hiking on a $2000 budget?

[djcoin]

HI, I'm wondering if it's possible to do a thru hike with a $2000 food budget. I've looked at all sorts of threads but I need more specific answers pertaining to me. I'm going to be carrying a pack of around 40-50 lb (yes I know that's a lot, I have a very specific reason for it) Will a $2000 budget support that kind of calorie loss due to the extra weight? What will I have to compromise (if not everything) to get by on that? Thnx

[djcoin]

Wheres the edit button >.< didn't mean to say food budget I meant overall budget (not including gear)

[swjohnsey]

I don't think an extra 10 - 20 lbs will make a big difference in your food budget. Folks carried that much sucessfully for years. Shaffer carried around 45 lbs, I believe. You have piqued my curiousity, though. You have to pay to edit.

[djcoin]

That's good to know. Assuming I never eat out or stay in a hotel/shelter how well off will I be on $2k? I've seen people say that they have either let loose with that much or had a hard time. Not sure what it is like in recent years though.

[TOMP]

Is 40-50 lbs with your food and water, because I hope it is. Maybe you can hike with this weight, but why handicap yourself. I once hiked for 10 days with a starting weight 60 lbs, mostly food, but it aint no walk in the park. Yeah sure its possible there are plenty of people who said they have done it on tighter budgets so why not. How well off? I would say more like just getting by but definately possible (no money for mail drops though).

[djcoin]

Ya its 40-50 with food and water

[Hooch]

You'll be twice as better off as that dude who's trying to do it on $1k.

[djcoin]

Lol wow 1k. Hope his pack isnt as heavy as mine.

[Hooch]

. . . . I'm going to be carrying a pack of around 40-50 lb (yes I know that's a lot, I have a very specific reason for it). . . .

I'm curious, what is the specific reason that you will have to carry a 40-50 lb pack?

Lol wow 1k. Hope his pack isnt as heavy as mine.

To each their own, HYOH, etc.

[jj2044]

Ok there really is no way to know with the info given.. is is possible yes.... we dont have enough info to know if its likely. you are going to burn alot of calories, which either means ALOT of food or alot of weight loss... 2k you are not going to be spending much time in towns drinking/eatting/hostels... and it dpends alot on how many miles you are going in a day , a 120 day thur or 160 . at least once a week we get one of these "can i make it on 1k" or 1500, or 2k or something, you are the only person who knows for sure, we dont know how you like to hike,how often you want to shower and sleep in a nice bed, or how much you eat. i will if you are asking then your PROBABLY not experenced enough to do it on 2k.. but i could be wrong.. hike your hike, it really doesnt matter if you make it all the way, remember "it's the journey not the destination" that matters

[Hooch]

Just curious, whatever happened to your 24lb $6k gear list?

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...hike-gear-list

[moldy]

With a total of $2,000 budget, I could make it. I would be using some of my old hobo tricks in order to get by. No hotels or hostles unless you can arrange for a work for stay. Some also operate with a donation. Make good use of hiker boxes. Max out on any free-bee's that people leave for the taking along the trail. Make the effort to find free town food when you can. In any small trail town I go to a corner store and look at the local newspaper, in the church secton or announcments they list pot-luck dinners, prayer breakfasts etc. If you are clever enough at being a methodist for the day, you can get enugh food to make it to the next town. Another good source for semi free food is motels that have free continental breakfast. Most are so poorly watched that you can load up your pockets and be gone without ever actually staying there. I like the big chain places the best for this. The Holiday Inn Express in Erwin provided me enough food for me to get all the way to Kincora who had a chucked full hiker box that got me all the way to Demascus. $2,000 is enough if you don't mind methods like this.

[jj2044]

Just curious, whatever happened to your 24lb $6k gear list?

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...hike-gear-list

LOL he realized that 6k is WAYYYYYYY to much money

[djcoin]

I can handle not sleeping in hotels and such I'm a really adaptable and rugged person i can sleep comfortably on nails and for the last 5+ years Ive eaten once every 1-3 days if that puts it into perspective. Its just hard to gauge the situation I'll be in with only $2k.

[djcoin]

Just curious, whatever happened to your 24lb $6k gear list?

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...hike-gear-list


LOL he realized that 6k is WAYYYYYYY to much money

Actually I changed the list quite a bit but I bumped the cost up to 8k for my gear.

[Hooch]

So what's the reason you have to carry 40-50 lbs of gear?

[djcoin]

Just to prevent this from turning into another retard thread I'll say that I think society is lame and I'd rather live as a hiker with freedom than deal with the cage of society. If the means bumping up the weight a big for quality stuff that lasts and gets the job done then so be it. Now that I answered your question Hooch shush and don't troll my thread like you did last time.

[TOMP]

You said we dont know how likely it is. Well if 1 in 5 finish regardless of pack you cant assume that even less finish with 40 lb packs so with that said, do you like your odds?

[Hooch]

Hey mods, can someone shut this troll down?

[ekeverette]

you can do it... so many opinions..... like an aa meeting. you know what you are capable of. good luck...... you can do it!!!!