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  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doc Mike View Post
    I'm planning $1000 per month, might be able to go for half that but hard to say ahead of time due to the multiple variables including weather, gear, injuries, etc.
    I agree with your line of thinking Doc.

    Gear: Equipment I replaced during my thru were a stove, sleeping bag, broken hiking poles, shoes (4 additional pr.), socks and other clothing. Total over $900.

    Weather: On a few occasions I went into town during bad weather to dry out. Spent a few days at Shaw's in Monson, ME during Hurricane Irene. Depending on where you stay that could cost $100 a day including eating at a restaurant and other town expenses.

    Injuries: Had to go home from NH for an ankle injury. Two weeks off the trail and $200 in travel expenses.

    As you can see it adds up fast. Good to be prepared then to come up short and have to end early.

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Panzer1 View Post
    Few have complained that they had too much cash.
    Warren Buffet comes to mind. HEY!!! If we all wrote Warren and explained that we are hikers with hardly any money and since he seems to think he has too much, maybe he could fund an entire AT Thru-hiker class!! 2012 would be excellent!

    For myself, I'm saving as much as possible as long as possible. I'd like to have 5K ready in the bank before starting. I have all my gear, so it would just be trail needs, I hope.
    Old Hiker
    AT Hike 2012 - 497 Miles of 2184
    AT Thru Hiker - 29 FEB - 03 OCT 2016 2189.1 miles
    Just because my teeth are showing, does NOT mean I'm smiling.
    Hányszor lennél inkább máshol?

  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Adams View Post
    $3000 should be enough if you use your head and don't "waste" it....just beware, it is very easy to spend too much in the beginning and run out later.
    I stayed at some hostels along the way and 3 motel rooms but for the most part I used the cool and cold weather to "camp" down south and tended to stay in hostels or motels later in the summer when I really wanted air conditioning and a nice shower.

    geek
    I found I spent more at the end, hit like 3 or 4 hostels just in Maine because I was beat up and burned out. I still liked hiking, was just ready to be done.

  4. #24
    Registered User Mariano's Avatar
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    i'm not a thru-hiker.. i'm a section hiker but i would like to thru-hike in the future... i spend an average of 50 a week.. that even includes transportation sometimes (train to and from the trail). that's about 1000 bucks for 5 months..
    when i try... i'll do it with at least 2000.. but i won't even spend that much.. i'll keep in mind my weekly budget and i'll try not to go over it.
    same happens with gear. some ppl would spend $1200 on their gear. i bought all of my gear for 200. and it took a while to choose what i liked better... but i love my $25 tent, my 2 sleeping bags for 60 (both), mess kit 5... i paid 40 for my trail runners (Merrel w/ Vibram soles) at Marshall's. and i did my first hike (entire nj section) with a 20 dollar daypack from wallmart. my current backpack is a Carson 80 at $110.

    HYOH buddy.. and do what works for you..

    happy trails

  5. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by theresmorethanthis View Post
    Why 5 pairs??? Ive herd of 2... but five? really? what shoes?
    depends on what you wear. most light hikers are only made to last 400-600 miles. Mid weight boots or shoes will usually go 1000-1400 miles and some of the sturdier mid weight and heavier boots will go 2000-4000. You also have to understand that they break down. They may not have holes in them and still be together and look good but they may be internally worn out and start causing blisters, muscle aches, etc.

    geek

  6. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by Trailbender View Post
    I found I spent more at the end, hit like 3 or 4 hostels just in Maine because I was beat up and burned out. I still liked hiking, was just ready to be done.
    definitely! If I have a decent supply of cash left toward the end, I will spend it everytime just to be a little more comfortable be it food, shelter, shower, new equipment or what ever. The point that I was making was that it is very easy to hike with others that have a substantial or unlimited buget and stay in every town and eat in every restuarant and sit for a while in every bar and by mid Virginia you are broke and headed home....see alot of this every year.

    geek

  7. #27
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    Stiffing hostel owners... or anyone for that matter, is unacceptable for me.

  8. #28
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    so then.... When plainning my money, its important to plain to spend my time with people who are more committed to the trail. I think I will be a lone hiker most of the time anyway.

  9. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by theresmorethanthis View Post
    so then.... When plainning my money, its important to plain to spend my time with people who are more committed to the trail. I think I will be a lone hiker most of the time anyway.
    you will make alot of new friends out there...some will be very committed, some will treat the entire hike like a frat party and there will be alot in between. Just use YOUR head...you know how much you have to spend...make lots of friends, have alot of fun but hike so that YOU can finish...HYOH?

    example: To save money I may pass up a restaurant when others stop, I may pass up a hostle or motel, I may pass up a ride to town.....but I never pass up a liquor store...but that's just my priority.
    Last edited by Jim Adams; 10-26-2011 at 14:40.

  10. #30

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    I did it for ~$1000 [not including gear/camera failure] in 2009; I very very rarely stayed in town, and had been working on about $30-45 a week on food/stuffs.

    I set out to do it with $2500 set aside, but after things settled down I ended up with $1000 in the bank for it, and I was passed turning back - so I took on the challenge of managing my finances. It didn't hurt the experience in the least for me; but if you can't live without the hostels/hotels plan for a bit more. Given my experience I'd suspect $2500-3000 is plenty of money for a thru-hike; all other obligations aside.

  11. #31
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    I think the rule of thumb is if you are asking this question...then you probably do not have enough money for the trip.

  12. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Adams View Post
    depends on what you wear. most light hikers are only made to last 400-600 miles. Mid weight boots or shoes will usually go 1000-1400 miles and some of the sturdier mid weight and heavier boots will go 2000-4000. You also have to understand that they break down. They may not have holes in them and still be together and look good but they may be internally worn out and start causing blisters, muscle aches, etc.

    geek
    Damn skippy...most people will be lucky to get 700 miles out of a good pair of shoes, I generally get around 500, give or take

  13. #33

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    Hotels/motels are where people spend money I think...because if you stay in one, that means you are in town for an extra day, which means you'll spend more money on town food, booze, etc. Make it a goal to get into town and back out within 2 to 3 hours...that's plenty of time for a restaurant meal, resupply, laundry and a shower. I went 850 miles, as far as Waynesboro, was on the trail for about 4 months and spent between $1600 and $1700. I stopped in a town every 3 to 5 days, but I only rarely stayed in town overnight or more than a couple of hours. I got a room about once a month, and took a shower at hostels and campgrounds the rest of the time for a fraction of the cost.

    Cheap motel $40
    Extra town meals $25
    Beer/alcohol $15

    The above is guessing on the low end...my theory is every time you spend the night in a motel you're spending around $100 or more because the longer you are in town the more you will spend...do that every week and you just doubled the cost of your hike. Money is spent in towns...spend time in towns and you will spend more money.

  14. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bronk View Post
    Hotels/motels are where people spend money I think...because if you stay in one, that means you are in town for an extra day, which means you'll spend more money on town food, booze, etc. Make it a goal to get into town and back out within 2 to 3 hours...spend time in towns and you will spend more money.
    Ditto. Another way of saying this is to become a master of the "nearo", or "near zero" hiking day. And this is another illustration of my point that a fast hike is a cheap hike. I averaged 20 mpd on my hike, not to save money but because it's the way I enjoy hiking. A full day in town was a day not hiking, which is why I was out there to start with. I enjoyed making substantial progress, consistently, every day, not sprinting to town then having to stay there and rest and spend money. I only took three zeros on the hike, and two of those were to meet friends and family.

    That being said, when I hiked into town late in the day, I would get a motel and a meal because I had the money budgeted. It did add up. Here are my expenses: Trail food: $800. Town food: $700. Lodging: $800. Gear: $400 Travel: $700. Town food and lodging were nearly half my expenses. If I didn't have the money (and/or was a few decades younger), I would have greatly reduced those.
    "Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning

  15. #35
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    Also remember that the $40/motel room doesn't exist north of southwest Virginia in nearly all cases, the south is much cheaper than the north...so what you can get by in your first 500 miles may not last you your last 500 miles.

  16. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by stranger View Post
    Also remember that the $40/motel room doesn't exist north of southwest Virginia in nearly all cases, the south is much cheaper than the north...so what you can get by in your first 500 miles may not last you your last 500 miles.
    Even for $40 a night a motel isn't worth it, personally. I stayed in only 2 on my thru, in Franklin where it was split 3 ways, and near Fontana when a friend's dad paid for it, for a couple guys I was hiking on and off with, and they invited me along. If the price included a couple meals and laundry, it might be ok, but just a bed, not worth it. I sleep really good in my tent, though, so a motel was never a temptation even on rainy, stormy days.

  17. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by theresmorethanthis View Post
    Im NOBO and leaving in March. I would like to buy as little as possible on the trail, but not be strapped for cash if I need it, and I do not want to run out and not finish!!!! looking for a range of thoughts. Some one told me they spent $6,000. isn't this excessive? I will need a plane Ticket back to Florida when I finnish as well. I don't think I want to fool with too much shipping... seems more expensive to buy it and ship all that food.... also how available is buying any other resupply on the trail? Water filtration? and propane for cooking? should I just go alcohol?
    Remember it is always better to have more money available that you may need than to not have enough. Not having to worry about money on the trail will make your hike that much more enjoyable, and will cause you less distress as far as your finances are concerned. That being said, if you are a person who is capable of hiking the trail in a low cost fashion, than naturally your overall costs will be reduced. If you are willing to camp in the woods more, and can avoid enjoying the many luxuries that are available in town than maybe you can do your hike for less. But understand that there are going to be times when you will arrive in town, and you are going to want to get a good meal, or a warm room when it is cold and wet out. To not be able to do this can be detrimental towards your overall success. Not having the money to do not just the things that you will want to do, but possibly the things that you will need to do is only going to work against you. Make sure you have enough money even if you don't need to use it all.

  18. #38
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    Spent $9600 on my thru and had a blast.
    Tridavis

  19. #39

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    I spent $4,950 on my AT thru-hike in Year 2000. That didn't include starting gear or the return travel back to Indiana from Maine. I had a good time, did what a chose to do and didn't want for much on the AT. From others experience and costs, my AT thru-hiking costs seem to be in the middle range for the cost of an AT thru-hike -- adjust it for inflation.

    Datto

  20. #40
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    It is true that how much you spend depends on what is comfortable to you. I spent about $5,000 on my 2010 thruhike as a newbie. I learned alot of lessons along the way. This year I have purchased most of my trail food ahead of time. I've done the math and the cost of the food plus shipping is going to be about $1100 for the whole hike. I will still pick up cheese and fruit in towns but I hate paying over a dollar for things like Ramen. Resupplying along the trail is definately possible but the selection isnt always great and certain places its really pricey. I also found that its not going to town that kills the wallet, its spending the night or multiple nights that gets you. I am largely an introvert but I still enjoyed getting together with other hikers in town. It is harder than you think to pass up stopping when the great group of people youve met are all going into town, or youve been walking in the rain for four days straight. It looks like I'll be spending about $2500 to $3000 this year. The only gear I'll need is new shoes (used 3 pair in 2010) and I'm taking the Greyhound from NM to GA for $98. Best of luck to you! GAME 2012!

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