Pre-Shipping Pack to Hostel

[Hikerj53]

All,

Will be starting from Springer in March. I've arranged to get picked up and stay the night at a local hiker hostel the day I fly in. Their Web site mentions the possibility of sending your backpack ahead of time. My questions:

Have any of you ever done this before?

What shipper did you use, e.g. FEDEX, UPS, etceteras?

About how much did they charge?

Did you have the shipper shrink wrap your loaded pack or did you end up boxing everything up?

Happy trails,

Hiker

[white_russian]

Make sure the charge doesn't come to more than your airlines BS baggage fees. I once had to ship my big Gregory pack in for repairs and just the pack empty by itself was oversize on one dimension and would have cost me a bunch had Gregory not picked up the tab. I have never shipped by UPS/FedEx to the trail, but when I fly with my pack I pack it all loose in a cardboard box.

[roy_hiking]

Check with hostel owner. If it is the "Hiker Hostal" they know a lot about receiving and shipping.

[drifters quest]

I'm also planning on staying at the hiker hostel in March. Although I won't be shipping my bag ahead, I will ship over some items that I don't think the airlines would accept in baggage and some things (fuel) i'm planning on just getting when I get there.

[BrianLe]

I plan to mail my stuff parcel post, USPS. That after some brief investigation which suggested that might be the cheapest way to go; if I recall correctly, I expect it's going to cost on the order of $25 and take about 7 days. I'll just get a regular box and put everything in there, put the sleeping bag in loose to fill up available volume so things don't rattle around.

I did this starting my PCT trip in 2008 and it worked great. The big appeal to me was no risk of the airline losing or abusing my light pack and associated expensive gear. And for that trip I sent it to a friend in the area, who confirmed for me that my box was there before I even boarded the plane, which was quite comforting.

Now, if you want to insure the box contents for what they might really be worth, that changes the game some --- I think the threshhold is $500 beyond which a signature is required on the other end or something to that effect.

I had the impression that the (very nice) folks at the Hiker Hostel don't track which shipping service is the "best" in any particular way; they take all three and leave it up to you to decide.

One other semi-serious caveat: if you're flying somewhere with a one-way ticket and you have no luggage and you're a bearded male, you naturally have increased odds of a more careful security check en route to your plane. In 2008 that didn't happen to me, however; maybe I'm old enough now that I no longer appear to be any sort of threat to anyone ... (how depressing! :-)).

[takethisbread]

I am taking a train from Boston to ATL, then from there to Springer. I will be carrying. Unless I find a shared ride to Atl area with someone.

[white_russian]

I am taking a train from Boston to ATL, then from there to Springer. I will be carrying. Unless I find a shared ride to Atl area with someone.

You know you can get off at the train one stop earlier at Gainesville and you will be a lot closer.

[white_russian]

I'm also planning on staying at the hiker hostel in March. Although I won't be shipping my bag ahead, I will ship over some items that I don't think the airlines would accept in baggage and some things (fuel) i'm planning on just getting when I get there.

The only thing I can think of that the airlines won't take is fuel. What other stuff do you think they won't take?

[ARambler]

I think $25 and 7 days is way too optimistic. Also, I'm not the type to have my act together ahead of time. Finally, the vast majority carry their pack on the plane.

That said, the new bagage fees make this an interesting idea.
Rambler

[ShelterLeopard]

I am taking a train from Boston to ATL, then from there to Springer. I will be carrying. Unless I find a shared ride to Atl area with someone.

You know you can get off at the train one stop earlier at Gainesville and you will be a lot closer.

That's what I'm doing. (Getting off at Gainesville) And I have a "viewliner roomette" with two beds in it, so I can put my pack there, instead of checking it. (Because Gainesville has no checked bag service)

That way I can carry everything with me and no one can break or tear any of my gear! (I, like many hikers, am very protective of my pack and it's contents.)

[ShelterLeopard]

You could always take the train- I'm taking it because I love trains, and I think it'll be a good beginning to my hike.

If you take the #2 Sunset Limited from San Antonio to New Orleans, then the #20 Crescent to Atlanta, it'd cost $125. If you don't get a room.

It is a pretty long trip- I didn't think it'd be so long from Texas, a total of 26 hours...

[BrianLe]

"I think $25 and 7 days is way too optimistic."

It's based on looking not too many weeks ago on the USPS site, plugging in my zip code and that of the hiker hostel, guesstimating weight and dimensions of the box for shipping parcel post ...
I won't swear those numbers are precise, but I think they're ballpark for shipping on the order of 20 pounds (most of my base weight plus most of a few days of food).

[white_russian]

It's based on looking not too many weeks ago on the USPS site, plugging in my zip code and that of the hiker hostel, guesstimating weight and dimensions of the box for shipping parcel post ...
I won't swear those numbers are precise, but I think they're ballpark for shipping on the order of 20 pounds (most of my base weight plus most of a few days of food).

It works out for you since you are experienced and have your pack weight down pretty good. I think $25 for a lot of folks would be optimistic since they are carrying extra/heavy stuff they don't need.

[ARambler]

It works out for you since you are experienced and have your pack weight down pretty good. I think $25 for a lot of folks would be optimistic since they are carrying extra/heavy stuff they don't need.

Yes, you can probably budget $25, It would help to 1) carry on a stuff sack of some extra cloths, and food, 2) buy some food in GA (cheese, tortillas), 3) use a light box, and 4) live closer than WA.

I just don't trust parcel post to deliver on time. I would allow 2+ weeks minimum.

Rambler

[drifters quest]

I'm not sure yet but I think my pack might be small enough to carry on. If that's the case i'll ship anything that could possibly be "iffy". It may end up the things that everything I find that needs to be sent is cheap enough to just buy there.

It's based on looking not too many weeks ago on the USPS site, plugging in my zip code and that of the hiker hostel, guesstimating weight and dimensions of the box for shipping parcel post ...
I won't swear those numbers are precise, but I think they're ballpark for shipping on the order of 20 pounds (most of my base weight plus most of a few days of food).

[aquaman1208]

When I flew I just checked my backpack in as baggage (no fuel) with duct tape to secure straps. I even duct taped my hiking poles to it. No one seemed to care and I had no problems.

[Sly]

You can get a large moving box from Home Depot, 18x18x24 for less than $2-. 30 lbs Boston to Atlanta cost $43.25 priority mail (2-3 days), $21.89 for parcel post (6 days).

Insurance is about $1 per $100

30 lbs from WA $76.90 & $43.33 (same times)

20 lbs $76.90 & $25.70

[mikec]

I shipped my backpack from VA to a motel in Delaware Water Gap in 2005 and the Inn at Kent, CT in 2003 both via Fedex for past section hikes. It was waiting for me both times when I got there. Very convenient. I think the cost was $50-70.

[mweinstone]

shipping your pack is so weird i cant listen to this.freaks ship packs so they can receive them and have tags on them and be cool. its weird.

[mweinstone]

ya know those people who come out of a store with a tiny bag and walk to their car and open the trunk and put the bag in and ride home and take the tiny bag out of the trunk and go in their house and put the bag down and make everything all complicated? yeah, those folks ship their packs.