Mail Drops?

[Snake Farm]

Im new to the mail drop scene and am looking for some information about it.

1Will I only be able to resupply at post offices?

2How would I go about resupplying at a post office?

3How far ahead of time should I have my contact at home mail a box to me?

Thanks for any help you can offer!

[couscous]

Click on "Thru Hiking Info" - then "Prep Articles" - read through the articles linked on the left side.

[MattBuck30]

You can send re-supplies to hostels as well. Just give them a call first to let them know when you will be there to pick up the package. Post offices are pretty easy. Just show up and bring an ID in case they ask for it. I had my boxes shipped a week or 2 in advance, depending on which section I was hiking (also depends on what you have in the box and how long the products last). Once you realize how many miles you are able to hike each day, you can gage where you will be at. Obviously it's slower moving when going over certain mountains. It is always better to underestimate your mileage than overestimate and go hungry. I had that happen a few times at the beginning of my hike. Hope that helps!

[Spokes]

I did maildrops on last years thru and if I did it over again would really minimize them. There's a lot of places to re-supply along the way- no worries. My girlfriend mailed them to me about a week ahead and I never had a problem getting them. She used delivery confirmation as an added incentive.

I got good use out of my bounce box and stocked it with hard to find items like travel size toothpaste, hand sanitizers, herbal supplements, vitamins, small journal notepads, extra alky stove, etc.....

Yes, read the articles couscous referred to!!!!

[Snake Farm]

Thanks for the help guys. Still gotta get a complete understanding of the mail drops.

I have another question; Would you consider it to be cheaper to resupply in town or through mail drops?

I know that the cost of mailing the items can add up considerably over time. But I feel like going into town would cost more. I should also mention that I am attempting to budget as much as possible. Any responses are greatly appreciated.

[MattBuck30]

It depends what type of food you are looking for. You can get decent snack food in each town, but freeze dried meals, etc. are harder to run by in towns. Also, many thru hikers in '08 referred to towns as "black holes". Once you get there, it was often hard to leave the comforts/food of the towns. Many times we would end up spending more money in town than what was originally planned. So beware! Ha

[GeneralLee10]

If your hiking the AT there really is no need for a maildrop. Other than gear items you mite need.

[couscous]

Would you consider it to be cheaper to resupply in town or through mail drops?

As you may have guessed there isn't a this-works-for-everybody answer. It may be helpful to decide what you think you would put in your mail drops and purchase three weeks worth of meals. Eat these every day for three weeks. If you quickly tire of the meals, then you probably don't want to purchase 5 month's worth and have someone sending you the same stuff over-and-over in mail drops.

[GeneralLee10]

It depends what type of food you are looking for. You can get decent snack food in each town, but freeze dried meals, etc. are harder to run by in towns. Also, many thru hikers in '08 referred to towns as "black holes". Once you get there, it was often hard to leave the comforts/food of the towns. Many times we would end up spending more money in town than what was originally planned. So beware! Ha


This is so so true, people planning on Thru hiking this next season beware of the town stops.:eek:

[bigcranky]

I've done it both ways on long sections. Maildrops are easier -- come into town, grab your box, stuff the contents in your pack, and walk out of town. Maildrops are probably more expensive -- any savings you get buying cheaper food gets eaten up in postage. Maildrops can hold you hostage to the post office schedule -- get to town late Saturday and you have to wait until Monday morning to pick up your box (unless of course you sent it to a hostel or motel.)

Maildrops can overload you with food -- they have a fixed amount, and you might have leftovers from the previous drop. If you toss the extra in a hiker box, that's a waste of money (but helps other hikers.) If you purchase all your food in advance, then one of two things can happen -- (1) you may end up hating having to eat the same food for six months, or (2) you drop off the trail and have six months of freeze dried food sitting in your basement.

Nowadays when I am planning a longer hike, I just plan to resupply at the grocery stores in towns along the way.

[garlic08]

I didn't do any food drops on the AT. From what I've heard, average cost of postage alone is about $10 per box. Also from what I've heard, some hikers mail up to 30 boxes of food. That's $300 in postage alone. My entire trail food budget on the AT was just over $700, buying along the way. And I was able to vary my diet based on season, taste, and energy demands of the terrain. And buy fresh bagels in New York, great Vermont cheese, etc.

[Lone Wolf]

1Will I only be able to resupply at post offices?

2How would I go about resupplying at a post office?

3How far ahead of time should I have my contact at home mail a box to me?



mail drops for food aren't needed. it's cheaper and easier to buy as you go

[Snake Farm]

Okay, so from what im hearing, as long as you can practice some amount of self restraint, buy-as-you-go is cheaper. Maybe i'll use like 5 mail drops for some of the most expensive food and to change out my winter to summer gear. But am I going to be seeing moderately sized food stores along the way or will I be living off of twinkies and ho-ho's from gas stations?

[bigcranky]

. But am I going to be seeing moderately sized food stores along the way or will I be living off of twinkies and ho-ho's from gas stations?

Both, probably.

My experience is limited to the South, but there has been an explosion of development in the southern mountains in the last 15 years. With that development has come large grocery chains in most every mid-size town, so it's no longer limited to gas stations and IGA stores. With some exceptions, it's not hard to find a decent grocery every 4-6 days on the trail. In the smaller trail towns like Hot Springs, the local outfitter often has a decent food selection, and you'll find plenty of resupply at the Dollar General (seriously.)

[garlic08]

It'll be mostly your choice. I think my worst selection for resupply at a gas station was a package of hot dog buns and a jar of peanut butter. Plenty of twinkies and honey buns available, but I was able to skip them for something slightly better. And you usually have the option of hitching a few miles into a bigger town and a real grocery. But towns tend to be "black holes" for both your time and your money.

One example was a gas station at the road crossing going into Atkins VA. I found plenty there for my resupply, saving a trip (four miles?) to the PO or grocery in Atkins where there are nice lodgings and restaurants and I would have been sorely tempted to stay a day. I saved about $100 in motel and restaurant meals by spending $15 at the gas station. That was all unplanned--I was figuring on a day in Atkins and was very pleased to be able to skip that town. That happened a couple of other times, too.

The nice thing about the AT is that there are many options and you can really play it by ear and roll with the punches pretty easily.

Though I didn't mail any food to myself, I made three mail drops for summer gear, new shoes, new socks, and guidebook sections. If you use maps, you'll want to mail those to yourself, too, probably. Try to use businesses/hostels, not POs for those drops, so you're not limited to PO hours.

[Bare Bear]

Unless you are on a very specific diet, eg. Vegan then skip the mail drops. It is almost always easier and cheaper to get what you need when you need it. You will go into towns and eat real food, get trail magic at unkown times, etc. The ONLY thing I found I could not get every time was alcohol fuel once (I got a bottle of Gumout instead) and new boots. The ones I had sent from home were too small for my trail enlarged feet (common thing) and the North Face pieces of crap I bought in Franklin, NC fell apart after 75 miles.