Thru-Hiking Budget

[Saprogenic]

I was thinking it, but didn't want to say it. The post is 95% "blah blah blah I've got this stuff figured out" followed by a token question that he should already know the answer to if he's been reading about budgets. It's essentially goading people into expressing doubt at his hardiness or applauding the extent of his forethought or both at the same time. Either way, it's not structured toward a discussion that's going to help the other 99% of people who don't plan on thru-hiking that way.

Wow! You guys have some serious personal issues. You know what, you caught me. I wanted to make sure a couple of random strangers who I doubt I'll ever come across in real life knew that I'm so awesome because I described my question thoroughly. That's exactly what I was going for. I didn't want to ask an honest question, I just wanted you to think I'm cool...

"Either way, it's not structured toward a discussion that's going to help the other 99% of people who don't plan on thru-hiking that way."

So sorry I had a personal question, not serving everyone else that visits this site.
What the hell is wrong with you people? Why don't you get a life as opposed to sitting online bad mouthing others, making yourself look like a complete dick.

[Saprogenic]

I love how one forum disscussion is start to barrade others on how dumb they are for not being properly prepared. And here I am, asking an honest question, giving you reasons why I asked it, yet you give me crap for being prepared or as you said "applauding the extent of his forethought". Yeah, and I'm the tool.

[Saprogenic]

You guys do realize that not everyone is a prima donna, needing that soft mattress each night, and eating like a pregnant woman craving everything. I'd tell you that I know for fact it's Not a problem for Me, but you'll think I'm lying or trying to act 'cool'. So glad I came this this website. I keep hearing that everyone on the trail are great people. but if your the people that are hiking the trail, I'd have to call Bull. You guys are the farthest thing from decent.

[kayak karl]

you asked a question, you got answers. not the ones you wanted i'm sure. looks like 99.9% of the hikers are wrong. hope your way works. it is more expensive (food, shipping and trips to pick it up.), but you are convinced it is the best. where is your blog for the hike. would love to follow it.

[DaSchwartz]

Good luck on the solar thing to work. Personally, I think it's cheaper and lighter just to buy the batteries on the way.. That is, if you need batteries at all, for decades people hiked without electronic toys. But I wish you the best in your hike.

[SCRUB HIKER]

The scene: Hot Springs, NC. A sweltering afternoon in early May. A lone, weary hiker cuts a pathetic profile trudging out of the woods past the verdant front lawns on the west side of town. An grand old house with a HIKERS WELCOME sign beckons him from a distance. "F--k me," the man mutters to himself in a thick New Jersey brogue. "I'm already down to 10 bucks and it's gotta last til next Sunday." That furtive and gloriously unplanned Oreo bubble-bath binge in the motel in Gatlinburg had really sent his finances in the wrong direction. Down the garden path. Down a .3-mile steep blue-blaze ending at a dry spring covered in bear scat. Oh well. He would have to bypass the vulgar luxury of town yet again. Practice for the next 1900 miles, he assured himself.

If only I had a good hiking friend, he reflects. One who was as hardy and tough and all-around badass as me. But alas, there had been that blow-up at Standing Bear when his best buddy had made the polite suggestion that they splurge on a few otter pops. Really, how could that guy have had the gumption? I thought we had shared a common ethic! Of Spartan ruggedness, of the most pure asceticism! And then there was the charming hiker-chick in Franklin who had been getting on well with him, until she joked that his trail name might be a little arcane for the masses. Boy, had he blown his lid then. He sort of regretted it.

But he knows that ship has sailed--and, what's more, he still has to find a spigot and a low-hanging branch for the setup of his Dromedary shower system--a particularly ingenious design, he commends himself once again. As he scans the few buildings in his vicinity, his eyes descry a most arresting scene, off in the distance through the stagnant spring air. A band of happy hikers, sitting in front of their Alpine Court Motel double, a few beers in their hands, TV flickering in the dark background of their room, clothes laid out to dry on the pavement, smiles ... yes, smiles and laughter spread all over their faces. A debate rages in the lone hiker's head, but it's about as one-sided as the elections in his hometown always turned out to be. On the one side is the belief, severely crippled by a few short weeks of experience, that all these weaklings, these libertines surrounding him--and what's more, those loathsome Mongoloids on WhiteBlaze--are truly a lower form of humanity whose company must be eschewed entirely. On the other side is the suspicion, which started as a whisper in Hiawassee and has strengthened now to a deafening roar--that maybe, maybe all those people have a point.

He saunters almost apologetically to the merry band in front of the motel. "How you doin'?" he asks, eyes downcast. "Mind sharin' one of those beeahs with me?"

"This one's all yours!" a friendly tanned and bearded face responds. "Cheers!"

And with that, Saprogenic's thru-hike truly began. The end.

[Saprogenic]

So I guess that phrase "Hike Your Own Hike" has no meaning for you guys? Good luck with your childs play, I'm going out camping.

[Saprogenic]

Good luck on the solar thing to work. Personally, I think it's cheaper and lighter just to buy the batteries on the way.. That is, if you need batteries at all, for decades people hiked without electronic toys. But I wish you the best in your hike.

My Headlamp! and phone to call for mail drop....

[Saprogenic]

you asked a question, you got answers. not the ones you wanted i'm sure. looks like 99.9% of the hikers are wrong. hope your way works. it is more expensive (food, shipping and trips to pick it up.), but you are convinced it is the best. where is your blog for the hike. would love to follow it.

Nothing is definite yet. I've already cut my pack size in half before coming here, thought I'd get more advice, not bull**** sarcasm.

[kythruhiker]

My Headlamp! and phone to call for mail drop....

The green tunnel you'll be hiking through the majority of the time is going to render solar charging almost useless, imo. Probably get enough juice to keep an LED headlamp functional, but not sure about recharging a cell phone. Best of luck.

[rocketsocks]

So I guess that phrase "Hike Your Own Hike" has no meaning for you guys? Good luck with your childs play, I'm going out camping.

Don't forget your permits.

[RED-DOG]

on my Flip-flop in 96 i totally bought all my food at stores on the trail and did the same in 2006, i had some mail drops this year but gave them up in tennesse and started buying on trail, that way is a lot fater less hassle and you have alot more freedom, i go in town once a week and get six days of food, my budget for this year is around seven thousand thats probably way much it can be done on a lot less. RED-DOG

[WIAPilot]

I know that you are self-sufficient, but you might want to consider a little more of a cushion. If you go into town and have a few beers and a huge meal and maybe a shower and a little fuel, you are probably looking at least at $40. If you do that once a week over a 5 month period, you are at about $850. That is not counting if you want to stop for ice cream or a few sodas or you need to replace some equipment. I wouldn't think of going off with less than $1500 and that would be without factoring in ANY hotels or hotels. Hey, you don't have to spend it, but it will be awfully nice to have it if you need it.

[flemdawg1]

I see most talks on budget includes food and hostel/motel stays. I've actually pre-purchased my food from http://wisefoodstorage.com/ , and I will not be spending a night outside of my hammock. I also have a http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jweL_bGP3tY Goal Zero solar panel, so I won't be needing replacement batteries. I've spent 2 years in the bush before, so I'm not concerned with needing that motel bed. My clothing is made to be hand washed and quck drying, I have 2 broken-in pair of boots, and my MSR Dromedary Bag doubles as a shower (yes I bought biodegradable soap). So other than the occasional burger craving and TP needs, what should I really need to budget for?

What exactly do you mean by "2 years in the bush"? Because its one thing to not have something available to you and just suck it up. But another thing completely to have something you like/want nearly constantly available and having the will power to not indulge ever. (i.e. you cross the road right by a convenience store, its 95 degrees, your stomach's growling (you can't get 6k calories in Freeze Dried food), and just 25 ft away is ice cold gatorade, deli sandwiches and ice cream.) (And yes you might not eat like a prego elephant NOW, but do you walk 15-20 miles everyday over mountains?)

Hot showers and laundry machines do much better job of getting you and your clothes clean than campsuds and cold water. And after 3-4 days of hot sticky weather, you're going to be more ripe smelling than hand washing can deal with. Maildrops shipping is also pretty expensive (about $15 for a week's worth of food), plus the hassle of dealing w/ PO hours (many smaller ones are closed all weekend).

Spending happens, you're on a vacation, and there's no prize or enlightment to be had by living like Robinson Crusoe.
Not saying you can't do it, (there have been more than afew moocher trail hermits) but why limit yourself, or worse, set yourself up for failure that can be avoided by listening to those who have hike the AT alot.

[Saprogenic]

Don't forget your permits.

I admit, this have me a chuckle...

[rocketsocks]

I admit, this have me a chuckle...

Oh good,then your gonna love my other reply to your post.I'll meet ya there,ready GO!

[Saprogenic]

What exactly do you mean by "2 years in the bush"? Because its one thing to not have something available to you and just suck it up. But another thing completely to have something you like/want nearly constantly available and having the will power to not indulge ever. (i.e. you cross the road right by a convenience store, its 95 degrees, your stomach's growling (you can't get 6k calories in Freeze Dried food), and just 25 ft away is ice cold gatorade, deli sandwiches and ice cream.) (And yes you might not eat like a prego elephant NOW, but do you walk 15-20 miles everyday over mountains?)

Hot showers and laundry machines do much better job of getting you and your clothes clean than campsuds and cold water. And after 3-4 days of hot sticky weather, you're going to be more ripe smelling than hand washing can deal with. Maildrops shipping is also pretty expensive (about $15 for a week's worth of food), plus the hassle of dealing w/ PO hours (many smaller ones are closed all weekend).

Spending happens, you're on a vacation, and there's no prize or enlightment to be had by living like Robinson Crusoe.
Not saying you can't do it, (there have been more than afew moocher trail hermits) but why limit yourself, or worse, set yourself up for failure that can be avoided by listening to those who have hike the AT alot.

The reason I chose to go with the pre bought food was even with shipping, it's still overall cheaper, and work died down so funding was budgeted. Hey, if I had $10,000 handy to take I would just incase, but I don't. The idea asking the original question was because I can't afford spending $3-$5,000 buying food from the town stores, I could still take the trip if I went this option. So I asked if I was just missing something or if that number I was seeing was mostly spent on motels and food resupplies. It's kind of crazy on here isn't it? I've never been on a forum or chat site before I stared to plan this trip, and everytime I speak on here I get portrayed as a high-and-mighty, better than everyone kind of snob. Defintely different talking to people online.

[rocketsocks]

The reason I chose to go with the pre bought food was even with shipping, it's still overall cheaper, and work died down so funding was budgeted. Hey, if I had $10,000 handy to take I would just incase, but I don't. The idea asking the original question was because I can't afford spending $3-$5,000 buying food from the town stores, I could still take the trip if I went this option. So I asked if I was just missing something or if that number I was seeing was mostly spent on motels and food resupplies. It's kind of crazy on here isn't it? I've never been on a forum or chat site before I stared to plan this trip, and everytime I speak on here I get portrayed as a high-and-mighty, better than everyone kind of snob. Defintely different talking to people online.

Ah yes it is now....ooh ah!

[Odd Man Out]

I was checking out the Wise Company web site from the OP. These meals come in mylar zip pouches for what is essentially freezer bag cooking. A typical "serving" has 240 calories and 1000 mg of sodium (2 to 4 servings per pouch). There are 8 different entrees, 2 soups, and 3 breakfast items.

I crunched some numbers. Let's assume he needs 4000 calories per day. If he buys they 1440 serving variety pack, that will give him 240 lbs of food with a total of 351600 Calories. Figuring on 3000 Calories per day, this is 117 days of food, or just short of 4 months. As he won't be staying in town, he should be able to keep up this brisk pace. To get his 3000 Cal, he will need to eat about 12 servings or 2.05 lbs food per day. The cost for this is $2450 plus $175 shipping (to NJ). Let's assume he does about 1 mail drop per week (17 total) and each package costs $14 to mail. That's a total cost of $2863 which come out to $24.43/day or $11.93/pound for food.

HYOH

P.S. - By the way, the phrase "biodegradable soap" is redundant as all soap is biodegradable.

[RedBeerd]

I search really really hard before asking questions here because im afraid of the answers :P