View Full Version : Yes Or No To Mail Drops
I'm debating on whether to do some mail drops or not. For those of you with 1st hand experience would you do them?
Lone Wolf
02-10-2016, 02:45
I'm debating on whether to do some mail drops or not. For those of you with 1st hand experience would you do them?
never for food just gear, maps, etc.
I crave different things at different points of a long hike. I'd never be able to pre-package food and have it mail dropped, because it'd probably be something that I did not want by that time I got it. Exchanging gear, cold weather for warmer weather stuff, can be useful. I've not figured out the bump box thing. Sending extra batteries and stuff ahead when the cost of shipping equals out the cost of me just picking some up at a store, and I don't have to wait around for post office hours to get what I need.
It's always fun, for me anyway, to walk into resupply and go with what I can find. Sort of makes each point a little different and memorable in a way. I once loaded up for a 3 day stretch with 20 snickers, along with other food items. I ate everyone over those 3 days! Ha!
Old Hiker
02-10-2016, 07:56
never for food just gear, maps, etc.
Pretty much this. However, this time, I'm going to have a few energy bars I can't find in stores sent with the maps.
I'm also using a quilt for the first LONG distance time, so I have my old sleeping bag boxed and ready to go, if I can't get used to a quilt.
Gambit McCrae
02-10-2016, 08:14
I haven't done a thru BUT from my longer section hikes and seeing logistics of others Wolf is right.. There are plenty of towns etc to resupply along the way. I would say you will save money if you have self control while buying resupply in store.
I had 5 food drop boxes set up with 4 days of food in each. I think I used 3, two in Maine.
I found Baltimore Jack's resupply article posted on WB very helpful, I downloaded it into my phone.
As few as possible. Only for stuff you can't go without, and can't buy locally.
Maildrops tie you down. Post offices aren't open 24/7. Even sending packages non-USPS locations has issues.
Don't use 'em for food unless you have a totally exotic diet. Get all the oatmeal you could ever want from hiker boxes.
garlic08
02-10-2016, 09:21
Not needed on the AT, except for gear and maps. I've done a few food drops on more remote hikes.
colorado_rob
02-10-2016, 10:02
Just another vote: I used mail drops for my entire AT hike, worked great. I got the food I exactly wanted, I saved time in trail-towns, and I saved a lot of money; I bought my food in bulk before my hike, much cheaper than grocery stores, about 50% off (or more), which way more than made up for postage.
For the record, I had someone to mail me my boxes (my wife).
YMMV, mail drops were perfect for my hiking style (going on the cheap, maximizing time on the trail vs. in towns).
One point: I learned early on to avoid mailing boxes to post offices, mail them to hostels/hotel/other merchants because of post office hours, like being closed from noon (or so) Saturdays until Monday morning. Tons and tons of hostels/hotels/merchants accept and hold boxes for hikers. All spelled out in AWOL.
I think there is a place for mail drops for food. There are places along the trail where there is no convenient place to resupply but a mail drop is feasible. Andover, ME, Caruntunk, Pt. Clinton, Delaware WG, come to mind.
Maildrops might help with limited resupply options at certain locations; specifically Fontana and Monson. Other than that buying as you go is easy, and the best option when it comes to maintaining flexibility of your schedule.
One danger with mail drops is that your taste may change over the course of your hike. Take a good look at what's left in hiker boxes -- as an example of what not to send yourself.
Any of your usual mostly-starch empty-calorie quick-cook meals, don't bother. You can get those at any mini-mart. Hiker boxes are full of that stuff, left in anonymous Ziploc bags.
takethisbread
02-10-2016, 11:21
Negatives to mail drops:
1. Unnecessary as there is stores all along the way
2. Hours of post office or place you mailed could be closed when u get there, forcing you to wait extra hours or days
3. The food you mailed could be not what you want or need
4. Expense. $15 per mail drop using usps priority.
5. Theft. It happens
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
MamaBear
02-10-2016, 11:35
Either way. I did use them, because I had made my own dehydrated dinners, but bought breakfasts and lunches and some snacks in town. That helped with the variety and change in taste over time. I had a lot of different dinners, so I tried to make sure to rotate what I got in each box. Using the boxes also allowed my family to add treats and other surprises to the boxes for me. It was fun for them, and also helped to keep them involved in the hike and where I actually was on the trail. While it certainly wasn't an absolute necessity (no special dietary requirements), it was nice to get a box from my family (aka Team PomPom) at home.
Lone Wolf
02-10-2016, 11:43
i've known so many people that had 15 or so boxes ready to be shipped all the way up the trail and never make it out of georgia. and if they do make it out they're tired of the crap they sent after the 3rd drop or so. so they end up giving it away, sending it home or send it ahead. just buy as you go
colorado_rob
02-10-2016, 12:13
Negatives to mail drops:
1. Unnecessary as there is stores all along the way
2. Hours of post office or place you mailed could be closed when u get there, forcing you to wait extra hours or days
3. The food you mailed could be not what you want or need
4. Expense. $15 per mail drop using usps priority.
5. Theft. It happens
Positives of mail drops:
1. Save time in trail towns. I just wanna stuff my face with pizza and throw down some beers and chat with pals. Not grocery shop. Puke. I do all my grocery shopping for the trail way in advance, at home during lousy weather. All at once, done!
2. Food can be mailed to right where you want to stay (hostels, etc); again, don't use post offices unless you're 100% sure you will easily get there when open. There is zero drama with this. AWOL has it all spelled out where you can send your food boxes. If you decide to stay elsewhere, the original hostel will gladly still give you your box. Some want 5 bucks for holding it w/o you staying there. No problem.
3. You get exactly the food you want, you're not at the mercy of local "cuisine" and whatever is in stock, sometimes at very marginal stores
4. SAVE MONEY; buy in bulk before you go, I save 50% or more, way more than making up for postage. I'm cheap. this is probably my #1 reason for mail drops.
5. Never ever had anything stolen on any trail or trailhead or town in probably at least 15,000 miles of hiking. Good odds going forward.
6. Prepackage your dehydrated foods, saves weight! Lots of weight sometimes.
7. Toilet paper! I need maybe a roll a week. How do you buy one single roll? I suspect lots of thru hikers just steal it from bathrooms. I throw a roll in each resupply box. Easy-peasy!
8. Drink the coffee you want and like! Not at the mercy of whatever "coffee" is sold in those parts.... I guess this is redundant w/ 3.... but as a coffeholic, this is especially important.
Rafe makes a good point; if you really aren't dialed in on what you like, mail drops might be bad idea. LW also makes another good point: make sure long distance hiking is what you like, if not, be conservative on preparing boxes ahead of time, might all go to waste. My wife and I hike all the time, all year 'round, no prepackaged food boxes would ever go to waste. I was also pleasantly surprised at one "mail drop" that I for some reason didn't make it to. I wrote off the box. A month or so later, voila! It showed up at our house. I guess that's part of the priority mail service.
Total no-brainer for some of us! HYOH, but listen to all sides of such arguments and make your own call.
4eyedbuzzard
02-10-2016, 13:50
The following applies to Priority Mail packages only - not Parcel Select/Standard Post.
Best not to send packages much more than 30 days in advance as technically USPS doesn't have to hold them longer than this. Trail P.O.'s aren't hiker warehouses. That said, many P.O.'s in trail towns will hold them until the end of the usual thru-hiker season and then return them to sender if not claimed. It's still best to call the P.O. directly if you will be late, want it returned, or forwarded, etc. ALWAYS put "Hold for AT thru-hiker" on the box. Always have photo ID available when picking it up.
There are positives and negatives regarding sending to other than P.O.'s. As colorado_rob noted, sending packages to a private address avoids the problem of arriving at a P.O. after closing hours. Worst would be say a Sat afternoon on a holiday weekend and not being able to get your package until Tues. But, if sent to a private address, rather than a P.O., it is considered delivered mail - you can't then forward it or get it returned for free - you'll have to pay, and make arrangements with whoever you sent it to. If you miss a drop(s) at a P.O., you can call the postmaster and have them forward it up the trail (or return it) for no additional charge. Just some plusses and minuses to consider.
Casey & Gina
02-10-2016, 14:44
I think a factor which hasn't brought up is how connected you still want to be with the "real world" while out on your LD hike. Personally, I'd like to disconnect as much as possible, so wouldn't want mail drops or any pre-planned support from others.
I think a factor which hasn't brought up is how connected you still want to be with the "real world" while out on your LD hike. Personally, I'd like to disconnect as much as possible, so wouldn't want mail drops or any pre-planned support from others.
On a long hike, most likely you'll be making town stops in any case on some ongoing basis, to top off your food bag if nothing else -- whether it be from local supplies or a mail drop.
And of course, more food or supplies aren't the only reason one stops in town.
Casey & Gina
02-10-2016, 16:00
On a long hike, most likely you'll be making town stops in any case on some ongoing basis, to top off your food bag if nothing else -- whether it be from local supplies or a mail drop.
And of course, more food or supplies aren't the only reason one stops in town.
Yep, but that's impromptu, not pre-planned. Totally different in my mind anyways...
soumodeler
02-10-2016, 16:43
I did one mail drop on my thru attempt last year, at Fontana. The rumors of no resupply there were 100% incorrect when I got there, as every hiker food you could imagine or want was in stock. I had mailed enough to get me through the Smokies and when I opened the box, I realized that I didn't want half of it and the other half I didn't need as I had sent too much. When I try again, the only thing I will be mailing is gear to change from cold weather to warm weather and back again.
takethisbread
02-10-2016, 17:10
I did one mail drop on my thru attempt last year, at Fontana. The rumors of no resupply there were 100% incorrect when I got there, as every hiker food you could imagine or want was in stock. I had mailed enough to get me through the Smokies and when I opened the box, I realized that I didn't want half of it and the other half I didn't need as I had sent too much. When I try again, the only thing I will be mailing is gear to change from cold weather to warm weather and back again.
Fontana store opens in mid March I believe, so some early starters can get shut out there.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
soumodeler
02-10-2016, 17:23
Fontana store opens in mid March I believe, so some early starters can get shut out there.
I knew some of the restaurants opened later in the season but I had not heard that before. My understanding was that it was open year round.
Fontana store opens in mid March I believe, so some early starters can get shut out there.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Same with Shenandoah, if you get there too early no place is open.
Caratunk, ME (is the PO still even open there?) and the Barn Restaurant in VA, both come to mind as a good place for drops.
takethisbread
02-11-2016, 07:45
I knew some of the restaurants opened later in the season but I had not heard that before. My understanding was that it was open year round.
Definitely not
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
LittleRock
02-11-2016, 09:01
Depends on what kind of hike you're doing.
Mail drops are probably not a good solution for thru-hikers. Planning mail drops months in advance is more trouble than it's worth since they are likely to get off schedule. For most thru-hikers, money is a bigger issue than time. They will save money by buying in town, and taking time out to go to the store isn't a big deal since they will have plenty of time to do so on zero days.
On the other hand, mail drops can be quite useful for section hikers. On a trip of less than a month you can guess pretty accurately where you are going to be at any point in time. If you are taking time off from work to hike a section, money is most likely not an issue, you most likely aren't going to be taking zero days, and taking time out to go grocery shopping doesn't seem very appealing. I particularly enjoy being able to walk into town late in the day, have a box of supplies waiting for me at the motel or hostel, and leave early the next morning.
colorado_rob
02-11-2016, 09:37
Assuming you do have someone at home mailing boxes for you, no advanced planning is required. I just call or text my wife about a week in advance and have her send the next couple boxes to wherever I know I'll be and when. This only bit me once on the entire AT, and that box was returned, so zero loss. I also tell her how many days of food to put in the box, usually 5, sometimes 4 or 6. I also forgot to mention, she always put a little surprise something in each box, made it kind of fun when I opened each new box.....
Again, without a wife/partner/mom/whomever to send boxes for you, mail drops wouldn't work too well. I also took only three zero days my entire AT (Hot Springs, Damascus and Monson), so everyone's style is different.
JaketheFake
02-11-2016, 11:18
^ Like a big Cracker Jack!
My $.02 Depends on your food, what I like and eat on the AT cannot be purchased in stores, for example, dried plums - tasty, sweet, light. Spam single serving. My breakfast instant oats, Nido, protein powder mix, etc.
Hotels, PO's, hostels, shuttle drivers - like drop shipping myself what I want and what I need, including "hooch", new fav is 151 Rum. Good luck finding that down South
OldTrailDog
02-11-2016, 21:48
No experience with mail drops. I've weighed the pros and cons and I will be using some mail drops, both for gear and for chow/sundry items. I will be using more drops than the recommended 5 towns with limited resources or exorbitantly expensive resupply items. (my brother calls these places Hoovervilles because they vacuum the bucks out of your wallet)
* At $18 for a large flat rate and $14 for a medium flat rate I will save substantial bucks over purchasing items at inflated AT catering towns.
* I plan on a dietary mix of freeze dried food that I have purchased for less than 50% the standard cost.
* For most breakfasts I prefer my own mix of Oatmeal, powdered milk, powdered peanut butter, 60% cocoa chocolate chips, and dried fruit. I am confident I can premix/and send along with the other supplies for much less than the quantities I would need to purchase along the way.
* I will be adding snacks purchased at the Dollar Store. I seriously doubt if I will encounter many Dollar Stores along the route.
* I definitely am not a picky eater, if it is edible, it is will be consumed when I'm hungry enough.
* The foods I will be sending will require minimum preparation, weight, and fuel usage. *
* I will second the coffee addict comment, must have quality joe.
* Since my dog will be coming I plan on having some USA dog jerky sent too. My BCs have thoroughly enjoyed some jerky for lunch and it is a good source of protein. I am not likely to find this in trail towns, and if I do not in a cost effective manner, versus bulk at Costco. I repeat USA. I will probably find something else dog delectable too.
* Since flat rate boxes are flat rate, I will have my wife stuff any extra room with snacks or small gear needs.
* Again, this will not be the sole source of a dietary mix. I will purchase most of my food in towns along the way, but the mix should be pleasant.
* I can have small bottles of Dollar Store pepto bismo sent to help during recovery from bouts of gluttony whilst sampling trail town fare.
jersey joe
02-11-2016, 22:04
i've known so many people that had 15 or so boxes ready to be shipped all the way up the trail and never make it out of georgia. and if they do make it out they're tired of the crap they sent after the 3rd drop or so. so they end up giving it away, sending it home or send it ahead. just buy as you go
Yes, and the numbers don't lie, most people that set out on a thru hike don't finish.
Because of this and the fact that your food choices will change over the course of a thru hike I wouldn't use mailed boxes UNLESS you have someone at home who can send them as you go. My original menu had oatmeal for 3 out of 4 breakfasts and after two days I knew i had no desire to cook in the mornings.
I used 13 mailed boxes the whole way and it worked out great for me. I had someone at home sending me the packages and I could tweak them as i went. I also loved having the maps and switched them out with every box. I believe using mail can save you money overall.
Certainly consider sending boxes to towns with post offices right on the trail.
mattjv89
02-11-2016, 22:13
* I will be adding snacks purchased at the Dollar Store. I seriously doubt if I will encounter many Dollar Stores along the route.
In fact you will encounter many, some towns the dollar store is the only resupply.
My .02 on the maildrops thing, I didn't do any for food and was pretty happy with that. Knowing what I know now there's a few places where I would consider bouncing some food forward from the last big town, but even those wouldn't have a ton of savings after the shipping cost. Hitting the mark exactly right for running out of food when your next box comes seems tough to do consistently. I saw a lot of people giving food away from their boxes throughout the trail. Both have their pros and cons for sure it comes down to what you rather deal with. I would rather deal with buying three days of food from two overpriced gas station aisles than all the prep and scheduling of maildrops, plenty of others lean just the opposite.