Money and technology

[laniamore]

I'm planning on hiking this coming March but still lost on a few things. About much is it going to cost me? I've seen estimates that differ by a lot and I'm concerned I won't have enough money or plan for the right est. I'm guessing the majority of costs are going to be from food... anything else I should plan on besides stay fees, and gear? Also, is it worth bringing a camera and cell phone on the journey? I'm not worried about weight so much as I am about them getting wet. Just looking for suggestions! Thanks!

[mnof1000v]

There's tons of info on this very subject on this site. Look under the Thru-hiking info tab, and check out the articles. That's as good a place as any to start.

And about the technology, cell phones are almost entirely useless. A camera is a great idea. My camera wasn't waterproof, but I kept it in a ziplock and it was fine. A lot of people just carried disposable cameras. Either way pictures are a big PLUS.

[hammock engineer]

There are a couple threads going on right now about cost. I am trying to budget $5000 for spending while on the trail. I have a seperate fund set up to cover bills while I am gone and for a month after I get back. I am going to open a second checking account and keep the 2 funds seperate.

One of the best suggestion I read on this site concerning your budget is to set up a weekly budget. Instead of trying to keep track of $3-5K, you only have to keep track of $100-125 per week. Much easier.

I am either going to carry a cell phone or pocket mail on my trip. I bought the smallest sea to summit ultra sil dry bag. It is big enough to hold my cell phone and camera. Oddly enough on my last hike, my camera only got wet when my water bottle leaked on it and my cell phone only got wet when I was getting out of the car after my trip at my parents house and dropped it in a mudd puddle. I was able to take the batteries out of both and they still work after I gave them enough time to dry out.


I took about 200+ pics over 8 days on a digital camera. I talked to a someone using disposable cameras and another person using a film camera. The conclusion we came up with was that a digital camera is better if you want a lot of pics and a better pic documentary of your hike. There are a lot of pics that I would not have taken if I had a film camera.

[halftime]

Check out Upload and Stitches 2006 Trail Joural stats for a good breakdown on what their hike cost. About the most detailed I have seen.


http://www.trailjournals.com/stats.cfm?trailname=3715

[Johnny Swank]

The Pocketmail was a good suggestion if you're going to be doing much emailing. I wish I had mine when I did my hike. Very convenient to just grab your email from any phone instead of hunting down a library and signing up for internet time.

Certainly not essential, but very handy. Used ones show up frequently on EBAY.

[fiddlehead]

lots of past threads on cost. but basically it comes out to aprox $2.00 a mile depending on how much you drink and how many days you spend in hotels/hostels. (used to be one dollar but those days are gone except for the exceptionally frugal hiker) have fun.

[bfitz]

Yes to camera and cell phone. two bucks a mile is a minimum in my opinion. The more padding you have in your budget the better. There's also the issue of monthly expenses like health insurance...lots of different opinions on that, but I'd recommend it.

[Pokey2006]

Any way to get this year's thru-hikers to weigh in on how much it cost them? And including what kind of budget they put themselves on -- did they avoid stopping in towns, or did they splurge at the bar? Hearing from the most recent hikers is probably the best way to estimate for a hike next year.

I'll say I spent probably around $5,000, and only got to Vermont, so add another $1,000 to that figure. I'm guessing only another $1,000???? Others more in the know should weigh in there....I tried to stay at the cheapest places, but did splurge on motel rooms here and there, plus spent money I shouldn't have on little things, mostly at Wal-Marts and bars.

[Footslogger]

The way I look at it, you are living several (4 - 6) months of your life while you are hiking. What would it cost you to live those same months off-trail ? Technology aside, rather than equate it to $/mile I look at it in terms of cost per month. I don't think that $1000 a month is outrageous considering it's covering your lodging, food and tranportation which are 3 of the biggies in terms of life's expenses.

A thru-hike ends up costing whatever you want it to, in the end. There is an absolute minimum, considering food ...but the rest is what you make of it with or without technology.

'Slogger

[Thor]

Also, is it worth bringing a camera and cell phone on the journey? I'm not worried about weight so much as I am about them getting wet. Just looking for suggestions! Thanks!

You'd probably kick yourself afterwards if you didn't bring a camera. It's definitely worth it. If you're worried about it getting wet, there's two simple solutions:

1: Buy a really crappy camera. You can get a camera that takes good pictures for like $15 at Wal*Mart or wherever. If it gets wet and stops working, big deal.

2: Buy a waterproof camera. That's waterPROOF not water resistant. This is the route I took. I went with the Pentax Optio WP. An awesome lightweight camera that's good for up to 5 feet of water pressure. As I liked to say while I was out there: "If I encounter 5 feet of water pressure on top of a mountain, I've got more important things to worry about than my camera." A waterproof camera means not having to worry about it at all. I just kept it in a carrying case on my chest strap the entire hike. It got completely drenched every time it rained and came through without a problem.

As for the cell phone, they're not TOTALLY worthless out there. I actually dialed 911 from the Thomas Knob shelter and got paramedics to come get a section-hiker who was having severe chest pains. Other than that, it was great for calling ahead and making reservations from the top of a mountain outside of town. Also useful for making calls when staying in places that don't provide a phone (there were a surprising number of these).

Keeping the phone dry wasn't a problem at all. Unlike the camera it doesn't have to be readily accessable. I kept it inside two ziplock bags in a little silnylon stuff sack (with my spare camera battery chips). It never even got so much as damp, even when my pack itself got drenched.

[Johnny Swank]

I agree Footslogger. I spent less on the trail than I would have spent at home. Granted, you have to have the $ upfront, but when you consider all the costs of 6 months in the "real world", hiking the AT is a bargain.

[laniamore]

thanks everyone for your help! i'm a newbie to the site so thanks for the guidance!

[The Impersonator]

Hey folks. I'm planning my first serious hiking trip for a 2007 thru-hike. Now, if you took out lodging and transportation fees, do you think $600-$700 should be enough for food and park fees? Over a 5 month period, that is?

[Peaks]

Hey folks. I'm planning my first serious hiking trip for a 2007 thru-hike. Now, if you took out lodging and transportation fees, do you think $600-$700 should be enough for food and park fees? Over a 5 month period, that is?

Do the math. $600 for about 150 days is only $4.00 per day. That's not much. Just try going to the grocery store and buying about 4000 calories worth of food.

[Johnny Swank]

$700 isn't going to cut it unless you're planning on scavenging out of hiker boxes the whole time. I'm sure someone has done it, but that would get old quick. I'd budget at least $1,000, if not more. Food is something you don't want to skimp on.

[astrogirl]

If you want your cell phone to work, take out the battery when you're not using it. It really extends the life of the battery. You would *think* that having it turned off would have the same effect, but it definitely does not.

[bfitz]

If you want your cell phone to work, take out the battery when you're not using it. It really extends the life of the battery. You would *think* that having it turned off would have the same effect, but it definitely does not.

Dang, I never heard that! I'm gonna try it.

[Jack Tarlin]

All good advice so far.

I see that you're 21. Younger people tend to clump together in groups, and also tend to spend more time in towns. This inevitably means they'll spend more money, especially if you drink. (On the other hand, younger hikers tend to bunk up and share motel rooms while older hikers tend to get their own, so maybe it balances out).

In any case, your budget will depend a lot on how much time off you spend in towns. It's very dificult to spend money while you're actually in the woods!

Not counting transportation to and from the Trail, and NOT counting your initial investment in gear, I'd budget between three and four thousand dollars for your trip. I would absolutely NOT try and hike for less than 2000-2500 dollars unless you're willing to have a pretty austere trip, in terms of time off, occasional motel stays, decent restaurant meals, etc. It's a real drag to forego an extra day in town with friends or an unplanned side trip off the Trail because you're not budgeted for it. Also, whatever budget you ultimately decide on, add at least 15% to cover emergencies, unplanned gear replacement, etc. I'd also look into getting a short term insurance policy if you're not already covered; otherwise an unplanned visit to the emergency room could really mess up your finances.

There's an excellent article in the "Articles" section of this website by Weathercarrot which specifically deals with hiking on a budget; you might want to check it out.

Bringing a phone is up to you. You'll discover that there are many places that it won't work and most hikers consider them to be needless weight. You'll never be more than six days from a phone on your whole hike, and frequently, much closer than that.

Absolutely bring a camera, even if its a cheap one. In years to come, your trip photos will be very important to you.

[Thor]

If you want your cell phone to work, take out the battery when you're not using it. It really extends the life of the battery. You would *think* that having it turned off would have the same effect, but it definitely does not.

Conversely I just turned mine off and that worked just fine. It probably depends on the model of phone.

[weary]

Hey folks. I'm planning my first serious hiking trip for a 2007 thru-hike. Now, if you took out lodging and transportation fees, do you think $600-$700 should be enough for food and park fees? Over a 5 month period, that is?

I think a thru hike can be done for less than $4,000, especially if you forego convenience foods and are willing to cook over wood and learn how to cook regular rice, generic oatmeal and other basics.

But $700 is virtually impossible. REmember many of your food drops won't be low-priced supermarkets, but tiny mom and pop stores. You can cut costs a bit if you are willing to carry seven or eight days between resupply, thus maximizing the use of the lowest cost stores. But $600-$700? Not really.

Lodging is always a personal choice. Everyone needs to carry their lodging on their backs for the many times the shelters will be full. You can use it, or pay hostel and motel fees.

My suggestion would be to stop at medium-sized or smaller markets and see what it would cost you to buy 4,000 calories, because that is what it will take daily to get you from Georgia to Maine. Many carry less. But they make up for the missed calories at expensive restaurants at each town stop.

Weary