How expensive is resupplying along the trail?

[TwoForty]

I'm trying to get a feel for how much a section hike from Campo to Tuolumne Meadows is going to set me back. I can figure out costs for gear and transportation, but how expensive would resupplying along the trail be? I've heard food is a lot more expensive out there than one might think.

Also, how much do the other little things tend to cost. Bounce box postage, showers, laundry, ocassional hostels, etc?

I am guessing that I will be out there for around 50 days to do 930 miles.

[Sly]

No real idea but probably more expensive than the AT. Still, I don't think it's all that more expensive.

You'll want to consider five to seven drops. Mt Laguna, Warner Springs, Agua Dulce, possibly Onyx, Kennedy Meadows, possibly Independence, and Vermillion Valley Resort. I plan on mailing the 1st two from home and the rest from Big Bear and Wrightwood. All these will be send using flat rate priority mail boxes, so that's about $70 just for postage.

Do you have Yogi's book? She has all the town info, prices and resupply strategies.

[vaporjourney]

I also wonder about this. I've seen posts on PCT-L saying that Mac-N-Cheese can cost $2.50 in many places. Is this just at the obviously high priced resorts and not in the towns? My bet is that even with higher prices out west, you wouldn't save much money at all, if any, by mailing $9 flat-rate boxes. If you stock up on a nice variety of healthy food at home and have that shipped to you, it may give you better eats, for relatively the same price.

[Sly]

My bet is that even with higher prices out west, you wouldn't save much money at all, if any, by mailing $9 flat-rate boxes. If you stock up on a nice variety of healthy food at home and have that shipped to you, it may give you better eats, for relatively the same price.

I'm not sure what you're saying. Regardless, I prefer to buy along the way, when I can, in regular grocery stores and mail boxes where there's little or nothing to choose from, like in the towns listed above.

[chris]

From TN a bounce box (ok, my bounce box) would cost around $15 to get out to, say, Idyllwild. From Idyllwild to Mojave would cost about $9. To send it back to TN would run another $15. These are very rough estimates, so don't take them too seriously.

In terms of food, you won't get ripped. Send yourself a box to Warner Springs, though maybe the gas station has gotten better of late.

You'll want to buy a few supplies at Mount Laguna, but only a few. This will be the most expensive store, but it is only about 55 miles to Warner Springs.

Idyllwild, Big Bear, Agua Dulce, and Mojave all have big, mega supermarkets and prices there are pretty standard. The gas station at Cajon Pass was pretty good for resupplying and wasn't expensive. You'll want to send a box to Kennedy Meadows from AD, and that will cost you about $8. I would pick up food at VVR, which might be pricey (depends on the hiker box), but you only need about a day of food to get to you Reds Meadow and a shuttle down to Mammoth (big, mega stores).

So, with a few exceptions, you'll be paying what you would at home for food.