Just curious to how much money everyone is bringing?

[Jake27]

I'm trying to get a feel for everyone's budget, I would really hate to leave the trail because of money issues.what I have so far is all my gear (base 10lbs)-4 pairs of my favorite trail runners (sportiva Helios)-Plane ticket bought for March (Detroit to Atlanta)-Also have my smokies permit.so I don't plan spending any money on equipment.i will have $5000-$7000 when I start the trail I don't want to spend that much on the hostels but do plan on splurging on fun, showers and hot food.i am planing on sleeping in my hammock as much as I can.is this a good budget plan?

[lonehiker]

I'm trying to get a feel for everyone's budget, I would really hate to leave the trail because of money issues.what I have so far is all my gear (base 10lbs)-4 pairs of my favorite trail runners (sportiva Helios)-Plane ticket bought for March (Detroit to Atlanta)-Also have my smokies permit.so I don't plan spending any money on equipment.i will have $5000-$7000 when I start the trail I don't want to spend that much on the hostels but do plan on splurging on fun, showers and hot food.i am planing on sleeping in my hammock as much as I can.is this a good budget plan?

Yes, it is a good plan.

[Slo-go'en]

5K will be okay, 7K will give you a better cushion. Don't forget you need money to live on after you get back home. And since smokies permits are only good for 30 days, I hope you didn't buy one already! (or can you buy one that far in advance now?)

10 pound base and haggin' in March? I suspect your going to be a bit chilly. Better budget in those hostels and motels.

[Jake27]

5K will be okay, 7K will give you a better cushion. Don't forget you need money to live on after you get back home. And since smokies permits are only good for 30 days, I hope you didn't buy one already! (or can you buy one that far in advance now?)

10 pound base and haggin' in March? I suspect your going to be a bit chilly. Better budget in those hostels and motels.

I completely didn't not realize that about the smokies haha oops!! I have slept in my hammock in winter in Michigan and been very warm My list is as follows hammock -warbonnet blackbird /tarp ZPacks hammock tarp/ Top quilt -20 degree hammock gear/ 3/4 length under quilt 20 degree.My pack is very dialed in have a lot of experience in backpack northern Michigan.I get my best sleep in my hammock.I am just curious how much everyone is bringing.i have money for when I get back this budget is just what I am willing to spend on the trail.I just don't want to be on a tight budget.

[bigcranky]

With your winter experience in Michigan, you'll be fine in Georgia in March.

$5000 for on-trail expenses is good, with a $2000 cushion just in case. Try not to spend more than half of it before you get to NY or CT.

[RED-DOG]

A safe amount is 1000 a month it's best to have too much than not enough, on my 2015 pct thru i will be budgeting $7500, thats gear, transportation, and anything else.

[dangerdave]

I've got all my gear (~20 lbs), and I'm sitting on $6K for my trip budget. I hope to have some left when I'm done. I think you'll be fine. I had no idea what $7K looked like when I was 27. Must be nice!

[Jake27]

Danger Dave I have no kids otherwise I'd be broke.haha can't wait to meet everyone on the trail.

[mattjv89]

I tend to be a slower hiker so I won't be a bit surprised if it's close to a 6 month hike for me. I'd love to spend no more than 5,000 which would leave around a 7,000 cushion to re-enter life after the trail. Money wise I probably could have squeezed a thru-hike out this year but I'm grateful for giving it an extra year of saving. Of all the things that could happen on the trail, I think I'd find it a most crushing defeat to be having a great time and have to bail out simply because I couldn't pay for it anymore.

what I have so far is ....4 pairs of my favorite trail runners (sportiva Helios)

Now I don't speak from experience yet but I've heard it recommended many times to not buy shoes ahead of time because your feet are likely to swell and need a larger size later in the hike. Maybe it's possible to return 3 of the pairs still if they're not used?

[Coffee]

I found $1,000 very comfortable for the on-trail expenses incurred this year in Colorado over exactly one month. This did not include transportation to/from Colorado, but did include local transportation, food, restaurant meals and hostel stays. The only caveat I would make is that I don't drink alcohol or smoke and that can be a large additional expense for some people. I'm planning on $5,000 for my five months of on-trail expenses on the PCT. Thru hiking has to be one of the cheapest ways to live and see the world. I spent about $5,000 on a three week trip to Europe this summer as a conventional tourist staying in relatively modest lodging and flying coach to/from.

[Jake27]

Mattjv 89 I have heard that too from past hikers.bought 2 of them at a rei garage sale.and I have the first pair half size bigger and the second and third are one size bigger and my fourth pair are one and a half bigger.i am hoping this will be adequate.but I found them so cheap I had to buy them.worst come to worst I will wont have to buy shoes for a couple years haha.

[kidchill]

You should be fine money-wise, but just a heads up. Once you cross that Mason-Dixon line, your costs will increase! It's much more expensive up north for everything. Just keep it in mind.

[drew_a_blank]

I'm budgeting about 6k for the trail and another 6-8 for after, as I don't know where I will be living/working when I finish. I am hoping to lateral over to a different industry (currently at a winery), and don't want to stress about taking the first job I can get. Good luck with everyone's prep/saving!

[TD55]

I have found budgeting by per day or week very helpful. If I go over budget I can make adjustments to balance my budget to last the planned amount of time it needs to last. If I go over it means I can prolong the adventure or have room to splurge in the following days or weeks. It has always worked to insure my endeavor last for the planned amount of time.

[TD55]

I have found budgeting by per day or week very helpful. If I go over budget I can make adjustments to balance my budget to last the planned amount of time it needs to last. If I go "under" it means I can prolong the adventure or have room to splurge in the following days or weeks. It has always worked to insure my endeavor last for the planned amount of time.

OOPS, made a mistake first time.

[dangerdave]

Great idea, TD55! What a great bunch of people giving (mostly) great advice!

Um, so how do I budget per day if I don't know how long I will take? Ok, if I figure on say 160 days, that's $6000/160=$37.50 a day. Roughly forty bucks a day. That's doable, for sure.

[Coffee]

Regarding budgeting, for those who have android phones, I recommend "Hello Expense". https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...oexpense&hl=en It is a free app and was very useful for me over the past few months. You can easily track cash and credit expenses and get running totals as well as daily, weekly, and monthly summaries. Using this type of app makes it easy to see how you are doing midway through a hike. Being a spreadsheet nerd, I actually created a spreadsheet showing what my target spending level should be for each day on the Colorado Trail. That's obviously not a great idea to be so obsessive and wouldn't work for a 4-5 month hike. Instead, I'll just use a dollars per day average of $30-35. Of course on most days expenses will be zero since money is only spent in town.

[Rolls Kanardly]

Just curious to how much money everyone is bringing?

I hope no one takes this title literally and brings a lot of cash. That could be a disaster in the making.
Money has gone missing from backpacks and ruined an AT hike.

Rolls

[jjozgrunt]

A $1000 a month is okay for the beer/wine/spirits but what about food and the odd bit of accommodation? I think $1050 a month should do it.

[CarlZ993]

You should be fine money-wise, but just a heads up. Once you cross that Mason-Dixon line, your costs will increase! It's much more expensive up north for everything. Just keep it in mind.

This is the true. At the same time, there is a party atmosphere at the beginning that can blow one's budget if you're not careful. I kept a running expenditure log with a phone app. I budgeted more than I thought I'd need. I ended up spending more that my original budget. But, I could afford to spend more & knew it. When the weather got crappy the later third of the trail, it didn't take much for me to do a few extra miles & hit a town to share a motel room or grab a hostel bunk. My mantra became "I'm spending the grand-kids' inheritance."

Good luck on your hike.