How cheap did you make it?

[Lizzie123]

Ok, so to any minimalist campers who have done the trail, about how much did you spend not including travel to and from and gear? I'm hoping to start at the beginning of Feb. going NOBO. I'd like to do it as cheap as possible. I plan to spend very little time in towns hosteling and whatnot. Thanks for the help!

[Sassafras Lass]

Ok, so to any minimalist campers who have done the trail, about how much did you spend not including travel to and from and gear? I'm hoping to start at the beginning of Feb. going NOBO. I'd like to do it as cheap as possible. I plan to spend very little time in towns hosteling and whatnot. Thanks for the help!

You're going next year then, I take it?

Check out Sgt. Rock's $300 challenge - don't know if anyone's done it for less (unless, of course, you were bequethed a whole arsenal of hiking gear that just happened to fit you perfectly) http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5594

[Blissful]

I plan to spend very little time in towns hosteling and whatnot.


Easier said than done....:) Esp day in day out, week after week, month after month.

Towns look real good with soaked gear and clothes, no food, and freezing rain

[Slo-go'en]

Starting Feb 1st and not spending any time in towns and hostles? That's wishful thinking! From what I hear, next winter will likely be as brutal as this one is and last years was.

If you want to go cheap, wait a couple of months. Better (warmer/dryer) weather will make less town/hostles stops more practical, spend less money winter gear and travel farther/faster which relates to a cheaper hike.

Spend the couple of months between Feb and April working and saving money so you have more.

[Lizzie123]

Sorry I didn't clarify, it would be Feb. 2012. I had initially been planning a June 2011 SOBO, but my travel buddy can't make it then. My main concern is the extra cost of gear that I will need for the changing seasons but I've been scouring ebay and thrift stores with some luck. I know town are tempting, but I know myself and I have been done about 3 months camping before and think I've got enough determination to get through it :). I know I have a lot of research left to do about weather during that time, but browsing these forums it seems like there are many people who start in early Feb. Thank you for the article F-stop, I'll check it out!

[Lizzie123]

And the reason for such an early start date is because I'll likely be starting grad school in August.

[Sassafras Lass]

Sorry I didn't clarify, it would be Feb. 2012. I had initially been planning a June 2011 SOBO, but my travel buddy can't make it then. My main concern is the extra cost of gear that I will need for the changing seasons but I've been scouring ebay and thrift stores with some luck. I know town are tempting, but I know myself and I have been done about 3 months camping before and think I've got enough determination to get through it :). I know I have a lot of research left to do about weather during that time, but browsing these forums it seems like there are many people who start in early Feb. Thank you for the article F-stop, I'll check it out!

You're welcome. Hubby and I are leaving for GA March 26th - not exactly February but still early enough for us to have 2 pairs of baselayer thermals, down coats, 20F bags, etc. If you are intent on leaving in February I would probably go with a 5F or 0F bag and switch to a 40F at a later date.

As for the allure of towns - I haven't been out longer than a week (and more of a cossetted week with access to a stocked trunk of goodies), but I know myself, I know what kind of hike we're wanting to do, and it ain't walking through trees just to get to another town. A town is a restaurant/grocery store/real shower for me, nothing more. We won't be spending more than 1 day in any town, because we want to walk and spend time with each other out in Nature. Will we miss out on a lot of companionship? Of course. Will we miss out on meeting venerable thru-hikers of the past and parties and whatnot? Most likely. But that's not what our hike's about.

I've been hearing a lot of doomsday-ish rhetoric myself about how we've no idea what we're up against, what it's really like on the trail, etc. etc. Okay - I've no idea what it's like to walk a full week in freezing cold rain. I'm not saying I'll never get a hostel. But we're reserving hostels/motels for times of weather emergencies . . . . and that's really it. We're not going to blow hundreds of $$$ on lodging - why would we when we have a tent??

The AT is for us to remove ourselves from "normal" life as much as possible - can't very well accomplish that if we're sitting in town as if we're on vacation.

Just my 2 cents.

[Lizzie123]

I think you nailed it! Though I will be prepared to spend time in towns if the weather is too bad, it is not what I want from my trip. If I wanted to go on vacation I would go elsewhere. I'm looking forward to the challenges and hard times just like I am the easier parts. It sounds like you're going to have a great trip with that attitude, F-stop! Best of luck!

[Slo-go'en]

but browsing these forums it seems like there are many people who start in early Feb.

It might seem that way, but few of those made it very far, even with the relatively mild winters of a few years back. Now that we're into a cycle of harsh winters, even those starting in early to mid March are likelty to have a difficult time of it.

Trust me, wait until April. That still gives you 4 months to do the trail. Although you'll have to hussle a bit to do it in that time, it is very do-able. It will be much more enjoyable and you'll have a much better chance of success staring in April. (and you'll spend a lot less money doing it)

[flyer]

$500 staring out. I did stop and work 5 days on trail and made an extra $200. Not all where full days work, but that little bit made a big difference in how far i made it. I only slept in hostels and still had beer evey so often. My trick was to eat what ever i could find in my food bag(usally only ramon at that point) befor i went to resupply in town. I made wiser purchases on a full belly. And Check hiker boxes first. I had a great trip and only had to suffer from lack of funds in expensive places( by carrying cheaper food for longer, through towns with out Dollar Generals) I could resupply with $20-$25 and last 2 weeks with out any difficulty. But i do reconize that i needed more cash and the trail would be a lot EZer it i had $1500. which is how much i am taking this time.

[sbhikes]

The allure of town is great for the food, the comfort, the food, friendship and of course, the food.

I was not particularly frugal, but toward the end I was not willing to pay for shelter anymore so I found places to set up my tent near town so I could still enjoy the food and friendship but not have to pay to toss and turn in some smelly hotel that was too hot, too noisy and no longer comfortable because now I preferred to sleep on the ground without a pillow.

[maybe clem]

You can hike cheaply if you want but make sure you have enough money in reserve to cover emergencies.

[BigHodag]

I came close to Sgt Rock's $300 challenge. I spent $327 on gear. Could have stayed under if I had not bought a new $30 poncho liner and new lightweight nylon fishing pants & shirts ($80).

I used a $30 Walmart daypack (http://at-trail.blogspot.com/2010/03/hiking-backpack-outdoor-products.html), a $10 hardware store tarp, $17 travel hammock (http://at-trail.blogspot.com/2010/03/camping-hammocks-grand-trunk.html), potted meat alcohol stove ($.33 for the can and $2 for the hole punch), $1 Walmart pocket knife, two $13 Walmart hiking poles (http://at-trail.blogspot.com/2010/03/trekking-poles-outdoor-products-hiking.html). Here's the rest of my gear list with prices:

http://www.trailjournals.com/gear.cfm?trailname=10727

The family spent an extra $100 this year for a $65 Ursack and a $25 Esbit aluminum cup. Plan to meet the bears of NJ and want to save more space and weight in my Walmart "daypack". The pack weighed #23 at Boiling Springs before I got off the AT. Want to be below #20, with some food and water, this May when I start NJ & NY.

[Lizzie123]

Thanks everyone! I'm not too worried about gear as I already have some of what I need and have been finding a lot of other things for super cheap. So what I'm really interested in how much hiking the trail itself cost people who try to do it on a very low budget? So basically how much was spent on food, lodging, park entrance fees, necessary transportation, ect.?

[Sassafras Lass]

Thanks everyone! I'm not too worried about gear as I already have some of what I need and have been finding a lot of other things for super cheap. So what I'm really interested in how much hiking the trail itself cost people who try to do it on a very low budget? So basically how much was spent on food, lodging, park entrance fees, necessary transportation, ect.?

Lizzie - here are some threads that many help you out - it really varies, as some people insist you need $4,000+ for a good hike, and others got by on $1,800 or so. DH and I will have closer to $2,700 per person and I'm very comfortable with that.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=67239
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=67484