You have got to be kidding

[Thumper 2006]

I was lurking on trailjournals.com and the budget one person suggest for a thru hike is $10,000. This cannot be a serious amount for a thru hike. I have saved up about $4,500 for my thru hike is this going to be enough, because the discussion board on this site pretty much freaked me out. I am not expecting a very lavish thru hike but still want to enjoy myself. Do I have enough? Also off the subject I do not have a trail name and was wondering if I could change my profile name on this site if need be?

[hammock engineer]

I hope you have enough. I am going to go with $3000, and a credit card back up. I am going to hike on a $2k budget and use the rest for a buffer/emergeny fund.

Read the articles section, there is one that talks about a $1K thru hike. My plan is to stay in towns only when I can get a hostel, work for stay, or share a hotel room. From what I understand, towns eat money, budget yourself.

[freefall]

I was lurking on trailjournals.com and the budget one person suggest for a thru hike is $10,000. This cannot be a serious amount for a thru hike. I have saved up about $4,500 for my thru hike is this going to be enough, because the discussion board on this site pretty much freaked me out. I am not expecting a very lavish thru hike but still want to enjoy myself. Do I have enough? Also off the subject I do not have a trail name and was wondering if I could change my profile name on this site if need be?

You'd have to just about re-outfit yourself completely, take a TON of zeros and practically have your entire hike catered/delivered to spend this much(10K). When figuring out my budget, I had a hard time even "spending" 3k, but I don't intend on spending alot of time in towns.
Like Hammock Engineer said, read through some of the articles, might help ease your mind a bit.

[Wolf - 23000]

wonderer,

$4,500 is plenty to thru-hike. I don't even spend that much on a thru-hike but anyway. Anyone who needs to spend $10,000 on a thru-hike is going spend more time in town on hotels then on hiking the trail.

Wolf

[Lone Wolf]

Yup. $4500 is plenty. Don't fret, don't frown, have a ball!

[Disney]

I never skimped on anything in town and I only ended up averaging about 100 bucks a week. However, for a fee of $1000 per week, I will drive from TX and follow you around getting trail magic, and no hitchhiking. It's a great deal, you can't lose, and you'll soon hit that all important $10,000 mark.

[Nearly Normal]

Porters?
Sarfari?
JANE???????
ohhh-i-ohh-i-oh-i-ohhhhhhhhhhhh

[neo]

he will be eatin high on tha hog,and stayin a the ritz neo

[Doctari]

A "fantisy" of mine is to become a "trail bum", So, just for fun I figured out a aproxamate budget: $2200.00 for each thru per year, $7000.00 room & board at cheap apartment near the trail (1 room efficencys averaqged about $250 or less a month) & a few hundred for "Misc expenses".

If I really really tried: hotels instead of hostels every chance, New gear at first sign of wear, freeze dried food everyday. I could spend $10,000.00 on a thru. So don't worry, what you have is enough.

Doctari.

[sliderule]

I was lurking on trailjournals.com and the budget one person suggest for a thru hike is $10,000. This cannot be a serious amount for a thru hike.

That depends on one's "entering argument." If you are standing at the trailhead, fully outfitted, that is a lot on money. But if you are sitting in Tokyo and don't own a single piece of gear, it might not be. It all depends on what is included in the "budget."

[Lion King]

$4500 is more then enough.
You could Yo Yo on that. twice.

The key here is to not stay in town for days on end.
Seperate your money from your hip, do not carry a charge card because if you are like me, If you got it, you spend it.

Break it donw inot travelers checks. Best thinig ever. Send them to every town you plan on stopping in, if you know you will want a room for the night, send extra.
If you send 50$ to 20 towns, and $100 to 10, thats how much?
$2000.
For laundry, shower, two good meals, restocking for four days (ABout the most you will need on the AT in 98% of the places) and even a beer or two the $50 would work. the other 10 with the hundred, splruge, and then you have $2500 to spread out all over the trip.

Thats plenty. enjoy yourself but remember before your fourth town stop how much towns cost if you dont budget a little.

They pricey!

[Chef2000]

In 2000 there were a few hotels down south in the 40 dollar range, other than that I averaged 70 dollars per night at hotels. Of course this can be less if you shared with other people, the one time I tried to this the other hiker played with himself while I was trying to sleep, nevered shared a room with another hiker.

I spent about 5000 on my hike and had closed to 50 zero days. 4500 should be fine.

[Toolshed]

I fell asleep last night in front of the TV and awoke at 1:30 AM to an Oprah (Oprah?!?!?!) show. Not having seen an Oprah show, I nodded in and out until she mentioned debt dieting. It caught my attention, The show (from what I caught) portrayed 3 couples who have no ability to manage money and have boatloads of debt, bad debt and creditors calling them, but they cannot stop buying crap. Pure crap. Fancy clothes, additional autos, eating out 5-6 nights per week. One couple has $235 in a checking account adn no savings, no retirement, no college fund, but bought their daughter a brand new car when she turned 17 (and now making long term loan Payments) They deny that there is a problem.

I, being a Fiscal conservative (extremely Fiscally conservative, that is) was dumbfounded that folks live like that. The recurring theme was "we deserve it because we..... (fill in the gap)" or "it's only money..." We typically try to scrimp and save on everything. Spending $100 a week on a lavish dining experience is somewhat foolhardy. I can cook dinner, light candles and give my wife a nice massage after she has a hot soak in the tub and she is much happier (and has $100 for kids college).

Anyways how this relates to your whole AT experience. If you are going out there to have a blast and live it up then even $10K might not be adequate. Especially if you feel you DESERVE every luxury when you get to town. But if you are going out to hike your hike and relax every now and again for a night in town, I am sure that $3K is absolutely adequate. That gives you 30 weeks of $100 per town one night a week. Funny, but aren't you taking the Hike in itself because you DESERVE it?

Keep an over/under journal for each trip into town. If you spend $75 one week then you know you can go to $125 the next. Like counting cards, counting your over and unders is sometimes much easier to manage and gives you a better sense of where you stand rather than starting from $1 and trying to keep track to $3,000, especially because $3,000 seems like forever, but frivolous expenses can really add up quickly.

[dizzyT]

Did you share that room with shanks/McQuest

[the goat]

I was lurking on trailjournals.com and the budget one person suggest for a thru hike is $10,000. This cannot be a serious amount for a thru hike. I have saved up about $4,500 for my thru hike is this going to be enough, because the discussion board on this site pretty much freaked me out. I am not expecting a very lavish thru hike but still want to enjoy myself. Do I have enough? Also off the subject I do not have a trail name and was wondering if I could change my profile name on this site if need be?

yeah man, i thrued on less than half that. i didn't live too cheaply either.

[Ridge]

On $4500 3 could thru together, sharing rooms, large pizzas, etc. ten grand, wow, that must have included the car for the return home.

[wyclif]

$4500 would be extravagant for me. It's hard to make these definitive statements about thru-hike budgets...it depends a lot on how high-maintenance you are and how much time you spend off the trail, how much you eat, how many miles per day you do, &c. So statements that "you should budget no less than $_____ are not very useful.

My style of hiking is a lot less cushy than some...I consider a hotel stay a treat, not a way of sheltering myself on the trail.

We decided that if we do a thru we will eat out and stay in hotels for zero days only...around once a week.

The vast majority of the time we are hammocking, tarp tenting, stealthing for shelter and preparing 90% of our meals at shelters. $4500 is plenty of money for us to do a thru with a lot left over for emergencies if needed.

[swede]

Unfortunately, there is a retailer, located in western NC who will, in 2007, start offering "luxury thru's" for a shade past $10000. Lord Jim basically will slackpack, and find meals and all the irritating chores taken on by hired hands. There's one way to go ultralite!

[drsukie]

Unfortunately, there is a retailer, located in western NC who will, in 2007, start offering "luxury thru's" for a shade past $10000. Lord Jim basically will slackpack, and find meals and all the irritating chores taken on by hired hands. There's one way to go ultralite!

I read about this last night in the new Outside magazine (the "best trips" issue). Yes, it is true. The hiker will only have to pitch their tent and walk. The slackporter will do laundry, cook/clean, etc.

I think it sounds horrid! If I was to spend a full $10M plus on a trip, it would be a different kind of trip -- say, a few months in a villa in Tuscany or somewheres, cycling or walking the backroads and sippping on local vino and cheese!

[NotYet]

I read about this last night in the new Outside magazine (the "best trips" issue). Yes, it is true. The hiker will only have to pitch their tent and walk. The slackporter will do laundry, cook/clean, etc.

I think it sounds horrid! If I was to spend a full $10M plus on a trip, it would be a different kind of trip -- say, a few months in a villa in Tuscany or somewheres, cycling or walking the backroads and sippping on local vino and cheese!

Hi drsukie,

Just to clarify...we don't include doing the laundry. That'll be up to the hikers on the trip.

I don't know if it that price would cover a few months in a villa Tuscany, but if so...I hope your trip is wonderful!!!