View Full Version : On The Fly Resupply
Thru Vets...I don't plan on doing mail drops with any consistancy on my attempt so I'm interested in knowing what food items did you resupply with between mail drops? I was thinking definately a block of cheese and a summer saucage or salami...maybe a couple 'fish in a bag' (tuna's)...a Raman or two.....anything you can add?
Keep in mind these items need to be found in Cowpatty, USA as well as in larger towns like Damascus, VA.
Thanks in Advance!
Walkintom
05-06-2015, 10:33
Pouch chicken is good. Not always available.
Tortillas go well with lots of stuff.
Peanut butter is always tasty. Try peanut butter and cheese on a tortilla.
Couscous does great with freezer bag cooking. Ready in 5 mins.
Apples and oranges are good for the first couple of days out of town - more if you pack them carefully.
So your question is what you can buy in smaller towns and gas station mini-marts and the like? It's quite a list, and of course varies by the specific location as well as how your personal taste (and what you might be tired of) changes as you go along.
Best I think is if you can hit small towns and gas station minimarts with an experienced thru-hiker and see how they do it, but there's variation there too. On the AT, I think you need to worry (even) less about nutrition than some folks think, get enough calories with some variation. So in a minimart, get jerky for protein, starches are easy to find, be ready to eat cold (no-cook) if no heatable options are there, or a Ramen (optionally "with stuff" --- such as shredded jerky). Common from a minimart is to buy some sort of hot food option (hot dog, pizza, whatever), one/N to eat on the spot, another(s) to carry out for that evening's meal. Some minimarts will have fruit if you look (and/or ask) for it.
Pretty hard to completely summarize all of the options.
on all my thru's ( three ) i totally resupplied on trail ( No mail drops ) the food i would buy is.
1 Pasta sides, rices sides, mexican sides.
2 tortilla wraps.
3 block cheddar chesse.
4 summer sausage.
5 pop-tarts.
6 hot cereal.
7 instant potatoes.
8 Mac-cheese.
9 bagels.
10 cereal bars.
11 ramen noodles.
12 olive oil
13 tabasco sauce.
14 pepperoni slices
15 slim jims.
16 snickers.
17 hard candy.
18 salt, black pepper.
19 tuna packets.
20 tuna creations.
all items was found in small town USA and in larger towns. their is no need to do Mail drops on the AT.
Starchild
05-06-2015, 11:15
Sealed coldcuts of limited selection is often available, along with hotdogs, maybe polish sausage, all can be packed and expected to stay good for a couple days, weather and packing dependent.
swjohnsey
05-06-2015, 15:57
And at some places it might be beef jerky and Twinkies.
And at some places it might be beef jerky and Twinkies.
Maybe beef jerky, but Twinkies get wiped out quick. :)
garlic08
05-06-2015, 21:35
Good stuff above. I'll add that it was easy to find old fashioned oats, raisins and walnuts with which I made muesli (uncooked granola). One place I had to make do with a couple of days worth of hot dog buns and peanut butter, but even that was kind of fun--walking into town not knowing what you'll be carrying on the way out.
cannot believe that Snickers haven't been mentioned yet. Another great (but rare) find is premixed PB & J in the plastic jar. And the really skinny flat round bread that looks like a bagel that has been pounded flat. that stuff travels well in a pack, unlike regular bread.
ny breakfast
05-07-2015, 04:53
take advantage of changing things up at grocery stores. go for nuts, meats,cheese, pastries in gas stations and hope they have more options then that til you get to your next good resupply some gas stations have a large food selection. pre cooked bacon and instant mash potato's has been a new change in my resupply when i can get it
In terms of small (convenience) stores - it might be worth going to a bunch in your own area to see what they offer. Not that it guarantees anything on the trail, but if you hit several you should get an idea of what a store that size/type is likely to have.
If you're lucky the ones near the trail will be the ones with good food, like the newer Cumberland stores (but probably not).
Christoph
05-07-2015, 16:31
One of the things that keeps me going (I'm on the trail now), is the thought of that loaded baked potatoe with some spam added at the end of the day. Other than that, pretty much all the above mentioned are often very accessible out here. You'd be surprised what sounds good after a few days of eating the same thing. Get inventive. Haha
If you want to resupply without any mail drops, how far in advance (if at all) do you need to plan your stops? Is it safe to not plan at all and just hope that when you get off the trail there's a good place to resupply? I've talked to people that say mail drops are the only way, but if I can avoid the complexity of planning those out, that'd be great.
If you want to resupply without any mail drops, how far in advance (if at all) do you need to plan your stops? Is it safe to not plan at all and just hope that when you get off the trail there's a good place to resupply? I've talked to people that say mail drops are the only way, but if I can avoid the complexity of planning those out, that'd be great.
That's basically what I'm looking to side step is the logistical nightmare of planning drops.
Walkintom
05-10-2015, 16:38
When I'm buying food, I need to know how much to buy.
That necessitates knowing when and where I will stop next, or at the very least where I have options to stop with the ability to resupply.
So you at least have to have a general awareness of the resupply options ahead of time, right?
Walkintom
05-10-2015, 17:52
So you at least have to have a general awareness of the resupply options ahead of time, right?
At the very least the next resupply location. Ideally, the next 2-3 options.
Are there any guide books that have info like that?
Jordan's Dad
05-10-2015, 18:51
AWOL's guide lists grocery and convenience stores, as well as Dollar stores and Mall-Warts.
Walkintom
05-10-2015, 19:04
AWOL's guide lists grocery and convenience stores, as well as Dollar stores and Mall-Warts.
Yup. Good info there.
"That's basically what I'm looking to side step is the logistical nightmare of planning drops."
My feeling is that any hike that takes more than, say, 6 weeks or so might benefit from a resupply (or bounce) box. I have some prescription meds, like to replace my shoes after X miles (and not with just whatever I can buy locally). And it's my experience that I can usually find somewhere every month+ or so where resupply pickings are lean or a hassle to get to. Plus on occasion it's nice to have a box coming "anyway" so as to facilitate gear swaps.
So IMO the ideal number of resupply boxes for a long distance hike is "on the low side", but non-zero.
But I certainly get what you're saying. In recent years I've changed over to become a chunk hiker. One of the things that for me limits the extent of a "chunk" is requiring no boxes.