View Full Version : what do people usuually put in mail drops besides chow
I started planning my maildrops but haven't figured what I need too send in them besides fuel for my jetboil stove, viatmins and protien powder. I plan on buying all of my food along the way because it seems easier then planning out elaborate meals so far ahead of time. Everyone makes it seem like maildrops are so important, what else do you guys send to the trail?
Maps are the only thing that I may drop, though I'm still trying figure out a work around for those too.
You can get canister fuel along the way.
Mail drops for items that are hard to get along the trail:
Maps certainly are a major item. Why carry maps that you don't need right away.
pages from Companion: same reason as maps
Prescription medications, if you need them.
Film, but not so much with digital. but you might mail SD cards back and forth.
special foods, if you can't rely on normal grocery items.
Pick up summer gear at Pearisburg. (mail back cold weather gear)
Pick up cold weather gear in New Hampshire (mail back warm weather gear).
Flush2wice
11-23-2007, 09:05
...and the important things like whiskey and cigars.
johnny quest
11-23-2007, 09:29
im considering a bounce box for things i will use periodically. would that idea help?
Film, but not so much with digital. but you might mail SD cards back and forth.
2GB Micro SD cards are now $13. Link (http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Secure-Digital-SDSDQ-2048-A10M-Package/dp/tech-data/B000JLP5UK/ref=de_a_smtd) They weight less than an ounce and a few should last you the entire trial if you don't go jappy.
...and the important things like whiskey and cigars. If you can't get whiskey along the way, I ain't goin':D
im considering a bounce box for things i will use periodically. would that idea help?
If it isn't worth carrying, it isn't worth trying to play keep up with in POs.
Spare odd size batteries, Alternate clothing, socks, bottle of Vitamin I ( for refilling your regular stash if you carry it) baby wipes to refill your stash, extra stakes, bottle of basic spice/salt for foods, list of names/addresses/ phone numbers, and like Peaks said: SD cards and specialty foods.
I don't know what other people did out there, but for things like food spice/salt, I only carried a little bit, and didn't want to buy a whole container of it so I just kept refilling from a custom mix including salt that I made at home. Same with Baby wipes, just keep peeling off a stack from the box in my drop box till they were gone, you can't always buy them in little packets.
I'd be interested in learning from other people's mail drop lists, does anyone keep a list for this that would be willing to post it? :)
johnny quest
11-23-2007, 11:00
i can only tell you what i think i will put in my bounce box. i realize that much of what i plan will change once im out there. pretty much they consistof things i can buy cheaper in bulk and resupply as i need them.
large bottles of meds to restock from
premade jamoke to restock from
batteries
electric shaver
maps
Somethings may be cheaper to buy in bulk, but if you figure in shipping cost(s) your outlook may change.
A "bounce" a few cheap things, can cost than more the stuff is worth.
Somethings may be cheaper to buy in bulk, but if you figure in shipping cost(s) your outlook may change.
A "bounce" a few cheap things, can cost than more the stuff is worth.
I figured that out early on and stopped bouncing a box. But I was limited with my finances. Others find out that chasing post offices is more trouble than it's worth. Still others swear by a bounce box. I think they are becoming less popular however. There is so much info available about resupply along the AT. You can pretty much buy whatever you need along the way. Meds would be a good exception, although with chain drugstores, you can find an Eckerd, CVS or Walgreens just about anywhere in the US.
Phlashlite
11-23-2007, 11:27
Oorah and I started out with bounce boxes and soon found them to be more trouble than they were worth. It is hard to get to a post office when they are open and sometimes we hiked faster than the post office got the package there. In fact I am still trying to track down 3 packages. When we hike again we will just buy along the way except the evening meal which we buy freeze dry in bulk and make our own. We learned to have a 30 day supply sent to us by our daughter them broke it down ourselves and sent it on to our destination. We tried using hostels and places other than PO's this seemed to work better. Good luck with your hike!
bigcranky
11-23-2007, 12:42
In mail drops: Food that I can't get locally (homemade granola, that sort of thing). Meds. Maps, guidebook pages.
Fuel can be an issue. You can mail canister fuel (tho some P.O. employees don't know this), but it requires a special label and ground shipment, and can seriously slow down the package. Easier to buy along the way.
i buy batteries in bulk cheaply
i mail myself batteries,extra insulin needles,food,toilest paper
hand sanitizer,fuel canisters,they can be mailed ground mail
only:cool: neo
If you can't get whiskey along the way, I ain't goin':D
You better rethink that. I'm not sure where the 1st liquor store near the trail is but, if I'm not mistaken it's hundreds of miles. :mad:
Lone Wolf
11-23-2007, 13:09
You better rethink that. I'm not sure where the 1st liquor store,near the trail is but, if I'm not mistaken it's hundreds of miles. :mad:
Helen, Ga.
Franklin, N.C.
Bryson City, N.C.
Gatlinburg, Tn.
Helen, Ga.
Franklin, N.C.
Bryson City, N.C.
Gatlinburg, Tn.
Yup, all side trips. Maybe I should have said on trail. At least you can get a shuttle to and from Franklin.
So... does anyone recall where the 1st liquor store on trail is? I'm thinking Hanover! :eek:
Hikerhead
11-23-2007, 13:28
There's not on in Hot Springs or Damascus? I know there's one in Daleville Va about 1/4 mile away down the road beside of Krogers.
Lone Wolf
11-23-2007, 13:44
There's not on in Hot Springs or Damascus? I know there's one in Daleville Va about 1/4 mile away down the road beside of Krogers.
Ramsey's store in Hot Springs used to be a state liquor store. Couldn't buy beer in town. The closest liquor store to Damascus is 12 miles away in Abingdon.
VA is weird about selling liquor. Only the state can sell it, and there's usually only 1 ABC store per county. I know some of the moutain counties south of here are dry but the VA thing has more to do w/the state control (monopoly) on liquor sales than the local feelings towards booze.
Maildrops? I had 11 when I started the trail. If I thru-hiked again, I would use maybe 4 or 5. Unless you have unusual dietary restrictions, maildrops are counterproductive because you become a slave to the post office's schedule and spend so much on postage, you lose out. Plus, after the first few weeks, you'll likely crave the stuff you can buy at local groceries and so forth along the way.
As for what I put in maildrops besides food?
Gear - I changed out my sleeping bag and winter clothing.
Slide film - hard to get in most trail towns. Now I have a digital camera that runs on AA batteries so it wouldn't be an issue.
Contact lenses - I use disposables.
Maps
Jim Beam and an SLR camera for my Katahdin summit.
If you hit an stretch where you have a long stretch between grocery stores, but a convenient post office, create a maildrop on the trail. For example, I hit the big grocery near Delaware Water Gap and bought food for the next section, but I also put together a drop to mail to the little PO at Bear Mountain State Park in New York. Thus I resupplied and mail-dropped for much less than mailing the drop from home in Tennessee. I would lean more toward this approach and have a much fresher choice in my meals along the way.
"I started planning my maildrops but haven't figured what I need too send in them besides fuel for my jetboil stove"
BTW, it's illegal to mail fuel cannisters in the U. S. mail. No need either. You can pick them up pretty readily along the way.
Lone Wolf
11-23-2007, 15:30
BTW, it's illegal to mail fuel cannisters in the U. S. mail.
That is false. I asked a postmaster in Vermont. He said you can mail them. Ground only.
Wow, the PO's here won't. I can get away with esbit, but nothing containing liquid fuel.
Wow, the PO's here won't. I can get away with esbit, but nothing containing liquid fuel.
1st hit Google "mailing fuel' was Ken and Marcia's excellent article
http://www.gottawalk.com/shipping_fuel.htm
What this means to us:
We can ship up to 3 small canisters of isobutane fuel via ground mail (domestic mail only). That works fine because we don't want to carry the extra weight of more than 2 canisters at a time. The package must be sturdy. The cartridges need to be packed for protection. The package must have the following label on attached on the address side of the package:
Surface Mail Only
Consumer commodity ORM-D
On the otherhand, drinking alcohol is always illegal to mail, but has to do with taxes more than anything else. I say......
Dakota Dan
11-23-2007, 16:49
You better rethink that. I'm not sure where the 1st liquor store near the trail is but, if I'm not mistaken it's hundreds of miles. :mad:
Helen, Ga.
Franklin, N.C.
Bryson City, N.C.
Gatlinburg, Tn.
I'll add Clayton,GA the store is on US441 16miles from Dicks Creek Gap(US 76)
chiefduffy
11-23-2007, 16:52
I too found a bounce box mailed to hostels/outfitters more convenient than post offices. Things I really looked forward to in my box:
Cotton shirt / denim jeans to wear in town (!!)
Febreeze to de-smell my pack
Jelly belly power beans to restock(hard to find in stores)
Shampoo/conditioner
Deoderant for in town (!)
Laundry soap/dryer sheets
-Duffy
Dakota Dan
11-23-2007, 18:46
.....Jelly belly power beans to restock(hard to find in stores)..........-Duffy
Please explain what a "Jelly belly power bean" is. Do you use this instead of a "Power Bar"?
Blissful
11-23-2007, 22:19
BTW, it's illegal to mail fuel cannisters in the U. S. mail. No need either. You can pick them up pretty readily along the way.
You can mail fuel canisters. We did to ourselves - to Duncannon, DWG, Unionville, Glencliff (there were 2 of us so we used more fuel). I'd put it in its own box though - it goes surface with a special sticker the PO gives you (an airplane crossed out) so it takes a while. Give yourself plenty of time. Don't include it in your mail drop (if you do maildrops). Fuel is readily available down south but gets scarce in certain places on the trail. You'll likely need canisters in PA, NJ/NY, and Maine. Possibly CT/ MA (Kent had no canisters when we were there)
And don't mail mail drops surface. Mail them priority and with delivery confirmation. You'll regret it if you don't (we did).
Blissful
11-23-2007, 22:27
I too found a bounce box mailed to hostels/outfitters more convenient than post offices. Things I really looked forward to in my box:
Cotton shirt / denim jeans to wear in town (!!)
Febreeze to de-smell my pack
Jelly belly power beans to restock(hard to find in stores)
Shampoo/conditioner
Deoderant for in town (!)
Laundry soap/dryer sheets
-Duffy
Actually with the hostels, motels, etc we saw no need for shampoo and laundry soap. It was readily available. Motels / laundramats sell small boxes of laundry soap. The only time I had to wash my hair with a bar of soap was at this campground in the Whites. And it is not the same thing either, ugh.
Also, I don't recommend fabric sheets as they contain softeners and a lot of the newfangled hiking clothes don't recommend fabric softeners.
Wow, the PO's here won't. I can get away with esbit, but nothing containing liquid fuel.
You can order MSR IsoPro fuel, MSR super fuel and Jetboil fuel from the WWW.EMS.COM (http://www.EMS.COM) website. Let them worry about the shipping regs.
The say "available for ground shipment only"
Panzer
Isn't it nice when folks chime in from what they have read instead of done.:o
If you bounce you need to allow for the time. If you try to bounce to every town then you may end up waiting long time GI. PO's are always the last choice. Mail drops don't serve me well but bounce boxes do. Besides most of the things that have already been mentioned- battery chargers, coffee beans and grinder:banana , tent, q-tips, nail clippers, hair clippers, tattoo kit, etc.;)
Don't let any single minded person tell you what you do or don't need.
Different things work for different people.
Consider everything and after awhile.... reconsider.:-?
Jack Tarlin
11-24-2007, 14:09
Sly:
I'm only answering this cuz you asked......
1. There is no liquor store in the town of Hanover NH
2. As far as I know, the only two liquor stores directly ON the A.T. are in
Pearisburg VA (next to Wade's market as you leave town), and in
Duncannon PA (next to the VFW Hall as you enter town)
3. And that's it, tho I'm sure Sly has figured out the locations of a few of
the other ones.... :D
save money by buying in bulk http://www.mtnhse.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=M&Category_Code=MHCDL
click on code nr. for specs, nutrition, weight. this my nr 1 to consider for mail drop
Dakota Dan
11-24-2007, 14:58
There use to be a State Liquor store in Gorham(NH/MA line). It's probably the last (closest) liquor store to the trail. Most hikers end up going into Gorham anyway. :p (icon thats been drinking)
Doughnut
11-24-2007, 15:11
What about a cell phone charger? Seems like that is one item I'll want to bounce ahead of me, say 50-100 miles. I only plan to turn it on at night, just to make sure there's no emergencies.
Dakota Dan
11-24-2007, 15:22
What about a cell phone charger? Seems like that is one item I'll want to bounce ahead of me, say 50-100 miles. I only plan to turn it on at night, just to make sure there's no emergencies.
I'm sure a lot of hikers are on both sides of the fence when it comes to cells. I'm one that will carry one on short trips, but I can't imagine fooling with one on a long trip. Has nothing to do with what others think, just the aggravation. Earl Shaffer's brother gave him one to carry on his last thru-hike, he shipped it back before he got out of GA, didn't blame him. I would carry a Sam's Club Phone Card and call your cell for msgs and to call home to check in.
Doughnut
11-24-2007, 15:32
That was my other option, Dan, thanks
chiefduffy
11-24-2007, 17:40
Please explain what a "Jelly belly power bean" is. Do you use this instead of a "Power Bar"?
I meant to say "sport beans". Must be old-timers disease. :confused:
I'm not much into candy, but i like the sport beans for a eat-while-hiking snack.
- Duffy
whitefoot_hp
11-28-2007, 13:21
Yup, all side trips. Maybe I should have said on trail. At least you can get a shuttle to and from Franklin.
So... does anyone recall where the 1st liquor store on trail is? I'm thinking Hanover! :eek:
geez, does something have to be right on the trail to be considered 'on the way.'?
it would take ten minutes to hitch into helen.
Ramsey's store in Hot Springs used to be a state liquor store. Couldn't buy beer in town. The closest liquor store to Damascus is 12 miles away in Abingdon.Liquor stores in NC are state owned and run, they're called ABC Stores. There isn't one in Hot Springs, but I know someone who lives in the heart of bourbon country (Me) that may be willing to help a hiker out if they need it. :D
Lone Wolf
12-03-2007, 16:41
Liquor stores in NC are state owned and run, they're called ABC Stores. There isn't one in Hot Springs
i know that. i said USED to be one in Hot Springs
Flush2wice
12-04-2007, 10:50
Someone should compile an AT cigar store directory. The ones I know of in the south-
Hiawassee GA- Upper Hi Fly Outfitters
Franklin, at least I think theres one
Gatlinburg- Smokezy and 1 in the mountain mall
Banner Elk, NC- Eric's cheese shop has small pricey selection. Not so close to the trail either.
Abingdon?
Don't know any north of there. You could order them from JR's and have them shipped.