Mail Drops...How?

[Scup]

I'm very new to this and am trying to plan my first thru hike for my 45th birthday. Everything I've read about the hike suggests doing mail drops but don't go into datail. Do you mail everything at once to each location or do you mail it to the first place, then replenish and mail it along?

Also, has anyone used Sierra Trading Post to buy equipment, I was thinking of doing so.

Thanks!!

Scup

[DavidNH]

Scup,

First off, you don't need many mail drops as you can buy food almost anywhere along the AT. You are never more than a few days hiking from towns (except in far northern section).

Check out Jack tarlin has posted a lengthy article on the subject of mail drops and re-supply. Excellent advice.

David

[lonehiker]

Sierra Trading Post is a great place to buy gear. If, they have what you are looking for.

[PJ 2005]

The real questions is:

Mail drops... why?



You'll stay lighter and more satisfied buying food along the way. Fontana and the bird town in Penn are the only places where food is not plentiful (that I remember, anyway)...

Also, make sure you put a lot of thought into your gear. My dad loves to hike, but he's a traditional 40+ pound guy. There are many, many benefits of keeping it under 30, and he really had to swallow his pride to buy into it.

Obligitory recommendation for the best pack in the world... Vapor Trail :)

[Jason of the Woods]

Sierra has always been great for me. Shop around. There are a lot of good sites for gear.

[bigcranky]

Mail drops: usually you would have someone at home mailing them out as needed. That way they can add anything you might need, provide some food variety, and send them at the appropriate time. (You can't expect the post office to hold a package for 4 months.)

Mail drops work for people with special dietary requirements. I don't think mail drops are cheaper, because the mailing costs are pretty high, and eat into any savings you get buying in bulk. Many hikers these days have only a few specific mail drops -- either for changing gear (winter > summer > winter again), or for places that traditionally don't have food available locally. Otherwise, you can buy locally fairly easily.

Note that people have strong opinions on mail drops, but that in reality, you can do it either way with equal success.

(One major issue with mail drops is this: what if you break your ankle or otherwise drop out on the second week of your hike? Then you are stuck with 6 months of food sitting there in boxes in your garage. Sub-optimal, to say the least.)

Sierra Trading Post: great if you know what you are buying. Other places to look online include Campmor, REI Outlet, and Backcountry.com. Locally, Village Outdoor is great, though fairly small, Great Outdoor Provision Company isn't bad, and there are an REI and a Blue Ridge Mountain Sports in Greensboro.

Oh, and :welcome to Whiteblaze.

[LIhikers]

What no one has done is tell you how to do a maildrop once you decide which post office you want to use.
Address the package something like this

Your Name
c/o General Delivery
Town, State, zip code

then make a note on the package to hold for hiker and your expected arrival date
Then when you get to the post office explain to them that you're expecting a general delivery package and give them your name. Be pepared to show ID proving that you really are youself and to sign for the package.

[mudhead]

On the left hand margin of the home page of this site, you will find "Articles."

All good reading.

[Blissful]

Check out what I did for mail drops on my blog (http://blissfulhiking.blogspot.com). Scroll down for the info. Also, check the forum "maildrops" here on White Blaze for other advice. You can do a combination mail drop and grocery buying (we did). Some do all buying.

On gear - Sierra is good for some items though I find the weight on major gear that they sell (sleeping bag, tent, baccpack) to be heavy. I think Campmor is better all around, personally. But nothing can give you better personal advice than your local outfitter (not a sporting goods place, though, but a true outfitter)