How many mail drops....

[left52side]

I know this is a very variable question as it could change with many people depending on preference.
I am just asking on general what would be a good number to account into my planning.

[Cookerhiker]

Are you thru-hiking?

[Slo-go'en]

Plan on two, which will be gear swaps as you transition between seasons. Exactly where you'll do this is highly variable, but you'll know when it's time. Other then that, there's no good reason for a mail drop unless you need something special and that can be sent on demand (if you have someone to handle that) when and where you'll need it.

The thing is, if there's a Post Office you can get to, then it's usually just as easy to get to a store. It's often easier to get to a store. I think the bulk of the hiker mail these days is gear bounce boxes and that you do as you go along. Food is just purchased along the way. And by shopping locally you help the AT community and stores have better hours then the PO.

[colorado_rob]

Plan on two, which will be gear swaps as you transition between seasons. Exactly where you'll do this is highly variable, but you'll know when it's time. Other then that, there's no good reason for a mail drop unless you need something special and that can be sent on demand (if you have someone to handle that) when and where you'll need it.

The thing is, if there's a Post Office you can get to, then it's usually just as easy to get to a store. It's often easier to get to a store. I think the bulk of the hiker mail these days is gear bounce boxes and that you do as you go along. Food is just purchased along the way. And by shopping locally you help the AT community and stores have better hours then the PO.Just asking: Is it appropriate, in a "mail drop forum" to try to talk folks out of using mail drops? reminds me of the throng folks who comment in the Speed Hiking or UL forums, telling us light and fast folks how our styles are wrong.

But yeah, OP, tell us what you're doing, if in fact you're attempting the full AT thru, I'd estimate on average, every 5-6 days is what I used for my food drops, not meaning I always resupplied with 5-6 days of food, I used a lot of "top off" points to supplement food, like in SNP where you can buy full meals every day, or stores right along the trail where you can buy some snacks easily to extend food/mail drops, that sort of thing.

[bigcranky]

Actually, I do think it's appropriate to point out that most hikers don't resupply with mail drops anymore. When I talk to people who haven't done any long distance hiking, they all assume that the only way to get food is to buy it all in advance and mail it, which was for many years the default option. Nowadays, though, there has been so much development in the mountains that finding a good grocery store is pretty easy. Since most folks don't necessarily know that, it might be useful information.

To the OP: the answer is highly variable. Some hikers with very restrictive diets do maildrops the whole way, others have a supplemental package mailed every couple of weeks with things they can't get at small local grocery stores, still others do two big maildrops to swap out from winter to summer gear and back again. On the AT there are a couple of places where you may want to buy food in a grocery store and ship it ahead, sort of an ad hoc maildrop -- Fontana Dam is often suggested, though even there you have options for getting to a real grocery store. (On the PCT and CDT hikers often do this.)

It is possible, with a lot of work, to save a few bucks buying food ahead of time in bulk, then shipping it to post offices and hostels and the like. Two potential downsides to this plan are (1) you may grow to dislike the food you bought so much of in advance, and (2) if you get off the trail, you'll be stuck with six months of pre-made trail food to eat. :) The other downside is the high cost of shipping food, which may wipe out any savings realized by buying in bulk.

If you would like to use maildrops anyway, for whatever reason, you can look through one of the thru-hikers guide books and figure out where the post offices and other locations that receive packages are. Then figure out how long it might take to hike between them, and set up your mail drops that way. If it were me, I would not want to carry more than about six days worth of food, but I'm a wimp that way. :)

[TexasBob]

I am planning to have my wife send me just maps, sections of the trail guide and to swap out cold weather and warm weather gear. I have 12 mail drops planned - that is one about every 150 miles or so. I will buy food and everything else along the way.

[colorado_rob]

[QUOTE=bigcranky;2046264]Actually, I do think it's appropriate to point out that most hikers don't resupply with mail drops anymore. QUOTE]I strongly disagree, I think it's inappropriate on a mail drop forum. Obviously, we agree to disagree.

And FWIW, lots and lots of folks use mail drops, very successfully. HYOH.

[MuddyWaters]

The correct answer is the number you need/want

Which is different from anyone else

Others have done 0 to 20

Cost is break even mostly too

[left52side]

Hi everyone thanks for the reply's
Yes I am planning A thru hike next year with my k9 companion.
I was curious about mail drops more so for his food realizing there probably inst going to be places as often to buy him food as there is me .
I was planning around 20 but dont know if that is to much,I am thinking about gatlinburg and fontana for sure,but am open to suggestions on the rest.

[Venchka]

Have you read the park rules about dogs in national parks? The AT passes through 2 national parks.
Gatlinberg is a big town. Dog food should be plentiful.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[Cap'nNo0bert]

Has anyone shipped themselves a consistent diet?

I've been a lurker on here for a while but I am setting out for a thru-hike, NOBO, starting in April.

Most of the boiler plate food itineraries I've seen look like crap. I understand that burning so many calories per day requires a modification in your diet. I suspect and hope it can be done without resorting to Cosmic Brownies and 200 snickers bars? I respect anyone that can do that for months but i don't know if I can. I was thinking lots of GORP, quinoa/lentils/rice/beans/couscous along with dehydrated veggies and fruits would be fine.

Anyone have any insight on mailing that type of stuff as far as cost and how much a week's worth of food might weigh?

[left52side]

hi there Venchka (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/member.php/46440-Venchka) yes i have looked into it and called the ATC with questions as well.
There is only two aspots that have an issue with a pooch as to what I was told,one in the smokies and one about 15 miles from the end of the trail in maine,since my brokie is a trained service companion and licensed as such they said they would honer that to the fullest so im not really concerned about to much right now,but defiantly plan on doing more research.

[soilman]

How often do you plan to go into town? Down south most trail towns have decent sized super markets where one can get almost anything they need. The one exception that comes to mind is Hot Springs. Not much there. Port Clinton and Delaware Water Gap don't have any supermarkets but there are options available nearby by taking a shuttle or bus. There are super markets in Stratton and Rangely but nothing farther north. I think you can get by with a half dozen strategically placed mail drops.

[squeezebox]

The big question is why are you thinking of mail drops. Lots of places to resupply along the way. Your own dehydrated food can be a good enough reason, or special diet.
Texas Bob; I worked out 14 drops for maps. I'll show you my list if you show me yours!!!

[left52side]

squeeze box I was primarily thinking of mail drops for my pooches food as well as certain luxury items that might not be found along the trail as easily as food, like tobacco,treats,any numerous little things .

[bigcranky]

squeeze box I was primarily thinking of mail drops for my pooches food as well as certain luxury items that might not be found along the trail as easily as food, like tobacco,treats,any numerous little things .

This makes sense, since some places where I could resupply for myself I would have a hard time finding decent dog food. And he probably won't do well on Knorr pasta sides and pop-tarts. :)

[squeezebox]

So tell us a bit about quality dog food.
Thanks!

[left52side]

So tell us a bit about quality dog food.
Thanks!

Well I feed my brokie pooch taste of the wild grain free dog food and I would say that is pretty quality and have actually tasted some of the dried beef that is in there and it doesn't taste bad lol.
I could probably feed him anything in a pinch but for someone or something as loyal as my animal doing a thru hike with me I would want them to have the best possible meals they could along the trip ,and if that means a few more mail drops then so be it.

[CarlZ993]

I opted to use mail drops for food. I opted to have them more frequently to keep the pack weight down. I didn't see many people using my system... but it worked for me. I'd occasionally supplement some extra food that I'd buy along the way. One of the biggest downfall with this system wasting a lot of food. I found that I was covering mileage faster than I anticipated & not needing all the food that I had shipped to me. A couple of times in NH & ME, I had to add extra meals as it took me longer between a couple of resupplies than I planned.

The following was my food resupply system on the AT in 2013:
USPS Food Mail Drops = 32
UPS Food Mail Drops = 1
Resupply @ grocery store = 1

My wife was my pit crew @ home. It was a lot of work for her to do this. Too much. I'd alter this system if I were to do the AT again. Fewer mail drops, more grocery resupplies.

I did some sleeping bag swaps in Harpers Ferry (VA) & Hanover (NH).

[jemster]

for what it is worth to you -
I think that if you read all you can about planning an AT thru hike, read alot of these threads, and go on other websites - you will be able to digest it all and decide what is best for you. Think about how you handle things now in your day to day life and all the situations where you figured things out and made do. And, remember it is YOUR hike. You cannot do it "wrong". The only wrong way would be to not do it at all 'cause you did not think you could do it right.
I am leaning towards 6 drop offs. That would be one box each month for me with more nutritional stuff, luxury items, etc. and also swapping seasonal gear. The rest of the time I will wing it and that will be part of the adventure and challenge.

[Jack Tarlin]

There are all sorts of posts and threads here on WB about food, re-supply, and maildrops. (See the "Articles") section of the site more more info. Most of today's hikers choose to buy their food while en route for all sorts of reasons. There are lots more places to purchase food and supplies than you might think. In fact, there are only a handful of places where it's a good idea to send yourself a small foodbox; these are places where re-supply is limited, lousy, over-priced, or all three. Some folks send a parcel to the Nantahala Outdoor Center; Fontana Dam is another possibility, tho the re-supply there is better than it used to be. The Headquarters office of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is also a good spot, as re-supply in the town itself is limited. And if you don't get a ride or hitch into Hamburg PA, Port Clinton is another spot where you might want to send a small maildrop. But that's pretty much it, tho if your dog is on some sort of specialized diet, you may well opt to send more drops. Last tip.......whenever possible, try and send your boxes to NON post-office addresses, like hostels, motels, Outfitters, etc, as this way you'll have seven-day access to them and won't have to worry about getting to town on a day when the Post Office is closed. And use Priority Mail, it's very quick and not that much more than parcel post. Lastly, remember that if you send stuff via a private carrier (like UPS or FedEx) it MUST go to a real address, and cannot be sent to or picked up at a Post Office.

[fabianscorpio]

I'm hiking SOBO from Swatara Gap, PA to Amicalola Falls....this may not be a huge help if you are going NOBO, but perhaps it will give you an idea of how I planned my trip...

First and foremost, I tried not to carry too much at a time, 4 to 5 days of food on average...but there were a few times when this simply was not an option and I had to carry more. Anyway, I also 'assumed' that letting myself buy in towns now again, not only added to the experience of hiking, but also would allow me to choose other dinners and snacks that my mail drops contained, and, perhaps also allow me to assess what I really needed and when, and might give me a chance to adjust for my next mail drop. So here is my SOBO plan, for half the trail, from Swatar Gap, PA, to Georgia (my flip will be NOBO from PA to Maine)...

*I’ll start with about 3 days of food at Swatara Gap, PA and head SOBO…

Buy - Duncannon, PA – Buy 2/3 days of food
Mail - Boiling Springs, PA – Mail drop – 4 Days of food ( + 4 to ??? days of supplies depending on the next town stop, and mail drop)
Buy - Waynesborough, PA – Buy 3/4 days of food (extra supplies would have been sent at the last mail drop…etc…this is how I did it)
Mail - Harper’s Ferry, PA – 4 days of food
Mail - Linden, VA – 5 days of food
Buy - Big meadows wayside – Buy 2/3 days of food
Buy - Loft Mtn Wayside(open after may 4th)- Buy 2/3 days of food
Mail - US250, Rockfish Gap (Colony House Motel) – 4 days of food
Mail - Montebello, VA – 7 days of food (option to buy more here as well)
Buy - US220 (Troutville/Daleville) – Buy 2/3 days of food
Mail - Catawba, VA – 5 days of food
Mail - Pearisburg, VA – 4 days of food
Buy - VA606 (Trent’s Grocery) – Buy 2 days of food
Buy - VA610 (old rich road) – Buy 1 day (if needed)
Mail - Atkins, VA (Relax Inn) – 5 days of food
Mail – Damascus,VA – 4 days of food
Buy – Hamton,TN – Buy 2/3 days of food
Buy – Elk Park, NC – Buy 2/3 days of food
Mail – Greasy Creek Friendly – 5 days of food
Buy – Devil Fork Gap – Buy 2/3 days of food
Buy – Hot Springs, NC – Buy 3 + Fuel + Smokey Mtn Permit!!!
Mail – Standing Bear Farm – 5 days of food (buy more food/fuel there to support them)
Buy – Fontana Dam – Buy 2/3 days
Mail – N.O.C. – 5 days of food
Buy – Dick’s Creek Gap (Top of Georgia Hostel) – Buy 2/3 days
Mail – Neel Gap (Mountain Crossings) – 3/4 days of food
Buy – Springer Mtn (just for the experience of it)
Buy – Amicalola Falls (again, just for the experience!)

Hope that helps someone!

[rafe]

The trend over the years has been to fewer mail drops. Rather than rehash the excellent info in the above posts, I'll just mention something not to do... which is, to have a mail drop sent to Mt. Holly Springs rather than Boiling Springs. The two towns aren't far apart, but one is right on the trail, and the other is a long walk, in the rain. Only a fool would do that.

[Auto Draft]

I did three - Atkins, VA, and two in NH. None of them were necessary and I hardly used the food I sent because I got rid of my stove. The biggest benefit was having my AWOL guide split into three parts which saved a lot of weight.