Specifics from 12ers and 13ers

[Double Wide]

Hey gang, I'm about to post a question that has been beaten like a dead horse, but I'm looking for specifics, not generalities if at all possible. I'm leaving in mid-March next year, and my question for those folks who have recently completed a thru has to do with money. All of my gear is bought--I could leave tomorrow if I needed to, and I'm pretty sure I have enough cash tucked away to comfortably complete my hike.

My question is this--from the time you stepped on the trail at Springer, till you got to Millenocket or Portland or wherever you caught a ride home, how much did you spend altogether? Not talking about buying gear and clothes beforehand, or any of the mail drops you prepared in advance--just expenses you had while taking the long walk.

Of course, I've heard the general $1.50 to $2.00 per mile, and some obviously have spent more and some have spent much less. But it seems like 2013 was a crazy year for bad weather and norovirus and such, and to be safe, I'm going to overbudget a little in case of extra town days. I've heard that a basic hike runs about $3000, a more comfy hike will cost about $4000, and a luxurious hike around $5000. Am I off base here? If I round up to 2200 miles and say $2.50 per mile, that comes out to $5500.

I've got more than enough for the aforementioned luxurious hike stashed away, but I'm also looking at my car payments and storage-unit rental while I'm gone, and of course I need to consider a month or two worth of savings to live on once I get back. I'm guess I'm trying to figure out what the average cost was this year, that's all. I won't have a job to come back to--I'll be burning the bridge and pissing on the ashes with my current employer (which I despise with the fire of a thousand suns), so I'm saving every dime I can until March, and will need a cushion to land on once I get back to the real world.

Also, on the trail, what expenses do I need to consider besides--

Food
Shuttles
Hostels
Motels
Replacement Gear and shoes

One final question--what gear broke down and had to be replaced during your thru?

I think that about covers it. I've just got the day off and I've been working the spreadsheets and calculator this morning, trying to set my mind at ease. I'm pretty well set, just trying to get a clearer picture, that's all.

Thanks!

[Slo-go'en]

Unfortunately, that question can not be answered with specifics. You'll get numbers all over the place. There are just too many individual variables.

And there is no telling what gear you'll have to replace (except shoes, that's a given). You just never know what might break, get lost or just wasn't working out for you.

You just have to go by the general rule of thumb that you'll probably drop between 100 and 200 bucks every time you hit town. Low end down south, high end up north.

[Nooga]

Unfortunately, that question can not be answered with specifics. You'll get numbers all over the place. There are just too many individual variables.

And there is no telling what gear you'll have to replace (except shoes, that's a given). You just never know what might break, get lost or just wasn't working out for you.


You just have to go by the general rule of thumb that you'll probably drop between 100 and 200 bucks every time you hit town. Low end down south, high end up north.

I agree, just too many variables. How often will you elect to go into town, how willing are you to split motels, how much beer?

[Cro-Mag]

Hey Blueberry,

I think you read my previous thread about my gear review from my thru-hike this year. To get more into money, here is what I planned for and noticed while on the trail.

For just hiking the AT (not including bills) I saved $4,000 (roughly, I believe it was a bit more). I spent every day on the trail like I only saved $2,000 though. I made it to the end of the trail without needing to borrow money, but I only had one month of security for entering the real world. Just as you have planned, I wanted two months worth of padding after completing my hike.
As you mentioned, this year the weather was a little worse than normal and that damn Norovirus attacked the hikers like the plague. On average, I spent every 9 days indoors (hostel, motel or trail angel). I often times split the bill with another hiker. We would even bunk together at hostels to save money (shared room vs. single bed).
One unique money saving factor about my hike, is that I do not drink alcohol. On a guess, compared to other hikers, I probably saved $500 to $1,000 by not drinking in town.
I also do not smoke, which for some reason, is a really popular habit on the trail. I am not judging, I was just surprised by this.
I did however eat whatever I wanted in town. I never looked at the price tag of something. If I was craving it, I was buying it.
I slack packed once, and that was with my dad, so there was no cost to this. I paid for rides or shuttles very rarely, maybe five times on the whole trip. We always hitched, and would be picked up within 15 minutes of sticking our thumbs out. Rides are expensive, usually $1-2 per mile, and not just to the trail head, they usually charge their round trip, which is fair of course.

When it comes down to it, I think it depends on the hiker. If you like the comforts of home, which I dont think there is anything wrong with that, then you will spend a lot of money. If you can spend more time in the woods, then you will save a lot. Most hikers in their teens or twenties spent most of their time in the woods. They were also on a shoestring budget. I noticed older hikers spent more time in town, probably because they had a larger budget.

Sorry, I dont have detailed info that I am sure you are looking for.

I hope that helps! It sounds like you are ready to go though. You can't plan for everything, all you can do is make sure you have a backup plan, which it sounds like you do.

[Double Wide]

Thanks, Cro-Mag...

I too, do not smoke (although I will indulge in the occasional cigar, briarwood pipe, or some other stuff that grows wild in Northern California on occasion...), so I don't have the expense of cigarettes, and I rarely drink beer. If I'm in town, I may have a drink to be social, maybe two, but that's about it. Alcohol and tobacco are extremely minimal expenses for me nowadays. I think my big expenses will be side trips. Never been to Boston, want to hit that for a day or two on the way back (so I guess that's not really a "trail" expense. I definitely want to hit the Yuengling brewery in Pa, and while in NY, I'm going into the city for a couple of days, too. But I count those as extras. I'm thinking of hiking like I've only got $3000 to spend, kinda like you did, but having a cushion for just-in-case issues.

Would still like to hear from recent thru-hikers on their total expenses though.

[RED-DOG]

On my 2012 thru-hike I had a Budget of $7000 and spent 5700 but that's gear and everything, Transportation to and from, but I figured I spent 1500 on gear before I started so I spent 4000-4200 I don't do mail drops I buy 100% of my food as I go along, I get resupplied every 4-6 days, A lot of times I wouldn't stay overnight in town I would get resupplied and leave, I spent 50-60 dollars just for food at every resupply, If I decided to overnight in town I would spend roughly around 150 dollars in the Southern AT, in the Northern AT you need to DOUBLE whatever you spend in the south, The most expensive thing for me was RESTUARANTS I could not pass up a good hot meal, and they are plenty of oppurtunities to stop and eat a hot meal, So yeah if you already got all the gear a $4000 dollar budget should be fine, but I would not leave with less than 4000, I know this sounds like a lot of money but it really isn't, I hope this helps out, Good Luck and Happy Hiking.

[1234]

On my 2012 thru-hike I had a Budget of $7000 and spent 5700 but that's gear and everything, Transportation to and from, but I figured I spent 1500 on gear before I started so I spent 4000-4200 (tel:4000-4200) I don't do mail drops I buy 100% of my food as I go along, I get resupplied every 4-6 days, A lot of times I wouldn't stay overnight in town I would get resupplied and leave, I spent 50-60 dollars just for food at every resupply, If I decided to overnight in town I would spend roughly around 150 dollars in the Southern AT, in the Northern AT you need to DOUBLE whatever you spend in the south, The most expensive thing for me was RESTUARANTS I could not pass up a good hot meal, and they are plenty of oppurtunities to stop and eat a hot meal, So yeah if you already got all the gear a $4000 dollar budget should be fine, but I would not leave with less than 4000, I know this sounds like a lot of money but it really isn't, I hope this helps out, Good Luck and Happy Hiking.
$1800 in ny now going to get my hiker. That is not including four packs and four pair of boots two of which did not last hundred miles. Mail drops were $10 just to ship an contained about $30 food. Most. Gear was old stuff that mostly worked ok except the pack keep ripping.

[broken arrow]

this year, I did my thru for about $2000. I lived like a king.

[fredmugs]

Whenever I plan my thru I am going to pay more attention to cost per day than cost per mile. I seem to eat the same amount whether I'm doing a 12 mile day or a 25 mile day so my cost per day on the trail should be fairly consistent. That will be my fixed cost and then town days will be my variable cost.

[OzJacko]

Around $35,000 - $40,000 for three of us.
Anything less and you're doing it all wrong!
:D

[OzJacko]

And for the record, I don't even smoke tobacco....;)

[Rasty]

Around $35,000 - $40,000 for three of us.
Anything less and you're doing it all wrong!
:D

All I can say is WOW.

[ams212001]

this year, I did my thru for about $2000. I lived like a king.

What did you do to keep your expenses so low?

[Astro]

Around $35,000 - $40,000 for three of us.
Anything less and you're doing it all wrong!
:D

Now I know why HB decided to head back to NY and save up for 2014. ;)

[hikerboy57]

Now I know why HB decided to head back to NY and save up for 2014. ;)
no i would have to wait until 2016 to save that kind of dough, and frankly, i prefer sleeping in the woods.