View Full Version : Critique Our On Trail Budget
My girlfriend will be hiking northbound in 2012 starting on March 21st. We have each saved $3500 for on trail expenses. This total is seperate from what we have saved to pay bills while we are away as well as reintagrate back into the "real world" when our hike is over.
$2000 Resupply
$500 Town Food
$300 Hostels
$200 Incidentals
$500 New Trail Runners
$3500 Total
We plan on taking about 5.5 months to complete the entire trail and to take one full zero day per week. Neither of us drink or smoke.
Anything we are forgetting or that we are being unrealistic about?
Thanks!
garlic08
08-07-2011, 12:40
I think that will be a tight budget for a 5.5 month hike. If there are no surprises, illnesses, injuries, or moral weaknesses for extended motel stays, you'll probably do OK. A contingency fund, maybe $1000 in reserve, would make things much more comfortable.
I spent a larger percentage on town food and on lodging, but I had a weakness for that. Maybe you'll do better. I only spent $800 on trail food for myself, about $8 per day.
I spent almost exactly that much, including travel to/from Colorado, on my solo hike, and I thought that was pretty cheap. I was only out there for 3.5 months. When my wife and I were in our thirties, I'm pretty sure we could have done the AT for $3500. Good luck.
Looks to me like you are doing a good job of thinking through the financial aspect of your hike. I would add some type of health insurance or some well healed relatives that are able to help you out if you need assistance. The 'unknown' is hard to factor in even in the real world. I would also be sure that there is at least one 'real world' job in the reintegration strategy.
People have hiked the trail on almost nothing and others have spent a lot of money during their hike. Hard to say where you will fit in. Also, with two people, there may be extra expenses, like when one person wants a day in town both will be eating out.
I think that you should plan a bit more money for in town resupply and shelter--you will be happier knowing that that extra day of luxurious bed and bath won't be putting your budget at risk.
I would want about 5,000 in my pocket for a long thru hike for myself. Times 2 would be 10 but I am sure there are times when two can be cheaper than one-hotel rates for example.
I think that if you budget more than you can think you possibly will need, you will be happier and calmer and have more options when you need to make decisions on the trail. Also, your friendship will not suffer from petty arguments about money--are there any other kind?
Happy Trails, grayfox
stonedflea
08-08-2011, 09:26
i think your budget sounds about right... i don't think you're gonna wind up spending $500 on new shoes... my springer trail runners wore out in pa, and my new pair of shoes was
stonedflea
08-08-2011, 09:31
well that's extremely frustrating.. idk why it only posted the first three lines of my response. since i'm typing on a cell phone, it takes away all of my motivation to go back and retype all that.suffice it to say, i'm 1300 miles into my thru and i think your budget will work as long as you're diligent with sticking to it and don't stay in too many hotels/hostels. food will be your biggest expense just because you're hungry a vast majority of the time. if you have friends along the east coast, get in contact with them for a free night's stay. shop at dollar stores... you can do a surprising amount of resupply there.
The Solemates
08-08-2011, 13:16
we spent around $5000 for the two of us to hike. we shared everything, which obviously helps to cut expenses. this figure was just ON TRAIL expenses. we were able to hitch a free ride to springer, which for us was only 1.5 hrs away, and our folks came up to katahdin and drove us back home (we paid for our lodging - thats it). it also does not include health insurance while on the trail, which for us for catastrophic was about $1200 for 6 mos. we cancelled all other stuff and didnt have any bills. we also did half of our 33 resupplies as mail drops, which cut expenses. we hiked the trail in 5 months exactly, 1.5 of those months in the dead of winter.
Thanks for weighing in all!
if you have friends along the east coast, get in contact with them for a free night's stay. shop at dollar stores... you can do a surprising amount of resupply there.
Fortunately we live in NYC and I have family in Maine. Thanks for the dollar store tip. I never thought of that and recall seeing some down South on the AT. I went shopping at one yesterday. They are really inexpensive here in Brooklyn too!
I didn't swap my trail runners out until Trail days in 06, but could have got some more mileage out of them if I really had to. That's crazy that you rocked yours until PA.
we spent around $5000 for the two of us to hike. we shared everything, which obviously helps to cut expenses. this figure was just ON TRAIL expenses. we were able to hitch a free ride to springer, which for us was only 1.5 hrs away, and our folks came up to katahdin and drove us back home (we paid for our lodging - thats it). it also does not include health insurance while on the trail, which for us for catastrophic was about $1200 for 6 mos. we cancelled all other stuff and didnt have any bills. we also did half of our 33 resupplies as mail drops, which cut expenses. we hiked the trail in 5 months exactly, 1.5 of those months in the dead of winter.
This sounds similar to how we anticipate hiking... except the winter part! TBH I never considered health insurance until now. I currently don't have it, but my GF utilizes hers quite frequently.
Also, your friendship will not suffer from petty arguments about money--are there any other kind?
Pearls of wisdom right there!
Sassafras Lass
08-08-2011, 18:28
Perfectly doable. Hubby and I had just about that amount when we did our NOBO thru attempt this year - had we continued I'm sure we wouldn't have needed more.
Granted - we're not big town people, only stayed in a hotel twice, bought groceries for town food vs. restaurants, etc. Don't drink, don't smoke.
If we go again, I expect to take that much and have some left over afterwards.
My girlfriend will be hiking northbound in 2012 starting on March 21st. We have each saved $3500 for on trail expenses. This total is seperate from what we have saved to pay bills while we are away as well as reintagrate back into the "real world" when our hike is over.
$2000 Resupply
$500 Town Food
$300 Hostels
$200 Incidentals
$500 New Trail Runners
$3500 Total
We plan on taking about 5.5 months to complete the entire trail and to take one full zero day per week. Neither of us drink or smoke.
Anything we are forgetting or that we are being unrealistic about?
Thanks!
You've probably looked into most of these, but hopefully at least one of the below ideas will be useful to you.
If you're hiking in a set budget, I think that it'd be smarter to do maildrops (if you think that you can plan them well). Then you know exactly how much money you have to spend in towns. You can buy lots of staples in bulk (grains, powdered milk, nuts, dried fruit, dried veggies, etc.) and fill in the gaps with random items either in drops or from grocery stores along the way (fresh veggies/fruits). The savings from buying in bulk are mostly offset by shipping charges.
Also, you might want to consider planning on a bit less than 5.5 months. Having a month less of rent, bills, and trail expenses will give you a lot more money to play with.
You can often put bills like internet, cable, land lines, etc. in 'vacation mode' if you're going to be hiking for a few months.
Do you have travel to/from the trail as part of your budget as well?
If you're planning on 22 full zero days, you'll be spending 44 nights in hotels or hostels. $600 for both of you will probably get you 10ish nights in a hotel or 20-25 nights in a hostel. You'll be in towns at meal times 5 times per zero day, and probably once per non-zero day resupply, so around 130 times during your hike. You have $500 to eat these meals, which is plenty if 'town food' means stuff from the grocery store, but not if it means restaurants.
You will likely need to think up a 'town strategy' or increase your town budget.
The cheapest town strategy (which you clearly aren't interested in doing frequently) is to camp a few hours short of town and arrive in town as everything opens, and then leave before lunch time.
The 'double nero' town strategy (which you might want to consider experimenting with) is a nice compromise--hike a half day or less into town, enjoy the comforts of civilization from lunchtime on your 'entry day' until after lunchtime in your 'exit day'. You get plenty of rest, a shower, a night in a real bed, fresh food, etc. One night in your own space might be more restful than spending 2 nights in a hostel
Jack Tarlin
08-09-2011, 07:13
I think you'll be fine. The simple fact that you guys don't drink or smoke will save hundreds all by itself.
I disagree that buying your food ahead of time will save much money. Whatever you save at the checkout line will be spent instead at the Post office, and in all likelihood you'll end up with oversized parcels of food that you'll end up giving away, re-mailing to yourself, or carrying too much of because you don't want to waste $ by dumping it. (You'll also likely get tired of stuff you bought in bulk 8 months before but that's another matter).
Scott's advice about avoiding towns or limiting your time there is wise. There are indeed many opportunities to camp close to a re-supply town, and do what we used to call an In-and-out, meaning you get in by mid-morning, you have plenty of time to do all your town things, including treating yourself to a decent meal, and then you GET OUT, i.e.you get back to the Trail by 4 or 5 and hike a ways from the road til you find a nice place to camp. In doing this, you avoid paying for lodging, you skip one or more likely two restaurant meals, and you're not tempted by other things that towns offer.....ice cream shops, movies, etc. If you manage to do this even a handful of times, you'll save some serious money, so save those overnights in towns for special occasions, like when you're a bit beat up, the weather's been awful, etc.
One last bit of advice.....start a separate bank account that is ONLY for your trip. Make deposits, in any amount, when you can, and withdrawls ONLY for trip-related things. You'll be surprised what you sock away. I know that if I have extra money in hand or in pocket, it'll find a way to get spent, often on something frivolous or not needed. Money in the bank is tougher to spend. Also, just for a week, write down EVERYTHING you spend money on.....at week's end, you'll be amazed at how much you spent on junk food, candy, magazines, lottery tickets, fancy coffee drinks, eating out, lousy movies, etc. Cut out the nights out (restaurants, movie dates, etc.) and you'll be amazed at how much extra you have at week's end to put in your new savings account.
Yes you will save big bucks by not smoking or drinking. I'm inclined to not eat town meals because I'm a much better cook and would rather take fresh ingredients to a park or back on the trail,same day and fix for myself.