$$$ Costs of a thru-hike? $$$

[Jeff]

I didn't notice if someone addressed it but VT does have some caretaker sites requiring payment. I believe they have a deal for thru-hikers where you can camp for a certain time period at any of them for a minimal fee but I don't remember specifics. Very minimal compared to NH but you seem to be looking for specific details.

Yes, you pay $5 one time and that gets you thru all the pay sites on the AT in Vermont. Not a bad deal compared to New Hampshire. But, for NOBO's it's the first time since Springer that you have to pay to sleep in a shelter...so there's plenty of grumbling about it.

Lots of spots to sleep for free in Vermont so the complaining is just noise.

[Theosus]

The Incredible Shrinking Food Products is a discussion we have a lot on the XM fan boards... Sugar, now sold in 4 pound bags, ice cream is no longer half gallon, it's 1.5 quarts, and on and on. Hershey bars have 25% less chocolate in them than they used to (same footprint, but thinner).Look at cereal boxes. Sure they are tall and wide like they used to be, but they are half as thick. It's a joke. Never thought of pop tarts. I guess if they could figure out how to get away from gallons of milk they would... Leave our portions alone. Just raise the price....

[JAK]

Mine totaled about $2500 after initial gear costs.
About $1300 of that was food, $600 gear replacements, $300 hostels/lodging, and $300 misc (shuttles, laundry, shipping costs, campsite fees...)

I honestly didn't think I was being that frugal, I just wasn't treating it like a vacation. I was on the trail 159 days total, including 20 or so zeros/neros.

Very well done. Thanks for the info.

[TOMP]

[QUOTE=Captain_Slo;1237459]shuttles? rides? That's $1.50/day or $11.25/week. I have zero idea what a average ride to/from town is.

QUOTE]

I think hitching is free, are there shuttles everywhere? Your going into town every night?

[TOMP]

The Incredible Shrinking Food Products is a discussion we have a lot on the XM fan boards... Sugar, now sold in 4 pound bags, ice cream is no longer half gallon, it's 1.5 quarts, and on and on. Hershey bars have 25% less chocolate in them than they used to (same footprint, but thinner).Look at cereal boxes. Sure they are tall and wide like they used to be, but they are half as thick. It's a joke. Never thought of pop tarts. I guess if they could figure out how to get away from gallons of milk they would... Leave our portions alone. Just raise the price....

Its not just about price, if they reduce the portions slightly no one notices, this allows them to alter the nutrition facts to make the item appear to be healthier when in reality its just less food. Most snacks and fatty foods have been doing this for the past 20 years or so.

[Captain_Slo]

I think hitching is free, are there shuttles everywhere? Your going into town every night?

ummm, that's a creative way to reinterpret the question. "what's the typical going rate for a shuttle?"

[Zipper]

I'll preface this by saying that I didn't hold back in any way spending on my hike. I had saved a lot of money and part of what I decided was that I'd indulge myself pretty much any way I wanted, especially when it came to food and lodging. I did decide not to drink, so I had no alcohol expenses - alcohol in town (or on the trail) adds up quickly! I'll leave food out of this list - there's so much, and that was my greatest expense. Ice cream, pizza, burgers, fries, candy bars - plus all of the camping food - they add up. I indulged in one Mountain House per resupply, but clearly that wasn't necessary. I couldn't believe the amount of food I was eating by about 3/4 of the way through the hike. Plan to spend on food - you'll want to have the luxury of having at least some treats when you're hungry, which will eventually be all the time.

I hiked in 2009 and I kept track of all I spent, so here goes:

Fees in Vermont and Whites: $50 - Stratton Pond and Little Rock Pond, Kinsman Pond, Mizpah campsite, Imp, Speck Pond, Katahdin Stream. As people have stated, many of these fees could have been avoided by camping elsewhere or doing work for stay, etc.

Lodging: $2274 --39 nights (!!!) I was really living it up, I guess, but it didn't feel that way at the time - it felt just right. This cost could be brought down to zero - I met two hikers 700 miles in who had slept in their tent every night and never took a zero. I stayed in B&Bs in towns where very cheap or practically free hostels were available - and I stayed by myself. So I would cut this cost way way way down unless you plan to live it up like I did!

Postage: about $200. I sent a bounce box ahead (sending it to B&Bs or outfitters rather than the post office - much better hours for pick up!) I kept refill ibuprofen, q-tips, band aids - plus soap, shampoo, town clothes, cards to send to my husband, food I didn't want to carry until the next town but wanted later - all kinds of stuff. But this is also pretty much unnecessary. It was a luxury. I had no medical expenses - lucky! - except for purchasing a thermometer in Harpers Ferry to see if I had a fever, which I did. Ibuprofen was about the only thing I consumed. One or two a day before bed so that my sore feet and legs wouldn't wake me up.

Laundry: $5. Sometimes it was free with hostel stays, I also had friends and family along the trail where I sometimes did laundry, and I think some of the laundry fees are absorbed in my lodging fees and I didn't separate them. So I would increase this amount if you plan to use a lot of laundromats.

Fuel: $32 - I think I might be missing a couple here, and this doesn't count the ones I started with. But fuel lasts a surprisingly long time! I used canister fuel with a sno-peak gigabyte stove. If you have an alcohol stove your fuel might be even cheaper - I'm not sure.

Gear I bought while on the trail included a new pack 500 miles in (I didn't like the one I started with), 3 pairs of shoes, three pairs of socks, a sleeping bag liner, new pants, new raingear, and new superfeet insoles. Most people probably didn't replace this much and stuck with what they had. The only thing you will definitely need to replace are your shoes. Probably more than once. I didn't need to make any repairs to my tent or pack - the only repairs I made were small sewing repairs to clothes and that was free. I replaced my pole tips a lot (I'm one of the few who doesn't like to make holes all over everything with sharp pole tips, and also stab a zillion leaves) but I didn't have to replace my poles at all. Black Diamond Flicklock all the way!

I hope these details are helpful to the poster and anyone else trying to figure it out - but really a thru hike can be done very cheaply if you're willing to eat a lot of oatmeal and sleep in the woods almost all the time.

Best wishes!
Zipper
VA-ME VA-GA '09

[Toy2boy]

Outstanding information Zipper, much appreciated!

[kevperro]

About $1K per month is a good estimate. As you can see you have extremes at both ends. The year I did the northern half I knew of a guy who saved Marlboro cigarette cartons to pay for all his gear. He trail name was "Marlboro Man" because all his gear was branded that way. He carried a squeeze bottle of margerine for calories and mooched food whenever he could.

Obviously that is extreme and one I wouldn't advoate. This is the experience of a lifetime for most people. Make sure it is properly financed because having time in town isn't only fun, it can be an important way to re-charge batteries and let your body recover.

[Toy2boy]

Updated List of what MAY cost $$$ DURING a thru-hike:

ATM Charges
Batteries
Clothing
Clothing repairs
Emergencies (health)
First aide supplies (sun screen, mole skin, etc...)
Food resupply
Fuel
Gear
Gear fixes
Hygiene items (soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc.)
Laundry services / supplies
Lodging (hotels, hostels, campsites, cabins, shelters, lean-tos / permits)
Mail drops (receiving)
Mailing bounce boxes, supplies home, incoming supplies/food, postcards, gifts, etc...
Maps
Miscellaneous purchases (cards, books, etc)
Phonecard / cell phone charges
Restaurants
Showers
Shuttles
Town entertainment (movie, alcohol, etc.)

Any additions you can think of?
Thank you for your time!

[Seatbelt]

[QUOTE=kevperro;1238370] He carried a squeeze bottle of margerine for calories
Someone help me understand this statement please, I'm fairly new at this. How does a squeeze bottle for calories help??

[CrumbSnatcher]

squeeze butter in all his meals or a nasty ass slurpy shake :-(

[Lone Wolf]

[QUOTE=Seatbelt;1238490]

He carried a squeeze bottle of margerine for calories
Someone help me understand this statement please, I'm fairly new at this. How does a squeeze bottle for calories help??

back in the day just about every one carried this
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Parkay-Veg...12-oz/10447925

[Seatbelt]

[QUOTE=Lone Wolf;1238495]

back in the day just about every one carried this
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Parkay-Veg...12-oz/10447925

Ok,got-it, thanks!

[George]

the variable that is unpredictable (a medical event) can make all the other costs insignificant, food for 2 years can be less than a few days in the hospital, even for an issue with a short enough recovery to return and complete a hike

that being said I will go with the LW # of 5000$ other than a real emergency, if you start with 5K and cannot finish because of money than you lack the ability to plan your way out of a wet paper sack

[WingedMonkey]

[QUOTE=Lone Wolf;1238495]

back in the day just about every one carried this
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Parkay-Veg...12-oz/10447925

And notice it is only 12 oz. now?

[kevperro]

LOL... yea he would slurp it down strait. I couldn't eat enough food. I remember being in a trail town and going out for all you can eat Chinese. Then walking back to the hostel which was about 1 mile from the Chinese place stopping and getting a Big Mac, fries etc.., then eating half a gallon of ice cream back at the hostel. The amount of food you can eat is simply amazing.

I didn't budget carefully but had enough money that I didn't have to worry. I didn't spend like crazy, I'd share hotel rooms in town when we had a zero day but went out to bars and had a good time when a group of guys/gals wanted to go. I started by myself and didn't really anticipate how social it would be. I was SB without the thru-hiking crowd and there was still plenty of socialization and time to party.

[LDog]

$600 gear replacements,

That struck me as high, tho I can imagine a good chunk of that could be new shoes ... Did you have to/want to make a major purchase? Or does this represent several small things?