View Full Version : mail drops
2009ThruHiker
10-06-2008, 14:24
I've been reading that it's helpful to have an at home person to help send out food and meds mail drops. Why is this exactly? Is it possible to send out all the mail drops you are going to do b4 you leave for Springer....just send them out all at once? Will the P.O. and other locals hold them for that long? And again, explain the benefits of having someone at home to do this. We have a person willing to send out our backup gear if needed...but we don't want to put this extra burden on them.
thanks for the data.
If you send out everything ahead of time then you might change your mind on food or gear and have everything already spread out. If you are going to do mail drops then just pack everything in the boxes and have it ready to go so if you change your mind on something it is very easy to change whats in the box.
In addition to what 33whiskey has stated some PO's and places that accept and hold hiker packages can/will only hold them for a limited time(like 2 weeks). If U R sending resupply packages along the AT remember to send them to PO's that accept and hold General Delivery packages(some large cities that have multiple PO branches may only hold General Delivery packages at one of their branches), and clearly write on the outside of the package 'Please hold for AT hiker' and Estimated Time of Arrival date(the ETA doesn't have to be exact, if in doubt add days to your ETA). Most PO's near the AT understand what the AT is about and R very helpful so U shouldn't run into many problems. The AT Thru-Hiker Companion and Re-Supply article at this site will provide most, if not all, the info U will need for mail drops.
Serial 07
10-06-2008, 19:03
there are plenty of towns that are "mail drop" worthy...i haven't read the article on here in a while, but i'm sure it's full of information...one thing that you can do, is just have a few boxes (six or so) with maybe 3 days of food in them (and mostly dinners and breakfasts...snacks are easy as any gas station) and then just send them out as you learn about the harder resupply places as you go along...the other thing to do is have a bounce box set up for yourself from a town like damascus, and just push that forward until you need it...i've done both with little incident...
Rowdy Yates
10-06-2008, 19:26
I've been reading that it's helpful to have an at home person to help send out food and meds mail drops. Why is this exactly? Is it possible to send out all the mail drops you are going to do b4 you leave for Springer....just send them out all at once? Will the P.O. and other locals hold them for that long? And again, explain the benefits of having someone at home to do this. We have a person willing to send out our backup gear if needed...but we don't want to put this extra burden on them.
thanks for the data.
:-? Just a thought or two for you to consider... suppose you mailed ahead all of your resupply boxes, then something happened and you had to lay up for a couple of days, you food supply runs low and you really need the next mail drop earlier than planned or suppose, and I truly hope this doesn't happen but it could, you are injured and have to leave the Trail, now all your boxes are "out there" and your postage money is gone. As I said, these are just some thought for you to think on. The first incident happened to me. :(
Blissful
10-06-2008, 19:49
It's better to have family do it for you, like the others said, - in case the drops change. And it's helpful to involve family in the endeavor and make them feel a part of the hike. I would not send out all my drops at once. But you could mail drop at least the first few weeks worth, depending on where you plan to send them (PO, hostel, etc).
Don't know if you saw this, but on my blog (http://www.blissfulhiking.blogspot.com) I listed where we sent our drops. But if there's a good grocery store, I'd forgo it.
BTW - Where do you live in the valley? We may be able to help out with this. PM me.
Spirit Walker
10-06-2008, 21:42
As others have said, many of the small POs and businesses along the trail have limited space to hold packages. You risk having your box sent back or else hidden in some far and inaccessible corner by sending it too early. They are only required to hold packages for a week or ten days, but most will hold them longer in trail towns because they are used to hikers. But they aren't required to do so and if space is limited, they won't.
What you can do, if you don't want to burden an at home person but still want to do some maildrops along the trail, is ship them out yourself while you are on the trail. This is what we have done on our hikes out west. In the larger towns with good grocery stores, you pack up boxes with food in them for the towns you'll reach in the next few weeks that don't have a good grocery. i.e. in Hanover you might ship food to the smaller towns in Maine.
If you want or need to do the trail with no at home support (i.e. if you are from outside the US), you can combine those maildrops with a bounce/drift box that contains things like maps, medicines, extra batteries, etc. You would mail that box from near your starting point two or three weeks up the trail, take out what you need at that town, then forward it up the trail a few more weeks.
After my first thruhike, when I did maildrops all along the trail, I didn't want to give my mother so much extra work. So on my second thruhike I sent maildrops out myself to cover the the first few weeks, then either bought along the way or shipped to places like Glencliff and Caratunk from trail towns with grocery stores. It worked on the AT and again on the CDT and PCT. I hate to burden friends and family - and going to the post office every week can be a real PITA.
TheBlindGuy
10-11-2008, 20:12
I've been reading that it's helpful to have an at home person to help send out food and meds mail drops. Why is this exactly? Is it possible to send out all the mail drops you are going to do b4 you leave for Springer....just send them out all at once? Will the P.O. and other locals hold them for that long? And again, explain the benefits of having someone at home to do this. We have a person willing to send out our backup gear if needed...but we don't want to put this extra burden on them.
thanks for the data.
The USPS is great about holding mail, and sending it forward if you bypass a drop [like I did hiking the AT this year]- check with them to see how long they're willing to hold things, but I think it's about 2 wks. If you have everything ready, it's not much for a friend at home to send your stuff Priority (no other way) periodically. THe only area where it takes a bit more time than the 2-3 days it took in every other state was Maine-- things move really slowly there. Good luck. Zero
wrongway_08
10-12-2008, 16:42
I found it easier to just buy stuff in towns. Just do a bounce box, you'll end up doing one when you over buy food anyways.
Bounce box is alot easier. No worry if you change your town stop. You'll spend the same amount over the course of the trip, only with the bounce box, you'll be able to add to/take from as you like. No worry of someone else giving you the wrong food or something you dont like.
Avoid mail drops if at all possible (except for gear when needed). Packages get lost (my summer gear was for a month), it costs a bit of money, and you can find plenty of stores to buy from along the way. Also you don't need to keep to a schedule to hit the PO on the right day.
Blissful
10-12-2008, 21:50
The only time we had lost packages was sending it surface (happened twice to us in ME). Send everything priority (with delivery comfirmation helps add importance to it, IMO) and you can use hostels, outfitters, etc for drops rather than relying solely on POs. Guidebooks are helpful for pointing out places besides POs who accept drops.
Avoid mail drops if at all possible (except for gear when needed). Packages get lost (my summer gear was for a month), it costs a bit of money, and you can find plenty of stores to buy from along the way. Also you don't need to keep to a schedule to hit the PO on the right day.
There's places where a mail drop can be very convienent. Read Jack's resupply advice.
There's places where a mail drop can be very convienent. Read Jack's resupply advice.
Yeah, but I would rather rely on a PO. An outfitter lost my summer gear. Most of them don't ask for ID or anything like the PO does.
Yeah, but I would rather rely on a PO. An outfitter lost my summer gear. Most of them don't ask for ID or anything like the PO does.
Yes, I kinda had a similar experience. The motel clerk at Rockfish Gap couldn't find my food drop, so I went into Wayneboro to resupply. No big deal, because I needed new boots anyway.
Blissful
10-13-2008, 19:36
Too bad about the drops at outfitters. We had no problem with those places (I know for a fact NOC outfitter checks your ID) though we did have no food for us at one hostel, but they said on a note the stuff was gone when they got it. I guess if I was mailing expensive stuff like gear (I didn't have to do that, though), I would make sure it went via Fed Ex or UPS so it could be traced. Though you are more limited on places where it can be delivered.
2009ThruHiker
10-13-2008, 20:11
It's better to have family do it for you, like the others said, - in case the drops change. And it's helpful to involve family in the endeavor and make them feel a part of the hike. I would not send out all my drops at once. But you could mail drop at least the first few weeks worth, depending on where you plan to send them (PO, hostel, etc).
Don't know if you saw this, but on my blog (http://www.blissfulhiking.blogspot.com) I listed where we sent our drops. But if there's a good grocery store, I'd forgo it.
BTW - Where do you live in the valley? We may be able to help out with this. PM me.
Great Blog...we live in Woodstock , VA. Thanks for the info and possible offer.
Lost_Soul
10-13-2008, 22:59
I found it easier to just buy stuff in towns. Just do a bounce box, you'll end up doing one when you over buy food anyways.
Bounce box is alot easier. No worry if you change your town stop. You'll spend the same amount over the course of the trip, only with the bounce box, you'll be able to add to/take from as you like. No worry of someone else giving you the wrong food or something you dont like.
or if someone buys you more food than you could easily carry. Though, remember to thank them for it to them... not just a general thank you to anyone who might have. :^D