MAIL DROPS: Why not?

[Diamond Diggs]

It is obvious most are against mail drops for food along the trail. Main Reasons: Hassle with post office hours, the cost of postage, and lack of variety: taste changes and getting tired of eating the same stuff.

My questions:

1.) For those that live in close proximity to the trail, what is the average cost for a mail drop?

2.) Is it not possible, to dehydrate a variety of foods, and have them available to ship out on request by someone at home. Could you not inform them week to week what you want to be sent?

My idea was to dehydrate meals that I normally eat on a regular basis, and then dehydrate individual foods on the side (ex: hamburger meat, chicken, sausage, pastas, rice, beans, vegitables, and fruits - along with powdered milk, eggs, and spices.), so that I could have them create my meals for me at home according to my preferences along the trail. The only cost for me this way would be the cost of postage (reason for #1). I would then pick up misc. idems such as bread, tortilla, pita, cheese, fresh fruit, etc. along the way for my lunch options and snacks.

This may seem like a burden to loved ones at home, but really for me, it is something they would enjoy - a way they can contribute to my journey.

If my taste changes that dramatically, I'm sure they would have no trouble dehydrating other options for me as well. I like the idea of dehydrating my own food (cheaper than buying it, less weight, less bulk, and all I have to do is boil water). I have a hard time concieving why mail drops are a hassle if you are going into town anyway. As far as P.O hours go, if by chance you dont make it in time, and you are rushed for time to get back on the trail, you can always have it forwarded to the next town ahead, can't you?

My appologies for the length, but this is to me probably the most conflicting concern I have in preparing for my thru.

Thanks

[Pootz]

I know lots of people that thru hiked and loves their mail drops. I choose not to do mail-drops for a couple reasons.

1. Did not want to have to make sure i got to town on a day and time that the post office was open.

2. Most towns that have a post office have a store, not real picky about my food so it was just easier to buy it from local stores.

3. did not want to have to arrange mail drop with people back home and spend the time preparing them before I started my hike

4. Not something I thought of before my hike, but it was nice to support local merchants along the trail.

I would recommend 2 mail-drops: Neels Gap and Monson Main. Did not like the food selection at Neels Gap and wanted lightweight food for the 100 mile wilderness.

If you like dehydrating food and the idea of maildrops got for it. The decision is up to you, do what you think will work best for you.

Enjoy your hike.

[Spirit Walker]

I did maildrops on my first hike and was happy with the variety of food that I chose. (I mixed up freeze dried, health food store bulk food, Liptons, mashed potatoes, etc.) Yes, I did get tired of a few foods (instant grits and oatmeal) but for the most part I was happy with my selection. What you might do is only do resupply drops for your main food items - dehydrated dinners - and buy breakfast and lunch foods on the trail. Why spend money to mail a box of Oreos that you can find at any gas station minimart? And if you don't complete your hike, you won't be stuck with six months of tasteless poptarts (which are only edible when you are a starving thruhiker).

The biggest issue about maildrops, for me, is the amount of work it makes for the people back home who are supporting your hike. Going to the post office every week can be a hassle. Filling special requests for food and other supplies takes time and energy that may not be easily come by. Some family members might want to help, but haven't the time or the ability to remember to mail your boxes every few days. Missing maildrops can be a big problem, if you are expecting something important and it doesn't arrive because somebody forgot to send it. However, if you have people at home who are willing and able to take care of you, then why not?

On my first hike it was easy, my mother was happy to help. On my second hike I didn't want her to have to work as hard, so I limited the maildrops. When we hiked the CDT we had a friend who wanted to be involved in our hike, and she was willing to mail out the occasional gear or resupply box. As time goes by, it has become harder and harder to find someone willing (or able) to spend the time to take care of our resupply needs, so mostly we don't bother. We mail a drift box with guidebooks and meds and for the rest we resupply as we go or mail ourselves food while on the trail. It means we can't trade out warm weather/cold weather gear as easily - but we survive. Yes, I get tired of eating the same few Liptons dinners - but we are usually hungry enough that just about any carbohydrate meal will fill the hole. We don't have to love it.

[Worldwide]

If you do decide to do mail drops call all the P.O's you send them to. Recently the USPS has reduced hours of P.O.'s across the country. This was done fairly recently and may not have been updated in the trail guides.

[Blissful]

I had 30 mail drops on my hike. Sure you can call home and tell them what you want (I'd do it three weeks ahead of time though). But my hubby got creative too and got us some good eatin's. And people at home like to feel they are a part of the hike. My dad sent us two boxes. My hubby neve thought it hassle to pack a box for me, but an act of love. If someone finds it a hassle, they are unreliable and I'd get another person to do it.

Cost depends on what you have in the box.

And I never had a problem with getting a drop. Only twice did I arrive on a Sunday and had to pick up on a Monday, but that was not inconvenient for me. And I had two drops lost in Maine b/c they were sent surface.

[max patch]

Even with maildrops you have to go the grocery anyway so whats the point?

[Diamond Diggs]

for me, it is the thought of weight, bulk, no fuss cooking (just boil water), and expense (provided postage will cost less than purchasing the food).

[Two Tents]

I have 15 boxes ready to be mailed. There is a room with my extra gear to send as needed. I don't really see a problem with burning out on any of the meals I have boxed up. I bought mostly what I eat anyway. I mixed in a few treats and other items like fuel tabs, TP,and a few things to eat as soon as I get the box. I am going to get what I need and use my home support for the rest. I'm sure there will be the offer of a few to add in a few goodies too. Then there plans to meet up with people in all but one state so I will get stuff from them. And last all the extra work has kept me sane while I count down the days till I hit the trail!---- Two Tents. Oh BTW I have 2000 bucks squirreled away to use.

[EverydayJourneyman]

I've packed all ten drop boxes ahead of time and just sent the first one on Monday to be picked up in Franklin. The shipping cost for that post was $16.40. You can also go online to USPS and print postage for a bit of a discount. As for the food itself, only bulk food items/sale food were purchased.

I left a tentitive drop schedule behind (when to ship, when I expect to pick it up) but have also left behind directions to adjust shipments based on daily mileage increases
throughout the AT (10 to 15 to 20+).

I'm interested in seeing how it all pans out. Will adjust accordingly for future thru-hikes.

[Diamond Diggs]

so lets just say, perhaps an average of 17.00 per drop. if you were to do majority mail drops, say one per week at 6 months, that would be roughly 24 drops, at 17.00 that would be somewhere in the neihborhood of 400.00

I am curious. Can anyone give me an idea/estimate on how much you spent on trail food (only) during your thru hike without using mail drops?

[jersey joe]

The biggest problem I had with using mail drops was that I sometimes had to rush in order to get to town before the post office closed. Sometimes that meant getting there just before close on Friday night to avoid laying up in town until Monday morning.

[Diamond Diggs]

yeah, i have heard many complaints about the hassle of getting to the PO before it closes. If i go that route I guess I will just have to prepare myself for that possibility and just be flexible enough to adjust to that kind of obsticle.

What I really would like to know though is what most spend on trail food (resupply), with out the use of mail drops.

[JokerJersey]

I'm interested in this too, as I have a dedicated group of support personel who want to be involved in my journey as much as possible. Also, since money may be an issue, mail dropping seems like it would save me money in the long run by reducing the amount of impulse shopping I'll do in towns. Plus, I figure with the availability of phones along the AT, it wouldn't be hard to call back home to adjust the packages depending on the situation.

I'd have to imagine for most people the problem with mail drops is a mix between the hassle of getting to a town on time along with the inconvience to family/friends. Not to mention having to find someone who is actually reliable enough to mail the things out on schedule.

[bigcranky]

You can avoid the hassle of shipping to the Post Office by sending your mail drops to a hostel or motel or other Trail service provider whose service you intend to use. Sometimes this will cost a buck or two, but you are paying someone else to go to the P.O. for you, so that's actually pretty reasonable.

One way to look at the choice between mail drops and buying locally is that it's actually a choice about Time: do you want to spend the time before your hike gathering your food, making your meals, and packing boxes to be shipped, or do you want to spend your time *during* the hike, going to the grocery store, planning your meals, buying food, repackaging your food, etc.

There is no right or wrong answer. On a week-long section hike, I usually opt for a mail drop -- I have plenty of time before the hike to pack one box, and it gives me more time on the trail. No need for a half day or full day in town to resupply -- just grab the box and get back on the trail. On a longer hike, when I feel like I have more time, I actually prefer to buy what I want along the way. Some hikers have people back home who can do the shopping, packing, and shipping, and that's a huge time saver for the hiker.

Mail drops are a perfectly valid way to resupply on the A.T., but then so is buying food in towns along the way. As in much of life, it is your choice.

[Marta]

I did a lot of mail drops. My husband and daughter were willing helpers, so that wasn't an issue.

Postage is expensive these days--30 boxes at >$10 for a flat rate box is over $300 for just the postage. You can buy a lot of food in grocery stores for $300.

The other thing is that it's difficult to predict your pace. I ended up eating a lot more restaurant meals than I would have believed possible, so I started building up a stockpile of food. In New York, for instance, you can hike for days without eating camping food. I had to start a bounce box, so then I had two boxes arriving when I got to town. Then three. (If you don't open a Priority Mail box, you can forward it without charge.) It became sort of amusing after a while.

There can be compelling reasons to use mail drops, if you have special dietary preferences, but they have some serious drawbacks.

One thing to keep in mind is that if, for any reason, you get off the Trail, you will have a LOT of food to deal with at home.

[Cassie]

I found mail drops invaluable for a variety of reasons:

1. I cannot hike 15 miles fueled by ramen, Poptarts and Snickers.
2. I'm a vegetarian and finding quality protein sources is not always possible in trail town stores.
3. It was cheaper to buy some items in bulk ahead of time and have them periodically mailed to me.
4. I didn't want to carry long-term supplies of ongoing needs. It was easier and lighter to replenish them regularly from a mail drop or bounce box.
5. I had someone at home I could rely on 100% to swap out and assemble items, ship them securely and on time.
6. Going into town was never unmerited. I could always use a town meal, new snacks, a wash and some clean clothes.
7. I hiked alone so my schedule and hiking speed were my own. It was never a rush or drag to get to a post office during open hours.

#5 is pretty important. I saw too many people leave a thruhike because their support person (or people) didn't come through for them in some respect. Every time I picked up a maildrop I called home to thank them and to discuss the contents and ship date of the next drop.

YMMV. HYOH - always.

[Many Walks]

Lot's of good points here. We used mail drops for our dehydrated food and decided next time we would buy along the way instead. Meeting PO schedules and outrunning their delivery for forwarded packages was more trouble than it was worth. Mail drops can be a distraction from your hike, while buying along the way can add to the adventure. I'd advise looking up Jack Tarlin's excellent work on resupply points along the way and work with that. Enjoy your hike!

[PAmoneypit]

I will accept maildrop but only if you are staying at the hostel when you come through. I have had maildrops rot waiting for someone to pick it up. If you are planning on staying at the hostel and would like a maildrop address to send it to Your Name,C/O Amy Holland 76 Cardinal RD Pine Grove,PA 17963. I am near the 501 shelter in Pine Grove PA. Please call and let me know when to expect it...570-345-1119 or cell 570-292-3350 cell

Amy Lu (maybabie)

[Diamond Diggs]

anyone have a figure on average for resupply in place of maildrops?

[fiddlehead]

Count me on the "mail drop's are important" side.

First of all, i really like dried hamburger! and many veggies that i dry myself: Broccoli, plum tomatoes, cauliflower and onions to name a few.

Second, i believe things like toothpaste, razors, soap, instant coffee (i like it), batteries, HD cards, extra socks (I like fleece that my company sells, so i have many at home), and things like this, pays for the price of the shipping via US postal service with the money you save.

Third, you can hand out your mail drop list to friends and family and they send you goodies (homeade cookies are one that comes to mind)

Also: you can put town clothes in there, and many other things you might need (chargers etc) Lots has been said on the many threads. I'm just trying to put down why i like them.

Some towns ONLY have a PO and no grocery.

The folks that buy everything as they go have a bit of freedom BUT, they pay for it in lack of nutrition (many places don't have many choices), cost (convenience stores are very expensive for things like batteries), and if their friends do send them something, most likely they have to go anyway.

So, to the OP: Don't think that people don't use mail drops. ........... Many do. and for good reasons.