How to Fund a Thru Hike

[Perkinse]

Hi everyone, I am planning on thru hiking the AT in March 2021 and I'm just curious as to what some of y'all have done to help fund the trip! I'm currently in college and I will be starting my hike after I graduate so unfortunately it is hard to save a lot of money being a student and all. Any information helps!

[Tipi Walter]

In the old days I went thru dumpsters for food and used food stamps and learned about every wild edible plant I could.

[TNhiker]

get a job and save........

[Lone Wolf]

get a job and save........

yup. close thread

[stephanD]

The gold standard is one dollar per mile, but if you are frugal enough, you may make it with half that amount. The problem is the temptations are many, especially for a young guy like yourself.

[Bobby]

Just after college is a good time to thru - hike. It's easier to store all your stuff away, you don't (in theory) have a lot of off trail expenses you'll have to cover when on the trail, and you're already at a transition point in your life. Start saving now - open up a bank account specifically dedicated to the hike. All gifts for birthdays, holidays, graduation, etc.. should be (if asked) requested as cash and put into the bank account. Work a part-time job either during school and/or summer and put the money or a portion of the money into your hiking account. This will take a dedicated mind set and some work, but can be done if you really want it to work.

To save money for the hike will take work, sacrifice, and some creative thinking - but it can be done if you want it bad enough. Set a goal for yourself of saving around $4000 and work hard to meet that goal. you can sell things you own of value that you don't need. Start re-selling on ebay for some extra money. some might suggest a go fund me - although many (including myself) view this as a rather crass move to fund a vacation, but to each their own.

Don't skimp on the money - at your age most of the money will be spent socializing in town with friends that you meet (unless your one of the rare 20 somethings that keep to themselves and out of town).

You can buy some food in bulk ahead of time and mail yourself some maildrops along the way to help save on money.

collect cans
sell scrap metal

[Dogwood]

The approach(es) to funding an AT thru are based on how you're expecting to thru hike the AT. 1) Doing a faster(shorter duration) thru hike is associated with less total thru hiking costs 2) Starting later when the most inclement coldest snowiest iciest weather is over or the risks vastly decreased can do the same. 3) Hitting the TH ready to rock is associated with lower costs and the first two pts 4) Avoiding town stays and stays under a roof off trail are associated with lower thru budgets

[soilman]

I did my first AT hike right after I graduated college. I worked, I saved, I spent less. But things were different 43 years ago.

[Slo-go'en]

It's not easy these days. What ever you do, don't go into debt doing it.

First of all, if your on any kind of budget, don't start in March. That takes more expensive gear and your more likely to fail early. You graduate that early? Most collage kids start more like the end of April or early May.

Start to collect gear now and use it. Unless of course, you already own gear and are an experienced backpacker, that make things easier.

Be as frugal as you can be and put that money aside in a bank.

This is all easier said then done.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Skip starting in March and save on motel/hostel bills waiting out storms and cold weather, and save on having to have full winter bag and other winter gear. Start April 15 or later and do more miles per day than you could in March postholing through snow in cold and shorter days. Buy used gear. Learn to love cheap food and limit beer, pizza, etc. in towns. Do neros instead of zeros where you can.

You have roughly 65 weeks to save. Saving $75 per week would be $4800+, enough for a reasonable thru-hike experience including transportation, replacement shoes, etc. Lots of jobs available in Ft Collins. Working 8 to 10 hours per week would probably do it at the $11/hr+ (soon to be $12) minimum wage there.

But if you do decide to try the gofundme route, think twice about posting it here, the reception usually isn't particularly friendly.

[Perkinse]

Thank you for your advice. I will definitely think about starting later. I have a part time job at an outdoor gear store so that is very helpful in that I make money and I save a lot on gear.

[Dogwood]

Thank you for your advice. I will definitely think about starting later. I have a part time job at an outdoor gear store so that is very helpful in that I make money and I save a lot on gear.

There're are two factors that reduce the thru costs. Caution: if a thru NEWB, as most AT thrus are, it's typical, to switch to lighter wt kits replacing some gear especially the Big 4 at some pt. You hedge against it because you work in an outdoor gear store.

Dont mind the naysayers and grump-ups. It's par for the course around here. Do understand thru budget cost questions could very well be the most asked questions so WB people can bristle. If you search here you can peruse 100's of worthy comments this topic has been so beaten to death.

The young man has a job and isn't begging anyone for $. He's seeking some advise not ridicule and hard unsubstantiated judgments.

[Gambit McCrae]

Typically if a young person would like to do something in today's time you can beg and plead with hard working citizens of the community and they will foot the bill for you.
Or you could start a youtube channel and post a video once a day and people will be awaiting for you at road crossings and take you to pay for your meals and lodging and shoes and new gear.
Or if your a pretty lady you will have an abundance of sprite young lads wanting to hike with you and coincidentally someone will always pickup the tab.

Or you can be like the other 99% and get a job and save. You will need $4500 after gear expenses, and enough money left over to reenter the reality and get a job.

[tagg]

Typically if a young person would like to do something in today's time you can beg and plead with hard working citizens of the community and they will foot the bill for you.
Or you could start a youtube channel and post a video once a day and people will be awaiting for you at road crossings and take you to pay for your meals and lodging and shoes and new gear.
Or if your a pretty lady you will have an abundance of sprite young lads wanting to hike with you and coincidentally someone will always pickup the tab.

Or you can be like the other 99% and get a job and save. You will need $4500 after gear expenses, and enough money left over to reenter the reality and get a job.

Hahaha all true

[KnightErrant]

If you can save up the money to hike right after graduation, go for it!

That said, I personally would have been uncomfortable using up most or all of my savings immediately after graduating, not knowing for sure whether I could get a job in time to start supporting myself before my budget ran out after Katahdin. So instead, I finished school, got my masters (consciously choosing a program that would not put me into debt), worked a few years, then quit my job and turned 25 during my 2018 thru-hike. I found this approach to be ideal for me for a few reasons:
1) I had enough savings that I never had to stress about the possibility of being financially forced off trail in the event of unforeseen circumstances (doctor visit, gear replacement costs, flights home in family emergency, etc.)
2) I had already started putting money into retirement accounts from ages 21-24, so even though there was significant opportunity cost associated with taking a year off from "real jobs" at 25, I knew I already had money in the bank working for me. (Not a lot, but still "ahead of the game" for my age.)
3) I had enough experience in my field that I knew I would easily get job offers once I finished the trail.
4) After three years into my career, the thru-hike was a good opportunity to really reflect on whether my life was going in the direction that I wanted. While I think that time for reflection could certainly be valuable for a new grad (my 500-mile Camino hike at 22 was definitely a good time for reflection too!), I felt like it came at a good time for me on the AT.

Of course, this approach wouldn't work for everyone. Some careers are harder to pause once you've started than others, and some people find obligations in their first few years after graduation that could prevent them from thru-hiking -- a mortgage, a relationship, etc. -- but just wanted to share how I was able to thru-hike as a young person without getting anyone else to foot the bill for me, vlogging, or manipulating sprite young lads.

[Perkinse]

If you can save up the money to hike right after graduation, go for it!

That said, I personally would have been uncomfortable using up most or all of my savings immediately after graduating, not knowing for sure whether I could get a job in time to start supporting myself before my budget ran out after Katahdin. So instead, I finished school, got my masters (consciously choosing a program that would not put me into debt), worked a few years, then quit my job and turned 25 during my 2018 thru-hike. I found this approach to be ideal for me for a few reasons:
1) I had enough savings that I never had to stress about the possibility of being financially forced off trail in the event of unforeseen circumstances (doctor visit, gear replacement costs, flights home in family emergency, etc.)
2) I had already started putting money into retirement accounts from ages 21-24, so even though there was significant opportunity cost associated with taking a year off from "real jobs" at 25, I knew I already had money in the bank working for me. (Not a lot, but still "ahead of the game" for my age.)
3) I had enough experience in my field that I knew I would easily get job offers once I finished the trail.
4) After three years into my career, the thru-hike was a good opportunity to really reflect on whether my life was going in the direction that I wanted. While I think that time for reflection could certainly be valuable for a new grad (my 500-mile Camino hike at 22 was definitely a good time for reflection too!), I felt like it came at a good time for me on the AT.

Of course, this approach wouldn't work for everyone. Some careers are harder to pause once you've started than others, and some people find obligations in their first few years after graduation that could prevent them from thru-hiking -- a mortgage, a relationship, etc. -- but just wanted to share how I was able to thru-hike as a young person without getting anyone else to foot the bill for me, vlogging, or manipulating sprite young lads.

All great information! It is very helpful to see how someone else is tackling this challenge while still being in school. I too have looked at grad schools but like you said, I think that my career would be hard to put on hold.

[Starchild]

I would suggest a SoBo, you will or should have a little more time to save, but mainly you will have less temptations to spend and less temptations to spring for a bed. Things also cost more up north, which may be a good thing as you still have to buy them when you get there either way (NoBo or SoBo), but it will teach you how to spend frugally as the higher prices are better incentive to not spend. The higher cost up north and lower cost down south should help you budget, as opposed to thinking you can make it NoBo then the higher costs were more than expected.

[FlyPaper]

Keep in mind that Thru-Hiking is recreation and a vacation. It is not a service to mankind (although there are many ways to service mankind that are not as difficult as thru-hiking).

One should not seek charity for thru-hiking.

[Starchild]

Keep in mind that Thru-Hiking is recreation and a vacation. It is not a service to mankind (although there are many ways to service mankind that are not as difficult as thru-hiking)....

I disagree and would tell you to HYOH. A thru hike is what one makes of it. If a person does it for the reason that you state, that's what they will most likely get out of it. For some it can be a period of soul searching, or outreach to be helpful, which the AT is a excellent place to give and have others received , it can be a spiritual pilgrimage or a educational experience. Getting in touch with one's self, who they are and meant to be, is a service to humanity, as one can't help others till they first 'know thyself'.

To me a vacation is a escape from real life, a thru hike is real life and becomes real life and helps one define what is important in real life. Many have expressed that a thru hike is more real life then their off trail life, which is a fundamental difference.

[FlyPaper]

I disagree and would tell you to HYOH. A thru hike is what one makes of it. If a person does it for the reason that you state, that's what they will most likely get out of it. For some it can be a period of soul searching, or outreach to be helpful, which the AT is a excellent place to give and have others received , it can be a spiritual pilgrimage or a educational experience. Getting in touch with one's self, who they are and meant to be, is a service to humanity, as one can't help others till they first 'know thyself'.

To me a vacation is a escape from real life, a thru hike is real life and becomes real life and helps one define what is important in real life. Many have expressed that a thru hike is more real life then their off trail life, which is a fundamental difference.

The argument that the AT is a place for soul searching could also be said of playing video games in your parent's basement. One is free to hike their own hike, but not at my expense (and I would not recommend others see this as a charity either). If you can find someone gullible enough to buy into the idea that thru-hiking is a pilgrimage and who will thus fund your thru-hike, more power to you. BTW: I am hiking my own hike and doing at my own expense. When I come across thru-hikers on the trail, I see them as fellow vacationers. Nothing more noble than my 4 night get away.

If one wants to serve his fellow mankind, I'd suggest volunteering to feed the homeless or something like that.