hit town i'll buy fruits veggies, meat and eat it at camp. I will also try and hike fast to save money. I dont want to start with the bubble seeing as ill probably waste more time in town if i do.