Bounce Box.

[UCONNMike]

I get the concept of the bounce box (put stuff you may need later in a box and keep sending it to yourself in trail towns along the way) but exactley how can this be executed? is it hard to figure out? any suggestions on how to do it better based on prior experiences? RITBlake and I really wan to make it work, since we are gonna keep pack weight down and only carry essentials, it would be nice to have the extra things at our dispossal.

[Grimace]

Get box, put extras in it, look ahead in Data Book and figure out what town or hostel you will be in next, and ship your box there.

We would keep large versions of stuff in there. I.E. Big bottle of Advil and then took out enough to get us to next town. Big bottle or Purel, and used to fill up our small, travel size, etc. We also kept a set of town clothes in the box so we would have something not so smelly to wear in the towns we sent our box to.

[Footslogger]

I get the concept of the bounce box (put stuff you may need later in a box and keep sending it to yourself in trail towns along the way) but exactley how can this be executed? is it hard to figure out? any suggestions on how to do it better based on prior experiences? RITBlake and I really wan to make it work, since we are gonna keep pack weight down and only carry essentials, it would be nice to have the extra things at our dispossal.======================================== =======
I used a bounce box sucessfully in 2003. It does give you one more thing to keep track of during your hike but it's really not that big of a hassle. In the end it can really save you time and money. The way you make it work it to keep it about 2 - 3 weeks ahead of you on the trail. I used both the Post Office and hostels as the mailing address for mine. Once I had my pace pretty well established I could estimate arrivals and just planned to have my bounce box available when I got there. I never had an instance when my bounce box was unavailable when I arrived. I kept the materials for re-sealing the box inside and all it took was 10 - 15 minutes to get what I needed, re-seal the box and move it up the trail.

As far as what I kept inside ...it varied from time to time. Extra socks, ziplock bags, vitamins and etc ...anything I figured would be difficult to source along the trail. It prevented me from having to pay twice for things I had already purchased ahead of time. By the time I got to Maine it was pretty well emptied out. The last bounce was to Millinocket. Along the way I had gotten a comfortable pair of shoes to wear after the hike and had placed them in the box. So ...when I got to town after summiting Katahdin I visited the Post Office, got my shoes and emptied out my backpack of everything I didn't need at that point. I sealed up my bounce box for the last time and sent it home.

Everyone is different and I met lot of hikers who didn't want the extra step of having to keep up with a bounce box. But it worked for me and if I had it to do all over again I'd use a bounce box.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[swamp dawg]

I use a bounce box as others have described and it really helps cut down on weight. You can also bounce things back home such as film and clothes you may not need for a while. Make sure you put some labels and tape in the box to save money and time at your stops. I break down a small box and put in in a bigger bounce box for shipping home. Most post offices will sell you supplies to ship but the cost can add up over time. Make sure you time your hike to hit town when the post office is open because nothing is more frustrating than waiting a whole day or more for your bounce box.
Life is good on the trail........Swamp Dawg

[Jeff]

I agree with Footslogger that you should bounce about 2-3 weeks ahead. If you do it too often, it just adds complexity to your hike. Always try to ship to a hostel, motel or outfitter who will be open 7 days a week. Spending a Sunday zero day waiting for the Post Office to open on Monday is a drag!

[Peaks]

On the flip side, I didn't use a bounce box. But I did have mail drops on occassion.

Regardless, you will want some way to resupply items such as maps. For me, I wanted slide film. So, these were in my mail drops. If I needed things like new socks, then I would go to an outfitter when the time came.

Either way, postage does add up. It will probably cost you $6 to $10 everytime you bounce it.

Another hastle with bounce boxes is getting to a PO to mail them out again.

If you are from Connecticut, figure out if you really need a bounce box, or if someone from home can send you stuff when you need it.