$$$$$$$

[Jeff]

What should I expect to spend on gear? Still in the very early stages of planning my thru-hike. I have spent hours reading articles to get ideas of what to expect forweather and terrain, etc. Starting to look into gear, seems like it'll be expensive. Just would like a rough estimate of what to expect to spend.

Save up to get a good quality sleeping bag online.

Work with an outfitter to purchase a backpack and shoes.

For most clothing items you can comfortably get by with Walmart purchases.

[betsi]

please remember that, regardless of how much you choose to save, hiker services cost something. yes, there are work-for-stay options. but i caution you to not rely too heavily on them when planning your budget b/c you can't really be sure how often they'll be available. other hikers may get there first. also, please save enough that you can donate when a donation is requested. some hostels, trail angels, etc. will kindly request a donation - be sure you donate. these folks work tirelessly to support our endeavors, and what they do costs money. a thru-hike is not a free ride, just realize up front that hiker services cost money (some services are less than others, some towns are more expensive). you can do it on the cheap without being cheap. i may catch a bit of flak for this advice, but hikers who expected free stuff and/or constantly complained about how much stuff cost was one of the few things that irked me during my thru-hike. best $15 to put in your budget: a night at the green mountain house in vermont.

[DapperD]

What should I expect to spend on gear? Still in the very early stages of planning my thru-hike. I have spent hours reading articles to get ideas of what to expect forweather and terrain, etc. Starting to look into gear, seems like it'll be expensive. Just would like a rough estimate of what to expect to spend.

Like most everything else, you get usually what you pay for. From what I have learned, if at all possible, would be for you to purchase good new quality gear. Obviously this is not cheap, nor the cheapest alternative. The advantages of being able to purchase high quality gear are usually it will be very durable and hold up well over the course of 5-6 months, also alot of the times it will also be light, desirable so your overall pack weight will remain comfortable(very important for long distance hiking). I would say you can expect to pay around $1500, maybe more or maybe less. However for good quality stuff that would meet the criteria of being durable and light, about that much.

[garlic08]

It's also unlikely you'll find the "right stuff" the first time. And some hikers like two sleeping bags, for instance, or even two shelters--one for possible spring blizzards, one for hot mid-Atlantic summers. It's not uncommon to go through two stoves, two water purification devices, quite a few pairs of shoes. Some hikers even completely refit at Neels Gap, a mere 30-some miles into the Trail, to the tune of $1000 or more. It's hard to find sales in the middle of the hiking season in a small town outfitter near the AT.

If you're starting from scratch, and have the money, it's probably pretty easy to spend thousands. But you could probably dirtbag it for much less. I only spent about $500 on all the gear I used on the AT, but it was all tried and true and found on sale or demo deals. I went through four pairs of $70 shoes, too. So it was a low percentage of total hike cost for me, and I still have the gear.

[Figgsy13126]

Bobbo, i havnt really looked to much into what gear to buy. however, i have jumped around the EMS and REI websites to get ideas. I figure to only buy one sleeping bag and one tent, for sure. Looks like prices for a decent bag 15 degree, will run $250-300....a big question is on a tent. I dont really plan on using shelters, but, how would i know? havnt been on the trail yet, ha. I dont really expect the type of tent to really matter. Just as long as i get the right type and a durable one that would hopefully last througout the hike.

Thank you all for the info!

[Bobbo]

Gear for hiking is like gear for any other sport or activity. There is no one right choice. Everyone uses what they like and in the end that’s all that matters. It’s like running shoes or bicycles – personal preferences. I’m sure your gear choices will evolve over time. When I first started hiking the AT – I was wearing cotton shorts, big leather EMS traverses that weighed 5lbs each, carrying a Gregory pack that weighed 7lbs empty and carrying a bunch of other random gear that I wouldn’t carry now.

I don’t have a lot of use for EMS or REI. Most of the stuff they carry is too heavy and over priced for my tastes. There are the occasional pieces of gear that can be found there and I do like a lot of their clothes, but I’m not crazy about the prices. I would and do buy all my clothes at Savers used clothing store. This excludes rain gear, socks and foot wear. I bought a new tent this summer to hike the LT. It is a Coleman Expedition – 1 person. It weighs approximately 3lbs and I paid under $70. I like and it has worked well so far. I am confident it will hold up for some time to come and I can sit up in it too!

I agree with Garlic – using sales and some smart shopping, you could purchase all your gear for around $500. Lone Wolf is always talking about a 20 degree down bag from Campmor that is fairly inexpensive and would definitely work as your 1 bag for the AT.

Shop around, try stuff on and buy what you like – you’re the one who has to use it!

[sarahgirl]

since you have several months to get ready, look on ebay and other sites for used gear. To me, the most important items are the tent, bag and pack. Everything else can be played with and worked out pretty easily with a variety of solutions. Down in Wareham is an LL bean Outlet. You could pick up most of your clothing there - with big discounts if you hit it during a sale - which is quite often during the winter. What do you have in mind for gear? Have you looked at any yet and made choices?

Yes, I've given up on the idea of a smaller lighter camera, a down balaclava, a jrb underquilt, and a new ula backpack with all the shiny options. It was hard to let go, but I'm just going to use my old heavy gear and I'm going to try my hand at making a few quilts and a tarp. As I've heard it said before...your gear will help you yes, but ultimately it's not your gear getting you to katahdin.

The last thing I want to do is leave the trail do to insufficient funds when there are so many other things out of my control that could pull me off. I'm hoping to have 5k for the trip, but it may be closer to 4. One thing to remember is taxes, this could work in your favor...I'm banking on a big refund

[DavidNH]

From what I read, I should expect to have lil over $3G for a Nobo hike. Seems like this amount may make the trip more luxurious than it needs to be. Yea, it would be a relief to chill at a hostel or two or even a couple steak dinners. What are the real costs on the trail....if I skip the fun stuff and most mail drops (which I hear can cost a pretty penny)...what can I expect to spend on just the typical resupplies? An open ended ?....I'm still in the early stages of planning my quest. I would like y'all suggestions on experiences on the trail I should spend $$$ on..what I should skip.

Contrary to what you imply, 3000 dollars is not excessive. You COULD do a thru hike on this amount of money but you will have ZERO luxuries. No motels, very few if any restaurants meals, few hostels, and don't expect much town time if any. Pray you don't have to replace equipment and that you can get to and from home cheaply! Trust me, you WILL want to have some zero days. Down time in a hostel, and some wonderful restaurant meals.

Costs on the trail (let's for the moment assume you have transportation to and from south and north trail heads and all your equipment purchased):


1) Expect to at some point buy new boots. I have never seen any footware last 2000 miles.

2) you may find that some equipment doesn't perform as you hoped or perhaps it breaks. Then you need replacement gear.

3) Understand right now that you ARE going to eat in restaurants and you ARE going to go to grocery stores to shop for trail food. Expect at least 50 dollars per week on food before counting in restaurant meals.

4) as you head north, expenses will increase. 40 dollar a night motels in New England are essentially non existent. There are very few free or donation hostels on the trail anywhere, and non in New England states.

5) Don't make your thru a contest to see how little you can spend. Why not go out and enjoy it? take your time. See the towns.

For everyone else: can ANYONE of you here in white blaze think of ANY hiker who made it the whole way without eating in restaurants at all? Or who didn't take a zero day in town after days of rain on the trail? I can't think of any. If you can I'd love to hear about it!

David

[garlic08]

...can ANYONE of you here in white blaze think of ANY hiker who made it the whole way without eating in restaurants at all? Or who didn't take a zero day in town after days of rain on the trail? I can't think of any. If you can I'd love to hear about it!

I met a young couple on the PCT who were doing the whole trail without once stepping under a roof, except for groceries. They made it at least through the Sierra successfully. They met on the AT the year before and did the same thing then. That would have been 2003.

[Chance09]

I just finished my thru hike and i didn't spend more than 2900 and i think i could have spent a lot less. I spent about 500 on gear once i was on the trail, which could have been prevented with better planning. I bought a new backpack, a hammock, a silk liner and some other small stuff. I spent about 300 - 400 on beer, and i like to drink good beer. Maybe 250 on on places to stay and 200 going out to eat, the rest was food

500 Gear
350 Beer
100 at DWG at an Amusement park and bar
250 on hostels and motels
200 at restaurants
and the rest was food and other miscellaneous stuff.

I think 3 grand is just fine. If not more than enough. Unless you have privacy issues you won't ever really have to pay more than 20 - 30 for a room. You can always fit a few extra people in a room, and there are always people interested, to bring the costs down. Plus there are plenty of hostels.

I had an absolute blast on my trip and none of the fun things, except for floating down the Shennendoah River in an innertube ($16) and the Brew Music Festival ($25), cost a lot of extra money. It was all about the people.

I even spent the fourth of july in NYC with some friends i'd met on the trail and they took us in for two days. Don't worry so much about cash and just go with the flow, good things will follow.

Two pieces of advice i will give is not to pay for a ride and sometimes it's good to ship food to yourself becasue it's cheaper. It's so easy to hitch that you should never have to pay for a ride. I was usually picked up in under 5 min, if not by the first car that passed me. Ask ahead on the trail for places to ship food to to save money. There's not many that come to mind but Fontana Damn is certainly one of them. The $11 you spend on a standard rate mailer while be cheaper than the food costs of resupplying there.

[Chance09]

oh i forgot shoes, i spent 120 on a new pair of shoes. My other two pairs were replaced for free. That helped a bit.

[Chatter]

You have several months to get ready. Use your time off to take trips locally (for example, NH Whites; even day-trips in Boston's 7,000-acre Blue Hills Reservation).

Buy some basic gear, whatever you think you might need. Camp out in all kinds of weather. You will figure out what else to get based on what you find you are missing.

I could get more detailed, but with this approach, you are practicing, continuing to stay in good physical shape and learning by doing.

[Chatter]

Oh, and then through the knowledge you gain through practicing, you will be better able to project the costs of a thru-hike based on your personal preferences.

....basically trial-and-error plus listening to whiteblazers and others of those who know.

[Figgsy13126]

What i love most about all this planning is the feedback that ive recieved from yall. It has made this trip more and more important to me. This is deff a community that i respect and admire. Hopefully, with the knowledge i gain...i can help others like myself in the future! I cant wait to meet more people like yall on the trail when the time comes! Keep in the info coming! I'll be sure to be asking more ?'s!!

Sincerely,
Frank

[Jack Tarlin]

Chance:

Please don't get me wrong. I have no doubt you had a great trip on your budget, but I don't think what you did is realistic or desirable for most folks.

For just one example, your "$200.00" restaurant meal figure for the entire trip just won't work for most folks.

If one assumes one is on a typical six-month trip, well that's 26 weeks. 200 bucks divided by 26 weeks equals $7.69.

This means that on your budget, one could have a restaurant meal once a week.......for a whopping $7.69.

Chance, most thru-hikers couldn't fill up at Burger King for $7.69, never mind a full meal at a real restaurant with tax and tip.

And let's assume that one blows the works and orders a steak dinner somewhere, with appetizer, desert, etc. That's easily thirty bucks. According to your budgeting, they'd have to skip restaurant meals for three weeks in order to pay for that steak. Or let's put it another way.....if one zeroes in a town and has breakfast at a local diner (which will very be hard to do on $7.69 by the way), this means they not only can't have breakfast or lunch in town that day......it means they just had their one restaurant meal for the whole WEEK. I.e., if they happen to pass thru a town three or four days later for supplies or whatever, even if they don't plan on overnighting there, their budget still won't permit them to have a restaurant meal, as their plate of eggs three days before blew their restaurant budget for the whole week.

In short, the $200.00 restaurant figure is very unrealistic for the vast majority of folks, and while I believe that you might have been able to adhere to this, I simply don't think most folks want to be limited to a budget this tight. Meaning even if one springs for a shared bunkroom at the NOC or Eriwn, it kind of sucks to stay in your room eating pop tarts while all your friends are at the Chinese buffet.

$7.69 per week reserved for restaurant meals won't work for most folks, and neither will a $2900.00 budget.

(Oh, and if anyone checks my math and says, well maybe not everyone is out for six months.....maybe a speedier hiker who is disciplined about his time off and zero days can do the Trail in five months, not six. Well that's perfectly true......but a five month trip would bring your weekly restaurant fund up to $9.09 a week from $7.69. And the bottom line is $9.09 doesn't go that far anymore. A $200.00 restaurant budget for a thru-hike simply won't cut it for most folks, even if you're a fast hiker).

[Chatter]

Good cipherin' Jack. You point out very well by the examples you gave how easy it is for the money to disappear much faster than one might think, especially when viewed over a multi-month hike.

As mentioned before, there are also bound to be those surprise expenses that nobody wants to think about, like medical procedures in case of an accident, not to mention transport to seek emergency care if needed.

And for the really inexperienced or ill-prepared, we don't even want to bring up those pesky rescue fees that some states are starting to charge. Of course, that's a discussion for people who don't even bother to read whiteblaze.net.

[Jack Tarlin]

While we're at it, Chance's $250.00 budget for motels and hostels doesn't cut it, either. A hiker who stays at (and shares, by the way, we're definitely not talking single rooms) half a dozen motels on his trip at $22.50 a piece will spend $135.00.

And if he stays at half a dozen hostels at $18.00 a night, well there's your $250.00.

But the problem is that even when sharing a room, some motels will cost more than that.

And most folks plan on paying for lodging more than 12 times on their trips. In fact, many folks will do this before they even leave the South.

For example, a TYPICAL thru-hiker might stay at the hostel in Neel Gap; share a motel room in Hiawassee and/or Franklin; may well get a bunk at the NOC; may share a motel in Gatlinburg; may well stay at Standing Bear Farm; will probably stay at Elmer's in Hot Springs; will probably stay in a hostel or share a motel room in Erwin; will stay at a hostel in Hampton and Damascus; will probably share a motel room in Pearisburg; will stay at a hostel or motel in Waynesboro; will stay at one or perhaps two hostels in Northern Virginia.

This, mind you, is a TYPICAL thru-hiker's schedule. Many folks may stay overnight at other places, too, like Fontana Dam, Gatlinburg, Troutdale, Marion, Bland, etc. And of course, this 12-stop plan doesn't include staying over an extra day or taking a full zero day at one of these places due to injury, poor weather, etc. which most people do more than once on their trips.

Oh, and by the way, this only takes you up to Harpers Ferry, less than half-way thru the Trail. And hostels and definitely motels cost more the further north you go.

So sorry, for most folks, reserving $250.00 for hostels and motels for an entire thru-hike just won't cut it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying one can't hike on the limited budget that Chance has described. What I'm saying is that most them won't want to, and in many cases, won't be able to.

[Sleepy the Arab]

1) Expect to at some point buy new boots. I have never seen any footware last 2000 miles.

You weren't paying attention to my feet, were you?

[Jack Tarlin]

Actually I have gotten 2,000 miles or better out of several pairs of shoes, tho I don't choose to wear that style anymore, as they're hot and heavy.

But it certainly is possible to thru-hike in one pair of boots, tho it sure doesn't happen very often.

[bigcranky]

Good cipherin' Jack. You point out very well by the examples you gave how easy it is for the money to disappear much faster than one might think, especially when viewed over a multi-month hike.

The longest I've been out is three weeks, so I don't have a thru-hike experience. Even so, I was amazed at how quickly I went through cash when I hit town. Remember the advice to never go to the grocery store when you're hungry? Hah -- just try that on the trail. I was always hungry, and my shopping cart -- and my restaurant tab -- reflected that.

I'm sure that a thru-hike can be and has been done for under $3K. I would like to think I'd spend a little less per week on a long hike than on my sections. But I know I personally couldn't do a thru for anything close to $3K. Double that would be my personal budget.