View Full Version : Money For Pre-Hike Food
sleeman13
12-06-2008, 13:22
I have a question about purchasing pre-hike food. I have been told for a normal thru-hike, you can get by with $3000, assuming you already have all your gear. I was wondering how much money people spent on buying pre-hike food. For example cliff bars, gorp, and other treats that were sent via mail drops. I realize it will be different for all hikers since some do more mail drops than others, but I'm just trying to get a feel for what different hikers spend. Thanks.
None, maildrops are stupid. Groceries are a small part of the town bill for most folks. You can get by with less than $10 bucks a stop. Restaurants, beer and hostels/hotels are where the money gets spent.
I have a question about purchasing pre-hike food. I have been told for a normal thru-hike, you can get by with $3000, assuming you already have all your gear. I was wondering how much money people spent on buying pre-hike food. For example cliff bars, gorp, and other treats that were sent via mail drops. I realize it will be different for all hikers since some do more mail drops than others, but I'm just trying to get a feel for what different hikers spend. Thanks.
Hard question to answer. I don't really remember. I sent out about 10 maildrops on the AT of pre-bought bulk foods. I was probably spending about 5 bucks a day on food, but that was 5 yrs ago and I ate like crap. Now I eat healthier and better on the trail and spend closer to 10-12 bucks/day. By that estimation, one would spend about 750-1500 bucks on a thru-hike (not including postage) for a 5 month thru.
Of course there are SO many variables: length of hike, number of days in each drop, price of bulk food, etc.
As the other person mentioned, the best thing you can do for your hike and your wallet is to buy along the way, unless you have dietary restictions.
CrumbSnatcher
12-06-2008, 16:03
buy along the way! so you can change up when you get sick of certain food items :D
garlic08
12-07-2008, 00:00
Another vote for buying along the way. It's more fun.
buckwheat
12-07-2008, 08:23
Here are some other things to consider (disclaimer: I have not thru-hiked):
1) Postage will add significantly to your costs
2) Potential freshness issues if your packages are not handled properly
3) You are committing time to spend waiting for post offices to open (check the hours at your local post office, and then compare them to your local grocery store, and you'll see what I mean.) Also scheduling your visit may impact your hiking schedule.
4) Upfront costs are a lot higher.
5) You will need a very reliable person to mail things for you. Remember: their survival will not depend on you getting your food.
There seem to be one or two, maybe 3 or 4 places where a maildrop might make more sense than trying to hike to a food source. I wont' tell you where they are (because I haven't done a thru-hike), but if you study the guidebooks and read up, you'll figure out where those places are.
Cheers,
Buckwheat
Jack Tarlin
12-09-2008, 20:48
Lots of info here on Whiteblaze on food, re-supply, and maildrops.
See the "Articles" section of the website for in depth stuff, or do a search on "Maildrops" and you'll find all sorts of threads.
Bottom line is that most folks these days buy most of their food while actually en route as opposed to buying ahead of time and mailing themselves food.
Sending yourself food can be pretty tricky. You have to predict how much time it's going to take you to get from maildrop to maildrop, and how much food you'll need between those points. Mailing is quite expensive. You run a big risk of having a major supply of food you lose your taste for. You have to have good communication with a reliable person back home, someone who will adjust your packages according to your instructions, and get them to you on time. Then there's the very real possibility that you won't finish your hike at all, and will either end up with lots of trail food clogging your kitchen when you get back home and/or orphaned packages in Post Offices along the AT corridor.
That said, some people like mail drops and make them work.