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View Full Version : A question about maildrops



perrymk
10-17-2012, 07:49
I recognize not everyone feels maildrops are necessary, but for those of us who may choose to use them I would like some information.

I have read that some posts that say they wait days for their maildrop. I read on the USPS web site "Mail addressed to you at General Delivery will be held at the area’s main Post Office™ for up to 30 days." (https://www.usps.com/manage/forward-mail.htm). It would seem to me then that sending a package a week or so in advance would ensure it is there and waiting. Is there a reason not to do this? Are there that many maildrops at post offices that this would pose a major inconvenience to the post office? Are post offices generally OK with maildrops or is there some reluctance? I imagine most postal employees, like employees anywhere, just do their job and go home at the end of the day. Can Priority Mail be sent to general delivery using the online click-n-ship?

Thanks for any info, especially experiences.

swjohnsey
10-17-2012, 07:58
I used some maildrops. I had 'em sent out about a week before I needed 'em. Generally, the post offices that thru-hikers use are very friendly because they are struggling to stay open and need the business. The advantage of sending to a post office rather than a business such as a hostel is that you can have 'em forwarded if something changes.

Don H
10-17-2012, 08:34
In my opinion mail drops are a PIA and not necessary.
But if you're gonna do it and send them to POs make sure you send them to the proper PO.

Examples:
The Rouverville, PA PO is closer to the trail than the Waynesboro, PA office.
Troutdale, VA and Troutville, Va are two different trail towns and 200 miles apart.

Sometimes sending to a business is a better choice. Example, Adkins, VA the Barn Restaurant or the Relax Inn both within sight of the trail as opposed to the PO 3 miles away.

So there's lots of things to consider. To me it's just easier to stop at a town and buy food based on how far and how much food I need to get me to the next town.

garlic08
10-17-2012, 08:55
Like any complex system, sometimes the USPS just doesn't work. A very small percentage of packages get delayed, an even smaller percentage get lost, stolen, or destroyed. Sometimes the address is written wrong (user error). Mostly it works great, though, and is a pretty good value for the money.

More often on the Trail, you get to town a few minutes after closing time the day before a three-day weekend.

Before I hiked the AT, I had one package delayed by human error, one took seven weeks for the PO to finally deliver, and I decided not to wait over the July 4th holiday for one. So on the AT, I didn't bother.