Yes Or No To Mail Drops

[Googan]

I'm debating on whether to do some mail drops or not. For those of you with 1st hand experience would you do them?

[Lone Wolf]

I'm debating on whether to do some mail drops or not. For those of you with 1st hand experience would you do them?

never for food just gear, maps, etc.

[hubcap]

I crave different things at different points of a long hike. I'd never be able to pre-package food and have it mail dropped, because it'd probably be something that I did not want by that time I got it. Exchanging gear, cold weather for warmer weather stuff, can be useful. I've not figured out the bump box thing. Sending extra batteries and stuff ahead when the cost of shipping equals out the cost of me just picking some up at a store, and I don't have to wait around for post office hours to get what I need.

It's always fun, for me anyway, to walk into resupply and go with what I can find. Sort of makes each point a little different and memorable in a way. I once loaded up for a 3 day stretch with 20 snickers, along with other food items. I ate everyone over those 3 days! Ha!

[Old Hiker]

never for food just gear, maps, etc.

Pretty much this. However, this time, I'm going to have a few energy bars I can't find in stores sent with the maps.

I'm also using a quilt for the first LONG distance time, so I have my old sleeping bag boxed and ready to go, if I can't get used to a quilt.

[Gambit McCrae]

I haven't done a thru BUT from my longer section hikes and seeing logistics of others Wolf is right.. There are plenty of towns etc to resupply along the way. I would say you will save money if you have self control while buying resupply in store.

[Don H]

I had 5 food drop boxes set up with 4 days of food in each. I think I used 3, two in Maine.
I found Baltimore Jack's resupply article posted on WB very helpful, I downloaded it into my phone.

[rafe]

As few as possible. Only for stuff you can't go without, and can't buy locally.

Maildrops tie you down. Post offices aren't open 24/7. Even sending packages non-USPS locations has issues.

Don't use 'em for food unless you have a totally exotic diet. Get all the oatmeal you could ever want from hiker boxes.

[garlic08]

Not needed on the AT, except for gear and maps. I've done a few food drops on more remote hikes.

[colorado_rob]

Just another vote: I used mail drops for my entire AT hike, worked great. I got the food I exactly wanted, I saved time in trail-towns, and I saved a lot of money; I bought my food in bulk before my hike, much cheaper than grocery stores, about 50% off (or more), which way more than made up for postage.

For the record, I had someone to mail me my boxes (my wife).

YMMV, mail drops were perfect for my hiking style (going on the cheap, maximizing time on the trail vs. in towns).

One point: I learned early on to avoid mailing boxes to post offices, mail them to hostels/hotel/other merchants because of post office hours, like being closed from noon (or so) Saturdays until Monday morning. Tons and tons of hostels/hotels/merchants accept and hold boxes for hikers. All spelled out in AWOL.

[soilman]

I think there is a place for mail drops for food. There are places along the trail where there is no convenient place to resupply but a mail drop is feasible. Andover, ME, Caruntunk, Pt. Clinton, Delaware WG, come to mind.

[Koozy]

Maildrops might help with limited resupply options at certain locations; specifically Fontana and Monson. Other than that buying as you go is easy, and the best option when it comes to maintaining flexibility of your schedule.

[rafe]

One danger with mail drops is that your taste may change over the course of your hike. Take a good look at what's left in hiker boxes -- as an example of what not to send yourself.

Any of your usual mostly-starch empty-calorie quick-cook meals, don't bother. You can get those at any mini-mart. Hiker boxes are full of that stuff, left in anonymous Ziploc bags.

[takethisbread]

Negatives to mail drops:
1. Unnecessary as there is stores all along the way
2. Hours of post office or place you mailed could be closed when u get there, forcing you to wait extra hours or days
3. The food you mailed could be not what you want or need
4. Expense. $15 per mail drop using usps priority.
5. Theft. It happens



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[MamaBear]

Either way. I did use them, because I had made my own dehydrated dinners, but bought breakfasts and lunches and some snacks in town. That helped with the variety and change in taste over time. I had a lot of different dinners, so I tried to make sure to rotate what I got in each box. Using the boxes also allowed my family to add treats and other surprises to the boxes for me. It was fun for them, and also helped to keep them involved in the hike and where I actually was on the trail. While it certainly wasn't an absolute necessity (no special dietary requirements), it was nice to get a box from my family (aka Team PomPom) at home.

[Lone Wolf]

i've known so many people that had 15 or so boxes ready to be shipped all the way up the trail and never make it out of georgia. and if they do make it out they're tired of the crap they sent after the 3rd drop or so. so they end up giving it away, sending it home or send it ahead. just buy as you go

[colorado_rob]

Negatives to mail drops:
1. Unnecessary as there is stores all along the way
2. Hours of post office or place you mailed could be closed when u get there, forcing you to wait extra hours or days
3. The food you mailed could be not what you want or need
4. Expense. $15 per mail drop using usps priority.
5. Theft. It happens

Positives of mail drops:
1. Save time in trail towns. I just wanna stuff my face with pizza and throw down some beers and chat with pals. Not grocery shop. Puke. I do all my grocery shopping for the trail way in advance, at home during lousy weather. All at once, done!
2. Food can be mailed to right where you want to stay (hostels, etc); again, don't use post offices unless you're 100% sure you will easily get there when open. There is zero drama with this. AWOL has it all spelled out where you can send your food boxes. If you decide to stay elsewhere, the original hostel will gladly still give you your box. Some want 5 bucks for holding it w/o you staying there. No problem.
3. You get exactly the food you want, you're not at the mercy of local "cuisine" and whatever is in stock, sometimes at very marginal stores
4. SAVE MONEY; buy in bulk before you go, I save 50% or more, way more than making up for postage. I'm cheap. this is probably my #1 reason for mail drops.
5. Never ever had anything stolen on any trail or trailhead or town in probably at least 15,000 miles of hiking. Good odds going forward.
6. Prepackage your dehydrated foods, saves weight! Lots of weight sometimes.
7. Toilet paper! I need maybe a roll a week. How do you buy one single roll? I suspect lots of thru hikers just steal it from bathrooms. I throw a roll in each resupply box. Easy-peasy!
8. Drink the coffee you want and like! Not at the mercy of whatever "coffee" is sold in those parts.... I guess this is redundant w/ 3.... but as a coffeholic, this is especially important.

Rafe makes a good point; if you really aren't dialed in on what you like, mail drops might be bad idea. LW also makes another good point: make sure long distance hiking is what you like, if not, be conservative on preparing boxes ahead of time, might all go to waste. My wife and I hike all the time, all year 'round, no prepackaged food boxes would ever go to waste. I was also pleasantly surprised at one "mail drop" that I for some reason didn't make it to. I wrote off the box. A month or so later, voila! It showed up at our house. I guess that's part of the priority mail service.

Total no-brainer for some of us! HYOH, but listen to all sides of such arguments and make your own call.

[4eyedbuzzard]

The following applies to Priority Mail packages only - not Parcel Select/Standard Post.

Best not to send packages much more than 30 days in advance as technically USPS doesn't have to hold them longer than this. Trail P.O.'s aren't hiker warehouses. That said, many P.O.'s in trail towns will hold them until the end of the usual thru-hiker season and then return them to sender if not claimed. It's still best to call the P.O. directly if you will be late, want it returned, or forwarded, etc. ALWAYS put "Hold for AT thru-hiker" on the box. Always have photo ID available when picking it up.

There are positives and negatives regarding sending to other than P.O.'s. As colorado_rob noted, sending packages to a private address avoids the problem of arriving at a P.O. after closing hours. Worst would be say a Sat afternoon on a holiday weekend and not being able to get your package until Tues. But, if sent to a private address, rather than a P.O., it is considered delivered mail - you can't then forward it or get it returned for free - you'll have to pay, and make arrangements with whoever you sent it to. If you miss a drop(s) at a P.O., you can call the postmaster and have them forward it up the trail (or return it) for no additional charge. Just some plusses and minuses to consider.

[Casey & Gina]

I think a factor which hasn't brought up is how connected you still want to be with the "real world" while out on your LD hike. Personally, I'd like to disconnect as much as possible, so wouldn't want mail drops or any pre-planned support from others.

[rafe]

I think a factor which hasn't brought up is how connected you still want to be with the "real world" while out on your LD hike. Personally, I'd like to disconnect as much as possible, so wouldn't want mail drops or any pre-planned support from others.

On a long hike, most likely you'll be making town stops in any case on some ongoing basis, to top off your food bag if nothing else -- whether it be from local supplies or a mail drop.

And of course, more food or supplies aren't the only reason one stops in town.

[Casey & Gina]

On a long hike, most likely you'll be making town stops in any case on some ongoing basis, to top off your food bag if nothing else -- whether it be from local supplies or a mail drop.

And of course, more food or supplies aren't the only reason one stops in town.

Yep, but that's impromptu, not pre-planned. Totally different in my mind anyways...