Bounce Box/Food Q's

[em241]

1. Where do you address your bounce box for the first drop, if mailing from home? As a NoBo hiker-- to Dahlonega, GA?

2. I've heard it's typical to carry enough food for 3-5 days, but could someone give me an idea of what that food looks like broken down into specifics? I'm pretty sure my staples will be pop tarts, assorted nuts, peanut butter, pita bread, and snickers, but I'm not sure how much to buy to begin (e.g. how many oz nuts to buy, how much peanut butter to take, how many snickers, etc).

[em241]

Oh, and one more question-- how necessary is a food bag? Do any hikers go without?

[Don H]

I used a 13 liter sea to summit ultralight dry bag for a food bag.

There's lots of posts on trail menus, just depends on what you like and what you can get.

I did all freezer bag cooking for dinners. Things like Stovetop stuffing, Knorrs rice or pasta sides, instant potatoes, mac and cheese, ramen noodles, anything you can put in a freezer bag and add boiling water to. Add some type of protien like tuna, chicken, spam, etc, I always liked the stuff you can buy in the foil packs.

Breakfast for me was always Pop tarts, Lunch was just snacks that I ate all day, Snickers bars, granola bars, sometimes tuna salad on flat bread, and lots of M&M Peanuts!

Your diet on the trail will be pretty boring and you'll get tired of the same old stuff. that's what they have town stops and all you can eat restaurants ;)

[Mountain Mike]

For at least first week or two you will be fine with what you eat normally. After that you appetite will increase. If you buy as you go you don't need to start with a bounce box. Mail it from one of your early town stops if you need it. IE to much of one food in bulk, razors, soap, etc.

[SCRUB HIKER]

I'm just saying what I bet a hundred other WhiteBlazers, some with more experience than me, would say:

The only reason I would recommend maildrops on the AT is if you had dietary restrictions or you were on a really tight budget and were sending yourself precise amounts of food that you can get for really cheap somewhere at home (e.g. bulk cereal, nuts, soups). But those foods you list are all things that you can buy in any grocery store, dollar store, gas station, etc. along the way. The consensus on this site is that you don't need many maildrops, if any, to thru-hike. I had one at Fontana, plus occasional treats (dehydrated hummus) here and there. If I went again I wouldn't plan for any.

Your diet doesn't sound like it warrants much pre-planning, and if you don't precisely know your food needs ahead of time, it's better to figure those out along the way than prepare yourself a few dozen maildrops of foods that you'll get sick of, or have the quantities wrong. There are places to resupply at least every 3-4 days, usually more often than that, along the whole trail except for the 100 Mile Wilderness.

As for food bags--yeah you should have one, but I guess it's not absolutely necessary. Some people just put their food in their pack in the plastic grocery bags they have from the last store, but that's wasteful and not convenient for bear-hanging (even if you don't do it regularly, you might want to do it at the shelters that have bear poles or lines that make hanging food for the night too easy to pass up).

[magic_game03]

1.) Small Tip: understand that there are two terms not to confuse or you will confuse us. There are drop boxes and bump boxes. A drop box will usually be food that will be sent regular mail. It will usually contain food that you know you will pick up because it is absolutely necessary. A bump box is a box that you may forward on for free to the next stop. The bump box will have to be sent priority. Typically you will drop food and bump gear. For example you want to lighten your pack, so you may bump your tent forward. If you decide later that you want to use the tent you will get it at the next stop, else you will keep bumping it onward and eventually home. Although food is something you may bump depending on how operate it is most likely that you will send food as a drop box.

2.) when are you starting? A Feb. 1st start is different than a March 1st or April 1st start. Heck, you may not even be carrying a stove for an April 1st start.

[swjohnsey]

Pick a spot a couple of weeks up the trail (Hot Springs?). Put your home address as your forwarding address. Remember it as they might ask what it is if you call and have it forwarded. The box will be returned to the forwarding address after 30 days. If you don't need it have it bounced a couple of weeks up the trail at no additional cost.

You don't need many days food at the start. Resupply places are good at the start. Take 3 breakfast, jar of PB, pack of tortillas, 3 dinners, 2 snicker/day. After you get to Hot Springs you will have it figured out.

[Blissful]

1. First drop you can mail a box to Mountain Crossings outfitter at Neel Gap. They do charge a small fee.

2. Check this food list (http://blissfulhiking.blogspot.com/2011/02/hiker-food-kinds-of-stuff.html)

[flemdawg1]

1. Where do you address your bounce box for the first drop, if mailing from home? As a NoBo hiker-- to Dahlonega, GA? You don't need one. Mtn. Crossoings will acccept a package (and mail stuff home for you). But they also sell food, don't need any mail drops at all if you don't want one.

2. I've heard it's typical to carry enough food for 3-5 days, but could someone give me an idea of what that food looks like broken down into specifics? I'm pretty sure my staples will be pop tarts, assorted nuts, peanut butter, pita bread, and snickers, but I'm not sure how much to buy to begin (e.g. how many oz nuts to buy, how much peanut butter to take, how many snickers, etc).
That's all up to you. Do you eat 2 pitas and 2 TBS of peanut butter for lunch? Read the serving info on the packages and do the math. Yes you will probably end up walking into your next resupply with no pitas, and 1/3 jar of peanut butter, and consequently also sick of peanut butter, all your nuts and no snickers. And you won't want the nuts either, so you make a trade with your hiker buddy for some Oreos, a ramen pack, and 3 slim Jims.



Oh, and one more question-- how necessary is a food bag? Do any hikers go without? Its practical to carry one. The organizes your food, want a Snickers its in your Food Bag at the top of your pack, not the bottom melting into your sleeping bag. It contains spills and messes that you won't want to get into your other stuff. It gives you someting to hang for a bear bag, If its raining you won't want your whole pack out on the bear line getting wet.


Pick a spot a couple of weeks up the trail (Hot Springs?). Put your home address as your forwarding address. Remember it as they might ask what it is if you call and have it forwarded. The box will be returned to the forwarding address after 30 days. If you don't need it have it bounced a couple of weeks up the trail at no additional cost.

You don't need many days food at the start. Resupply places are good at the start. Take 3 breakfast, jar of PB, pack of tortillas, 3 dinners, 2 snicker/day. After you get to Hot Springs you will have it figured out.
2 weeks is more likely NOC or Fontana Dam.