what was your average $$/per day expenditure thru-hiking?

[skooch]

so excluding gear or travel what did you spend once you started walking? please include averages for 3-5day resupply and hostel or hotel frequency. How about down time in town including food and a few cold ones? Just a rough estimate would be a great help. thanks to all

[skooch]

Sorry, if there is a thread like this I couldn't find it. I don't seem to have much luck using the "search"

[10-K]

Ok, I'll go first...

Try $2 a mile. Some people would say that's more than enough, some people will say it's about right and some people will say it's not enough.

[Roughin' It]

for me: 2,179 miles, around $5,000.

but I splurged, alot.

[SurferNerd]

I learned in 2010...hiking with $2500 meant ramen every day every meal, and no trail towns.. definitely consider about $5k

[Trailbender]

Did it on $2500, and I stayed at several hostels, and rarely ate ramen. I actually splurged at the end, stayed in 3 of the hostels in Maine. I also ate a town meal every time I stopped. Knowing what I know now, where to stop, get groceries, ect, I know I could do it on under 2K. I did not feel deprived, either, honestly. I didn't drink that often, had a few beers once in awhile. I ate the instant potatoes and the rice meals with tuna, usually.

[Blissful]

Ok, I'll go first...

Try $2 a mile.


Yep agree with that figure. About $4000

[hikingshoes]

Yep agree with that figure. About $4000



I was figured $5000,but that sounds even better.Now the Gf is talking about going to so maybe it will be 5000.:-?

[Stir Fry]

$150 week will get you thru with out to much trouble.

[Torch09]

I can eat for about $5 a day on the trail and treat myself to a $10-$15 town day each week. Budget around $20 each week for hostel stays and it comes to about $60-$70 a week. Depending on your hiking speed, $1400-$1800 should be fine.

[Pony]

$1400-$1800 should be fine.

If you hiked on that, then kudos, but many cannot. I spent just under $2 per day, but it got tight towards the end. I did have a good time though, and wouldn't want to do it any other way. To do it right, and not have to worry about money, I'd say 3-5K.

[Trailbender]

If you hiked on that, then kudos, but many cannot. I spent just under $2 per day, but it got tight towards the end. I did have a good time though, and wouldn't want to do it any other way. To do it right, and not have to worry about money, I'd say 3-5K.

Yeah, If I spent 3K on a thru, it would be really luxurious.

[Lone Wolf]

$3500-$5000

[garlic08]

On-trail costs for me included trail food (about $800), town food (about $700--I ate very well in towns) and lodging (about $800), or about $2300 total. I needed a couple hundred more for new shoes and socks and to replace a rain coat with a broken zipper, and stuff like that. My average town stop would cost about $25 for trail food, $20 for town food, $30 lodging (split with a partner) and that would be good for four days of hiking and 75 to 80 miles. If I were younger and stronger I could have done it with less lodging and fewer town meals.

That does not include travel costs and initial gear costs.

[Marta]

A lot depends on the duration of the hike. A three-month hike will probably be a lot cheaper than an eight-month hike, even if they both cover the same distance.

[kayak karl]

marta's right. 10 or 25 miles a day takes about the same food.

decision you will need to make is, do you want the money to control your hike or you to control the money. that's the difference between $2500 and $5000

[Odd Man Out]

Does anyone ever figure how much they SAVE on a thru hike and see how this balances the expenses to figure a NET cost?

Depending on your situation and needs on the trail, you can cancel or cut back on expenses at home, such as utilities, cable TV, internet, cell phone, auto insurance, entertainment, etc...

Plus, if you spend 50$ per week on food at home and 75$ per week for food on the trail, your net cost for food is really only 25$.

I can see that a single retired person might even make a profit while thru hiking!

[kayak karl]

Does anyone ever figure how much they SAVE on a thru hike and see how this balances the expenses to figure a NET cost?

Depending on your situation and needs on the trail, you can cancel or cut back on expenses at home, such as utilities, cable TV, internet, cell phone, auto insurance, entertainment, etc...

Plus, if you spend 50$ per week on food at home and 75$ per week for food on the trail, your net cost for food is really only 25$.

I can see that a single retired person might even make a profit while thru hiking!
going homeless hiker trash is the cheap way out.

[AndyBees]

This adventure is very new to me. I plan to attempt a Thru-hike in 2012 or 13. I've read a lot of journals, etc., and seen prices from $1 per mile up to $3 and $4 per mile. The higher prices must have included gear.

Just for thought and info. Way back in 1986, my wife and 10 year old son did a 28 day journey to Alaska. We drove a VW Vanagon. We spent 25 nights in campgrounds and 3 nights in motels. Most campgrounds had showers. Cost, including fuel, was about $120.00 per day!............ remember that was 1986 (gasoline was 69 cents per gallon).... some campgrounds were free (in Canada) some were $4.00 per night!.

........Wife just corrected me on the daily cost (just under $100.00 per day)

[Spokes]

I only took 7 zero days on my 2009 thru and came in at the low end of $3000.

Man, I wish I hung around more of them big spenders!

[Luddite]

So everyone agrees that no more than $5,000 is needed?

Does that include beer?

[Lone Wolf]

So everyone agrees that no more than $5,000 is needed?

Does that include beer?

5000 should be enuf. beer is included

[M1 Thumb]

So everyone agrees that no more than $5,000 is needed?



Everyone agree? On WB? That thought actually made me laugh. People here will fervently argue about which end of a turd found on a trail smells the worst.

[Pommes]

The longest hike ive ever done was 800 miles but i did it extremely cheaply. I had the money but it was never needed. It has to do with your individual habits. I love rice and beans. I can get a 5 pound bag of both for under $5 and have a weeks worth of food. Also alot of people dont enjoy sleeping in the woods for extended periods of time. I'm good for at least 3 weeks at a time. So the amount of money you spend will be very individual. However, it seems you're very interested in beer. So you're probably gonna be more in the $5000 crowd range.

[Spokes]

So everyone agrees that no more than $5,000 is needed?

Does that include beer?

........ and a Sherpa!

[Spokes]

Everyone agree? On WB? That thought actually made me laugh. People here will fervently argue about which end of a turd found on a trail smells the worst.

Everyone knows it's leeward end.

[Fog Horn]

Plus, if you spend 50$ per week on food at home and 75$ per week for food on the trail, your net cost for food is really only 25$.

I can see that a single retired person might even make a profit while thru hiking!

While the basis of your theory is correct, the flaw is that for most hikers, there is no longer any income while hiking the trail.

If I make $50 for food a week and a spend $50 for food a week then I'm even. If I make $0 dollars for food a week and spend $75 dollars for food a week, then I'm in the hole $75.

So when planning your thru hike you save money. If you make $50 dollars for food a week and spend $50 of food a week and still have to save $75 for food for a week on the trail, you're still $75 in the hole.

[kayak karl]

Everyone agree? On WB? That thought actually made me laugh. People here will fervently argue about which end of a turd found on a trail smells the worst.
sorry, lost you. please expound.

[ChinMusic]

Does anyone ever figure how much they SAVE on a thru hike and see how this balances the expenses to figure a NET cost?

Depending on your situation and needs on the trail, you can cancel or cut back on expenses at home, such as utilities, cable TV, internet, cell phone, auto insurance, entertainment, etc...

Plus, if you spend 50$ per week on food at home and 75$ per week for food on the trail, your net cost for food is really only 25$.

I can see that a single retired person might even make a profit while thru hiking!

For a single retired person I would think your cost on the trail to be less than your cost at home. IMO, the largest expense for non-retired on the trail is the opportunity cost of not working.

[takethisbread]

I think one can thru hike on a $1,000 easily.

Not me, mind you but others, who don't like the finer things in life, like a three day stay at the Holiday inn express in Erwin. 3 days in Damascus, a side trip to see a concert in Baltimore, various hotels and steak dinners along the way, two different stoves, 4 pairs of shoes, two packs, two tents, two pads....

Oh boy!

[StormBird]

I spent about $3,500 and lived pretty comfortably. I still ate a meal in town and picked up a couple beers. I stayed in hotels, but I opted for shared rooms or hostels whenever possible. I didn't replace gear on trail if i could just fix the gear I had. I raided hiker boxes before I hit the grocery store. I hitched instead of using shuttles. I pitched a tent in the yard of hostels instead of staying inside to save money when i could. All of these little things chip money off of the total over time. So mind you, it took me about 185 days to hike the trail and i spent $3,500 last year.

I agree with everyone else though, put away about $5,000 to feel comfortable. If you have money left over, whoo hoo!

[10-K]

What a lot of people find comfortable sounds like a bed of nails to me. :)

[hobbs]

marta's right. 10 or 25 miles a day takes about the same food.

decision you will need to make is, do you want the money to control your hike or you to control the money. that's the difference between $2500 and $5000
honestly I think this is the best analagy if any trip...Regardless of where it is...You hold the purse strings as the saying go's..It's also how fatigued you will be from the activity and miles you put in from what 10-K has stated in a bunch of posts...Do longer miles at times. And LWolf had done the trail a bunch of times too...

[sbhikes]

I wish I had kept track of the money I spent so I could answer such questions. All I know is about $25,000 was gone between the day I quit my job and the day I finished my hike. This includes the fact that I still had to pay rent, I took two summers to do my hike and in between I worked a couple of part-time, temporary jobs, so I was essentially unemployed for about a year.

I do know for sure that the first summer's hike I got my own hotel room and often stayed for two days and basically didn't watch my money. I figured it was the hike of a lifetime and I'd go back to work.

My second summer I was much more frugal (and enjoyed it much more that way.) I rarely stayed in a hotel, preferring places at hostel or less level. I sometimes slept in homeless encampments in town or just outside of town. I employed neros and took zeros when I was at trail angels (I still left a donation.) I ate as much as I wanted, of course, but I rarely drank alcohol. A pint of beer would get me plastered anyway.

[George]

finally someone asked the right question - how much $ to through hike per day and almost no one tried to answer the O.P's question. I have never through hiked but on a long section I figure adding a day adds 25 $ - this is eating mostly commercial dried food and paying what it takes to shower every 3-5 days. For unplanned costs the biggie is medical expense, with no insurance 5000 does not last long in a hospital, but figure if you spend over 1000 on medical treatment the hike is probably over for a while anyway

[10-K]

finally someone asked the right question - how much $ to through hike per day and almost no one tried to answer the O.P's question.

I think we did try to answer it... I suggested $2 per mile which is probably a better way to answer the question since it can be extrapolated over what constitutes a day.. That is to say, what a "day" is to you may not be a "day" to me - but a mile is a mile is a mile.

[skooch]

as the OP I believe I got a lot of good info. my hike will be summer June, July and August. springer to ?? Is this half more or less expensive than the next half? I plan to go stoveless, eat a cooked meal and produce in town when I resupply, use some hostles and maybe get the occasional cheap hotel. don't want to get too spoiled by that one. yes and looking forward to that cold draft maybe 2.

[George]

my point was almost every one asks $/mile and this has been covered in about 10 threads per year, the idea that an 8mi day costs about the same as a 20 mi day was covered here, that has always been my main comment on cost

[10-K]

my point was almost every one asks $/mile and this has been covered in about 10 threads per year, the idea that an 8mi day costs about the same as a 20 mi day was covered here, that has always been my main comment on cost

I assume you're taking into account that it would take you 5 days @ 8 miles a day to go 40 miles but it would only take you 2 days @ 20 miles a day to go the same 40 miles.

5 days would cost 2.5x more than 2 days.

Sorry if I'm misunderstanding you - I really need to get off here and go do something constructive. :)

[George]

I really need to get off here and go do something constructive.
I hear that, I had to unbookmark and kill the pm's of a forum that administers a non-profit that I volunteer for- too much unproductive time sucked up, at least WB is entertaining

[Trailbender]

No way I would pay rent while I am hiking. If I am not living there, why the hell would I pay rent?

[chazaq]

I find that when I spend all day hiking, I can't find many stores to spend money. Stay on the trail to save money. Poor college kid here who managed to scrape 2000 dollars together. Less than $1 per mile. :D

[jersey joe]

$.65 per mile.
But that was a 3.5mo thru with very little time in towns.

[Star Walker]

ffrom what i understand, i will be roughing it on 2100 bucks. im sure i can do it and everything but i wont be one of the fellows sitting at the bar in fontana village drinking a 6 dollar beer lol. on my section hikes i average about 5-7 dollars a day and that is eatting pretty damn good if i do say so myself.

[Amigi'sLastStand]

Does anyone ever figure how much they SAVE on a thru hike and see how this balances the expenses to figure a NET cost?

Depending on your situation and needs on the trail, you can cancel or cut back on expenses at home, such as utilities, cable TV, internet, cell phone, auto insurance, entertainment, etc...

Plus, if you spend 50$ per week on food at home and 75$ per week for food on the trail, your net cost for food is really only 25$.

I can see that a single retired person might even make a profit while thru hiking!
No, but I just did. Not thinking an AT thru, but the wife and I did a two week trek through Ocala last year. Come to think of it, we saved money if you factor in gas, utilities we didnt use, bar tabs hehe, etc. If I did a six month hike, I could actually save a boat load by dropping all of my insurances to real low cost, no utilities, gas, steaks, etc.

[sbhikes]

I paid rent because I live with someone and planned to come home.

[Trailbender]

I paid rent because I live with someone and planned to come home.

I guess that makes sense, but being fairly frugal, I just couldn't stand the thought of paying rent every month and not even living there. I think rents are too high as it is.

[Sickmont]

I guess that makes sense, but being fairly frugal, I just couldn't stand the thought of paying rent every month and not even living there. I think rents are too high as it is.

It would be the same type of situation even if you put your stuff in storage.

[sbhikes]

I guess that makes sense, but being fairly frugal, I just couldn't stand the thought of paying rent every month and not even living there. I think rents are too high as it is.

I agree. If you are young and have few posessions, ditch the apartment. I have a partner and several very expensive pets. It cost more to board our birds for a 3 week trip to India than it did to pay our business-class luxury hotel bill in Mumbai. So I went hiking by myself and the idea was that my partner could go by himself later and I'll stay home and take care of the birds and house and stuff.

Now I have another idea which is we could leap-frog the trail. I could hike a section while he is resupplying and taking care of the birds living out of the car, then when I meet up with him, he hikes the next section and I spend the time resupplying and taking care of the birds. We each do every-other section and then the following year we start over and switch sections. All this so we don't have to get rid of the birds. Doubt it will work, though.

[Trailbender]

It would be the same type of situation even if you put your stuff in storage.

I don't own enough stuff to even fill half a standard closet. It would be cheaper in a storage unit, even if I had a ton of stuff like "normal" people. I refuse to be chained down by tons of possessions or a mortgage.

[skooch]

Lots of good info here guys. thanks. I think I'm going to budget $150 per wk. I have a husband with a bad back (motorcycle injury) that flairs up without notice so he will not be joining me. He is awesome and will stay home caring for the house, pool, yard and pets while working fulltime. I wish we could shut everything down and go together but it's not to be. I'm happy for those who are not anchored with responsibilities. At least those like me can pretend while out on the trail. Isn't it amazing how little we need to be happy?

[skooch]

Damn, my profile read 49yrs old up until this last post. guess I'll have to change my trail name to oldchick.

[tirebiter]

Shooting for $2000, but I'm a cheap date.

[Spunk 6]

Irrelevant to today but in 1986 we shot for under $1 a day ... I did it in much less because I was good at making friends with day hikers, picnic people, locals and such:) I worked my way through the Whites for free room and board as well as most hostels.
What would be interesting would be to see the cost over years compared to inflation. I can't believe people are spending so much money today... are you all sleeping in the woods these days or what? haha

[Torch09]

I learned in 2010...hiking with $2500 meant ramen every day every meal, and no trail towns.. definitely consider about $5k

you ate $13 worth of ramen each day? That's like 86 packs...

[the judge]

I definitely do not plan on sleeping in town at all. beds kill my back and I'm better off in a tent or sleeping under the stars, spend most nights on friends' floors anyway. I pretty much live on rice, beans, and ramon the way it is, so that's not going to be a big deal for me. throw in a cheese burger while resupplying in town once in a while and I'm good. I've all but quit drinking, so there wont be much if any expense there. might ship myself some home made wine in a bounce box... (conveniences of making your own wine) if you wanna get a rough idea of what it will cost you personally, go to livestrong.com find the calorie counter, figure out what you should be getting, then look for the cheapest rout based off of that and what you can stand to eat and what will pack well.

[fehchet]

Irrelevant to today but in 1986 we shot for under $1 a day ... I did it in much less because I was good at making friends with day hikers, picnic people, locals and such:) I worked my way through the Whites for free room and board as well as most hostels.
What would be interesting would be to see the cost over years compared to inflation. I can't believe people are spending so much money today... are you all sleeping in the woods these days or what? haha

So if I do the math, then you hiked the trail for less that $180.00?

[mweinstone]

the formula for the cheapest hike is:
do all laundry in woods
eat only from larger stores even if this means futher hitch
take no shuttle
stay in no hostel or motel or paid site
buy only the cheapest bare minnimum diet
never buy gear or sox but repair and make do
never smoke or drink
look for day work every chance
have something to sell, art carvings,macrame etc.

[mweinstone]

the formula for the cheapest hike is:
do all laundry in woods
eat only from larger stores even if this means futher hitch
take no shuttle
stay in no hostel or motel or paid site
buy only the cheapest bare minnimum diet
never buy gear or sox but repair and make do
never smoke or drink
look for day work every chance
have something to sell, art carvings,macrame etc.

[coheterojo]

I put $5000 in a debit card account exclusively for my hike last year. Surprisingly enough I spent it.
It appears that I may do the trail again this year but I'm going to have to be far more economical seeing as how I have remained footloose and fancy-free (unemployed) since my (attempted)return to society. I don't really see that as being a problem because I wasn't exactly careful with the money last time. Fewer hotel rooms and more hostels, work-for-stay, hiker boxes, zero days spent on the trail instead of in town, etc.

We'll see what happens this time but it was nice to have the 5 grand in the bank last year. It freed me from potential financial roadblocks on the trail.

Hasta la proxima,

El Flaco

[The Flatlander]

I do not think Spunk 6 meant 1 dollar a day.....a dollar a mile.....that is what I spent back in 1986....kindness of strangers.....playing "hey Boo Boo" with the tourists in the parks...5lbs peanut butter buckets with "stale" english muffins from drivers at a local grocery.... weekenders that carried too much for their time out on the trail...boy scout troops hiking for a badge....film development was a major expense...and attributed greatly to the dollar a mile....the dollar figure doesn't include equipment or transportation....no matter what the cost, it beats the hell out of dropping a chunk of cash on a cruise. Spunk 6 and I were together from Mt. Cube Vermont to Katahdin a great partner....and that partnership in my eyes was priceless.