Can this be done?????

[walkinslow]

Can two people ( father and son ) do a thru for $5,000.00 provided we have gear already?

[MuddyWaters]

Can two people ( father and son ) do a thru for $5,000.00 provided we have gear already?

Yes, it can theoretically be done.

Now that is established, the question you probably meant to ask was if YOU can do it.

Nobody else can answer if you can do it, but most will tell you that you wont enjoy doing it that cheap, and they are probably correct.

[Darwin13]

sure anything's possible. but a lack of money shouldn't be the reason to get off trail, at least thats what i think .

[kayak karl]

sure anything's possible. but a lack of money shouldn't be the reason to get off trail, at least thats what i think .

if your out of money you have no choice nut to get off!

[kayak karl]

...but to get off

[kayak karl]

your question is can you hike for $2500. not much saving for two.
do a search. you will find a few threads.

[Jan LiteShoe]

Can you eat, resupply, replace gear, take in a hostel in bad weather, phone home, pay basic ongoing bills (cell,etc) for appx $84 a week? That's what a 5-month thru would run, if you do the math for three ($1,666,66 for 20 weeks. (And a six-month thru would give you $69.44 per week per person). That might help you decide. You could certainly do a comfortable half-trail in spades.

[Jan LiteShoe]

Sorry, didn't read closely - you're proposing to hike with $5,000 divided by two folks, not three. That's $125 per week for a five-month thru, $104-ish for a six-month three.

[cabbagehead]

assumptions:
You have fancy lightweight gear including a shelter < 1 lb with no poles.
Your combined pack weight (no food or water) is < 24 lbs.
You carry 10 to 60 lbs of food/water.

The trail will take < 5 months at 15 miles a day. Cut out Maine and part of NH. You will have at least $40/day.

[kayak karl]

why cut out Maine and part of NH??

[cabbagehead]

why cut out Maine and part of NH??

- It's a hassle to get to town there. It's harder to get the best food at the best price.
- The hut people aren't completely predictable.
- The mountains look a bit repetitive.
- It's dangerous. The dangers can be avoided by being fit and propper technique. Mountains and staying safe take time.
- nice scenery though

[Donde]

Cut out the best part of the trail, why not. $5k x2 is tight. You can try and then just quit when/if you run out of money and come back later.

[leaftye]

Can two people ( father and son ) do a thru for $5,000.00 provided we have the right gear already?

Fixed.

Let's assume the fixed quote was true. If you knew how to hike smart, and did so, I believe it's entirely possible.

Seriously though, if you're asking this question, you probably haven't settled on the right gear for you yet. That's okay though. Work on building your experience and knowledge, go hiking, and let's hope it works out.

[chiefduffy]

...you're proposing to hike with $5,000 divided by two folks, not three. That's $125 per week for a five-month thru, $104-ish for a six-month three.

The hike is doable, but money will be very tight and town nights few.

(Good to see you in here Jan! Welcome back)

[10-K]

The secret to the success of this scenario is to hike 20 mile days.

20 mile days is doable. Running out of money based on $5000 for 2 people is a crapshoot but the faster you hike the better your odds.

[Lone Wolf]

Can two people ( father and son ) do a thru for $5,000.00 provided we have gear already?

possible. not probable

[RED-DOG]

Yes 2 people can complete a Thru-Hike using 5,000, you have to be careful how you spend your money.

[leaftye]

The good thing about hiking together is savings can come from bigger packages that are more affordable per unit with less excess to discard. If doing a zero in a hotel, lodging is split among the pair. Let's just say that for some things, the additional cost for the second person is nothing or minimal.

The downside is that if I were thru hiking alone, I'd want to budget more than $5000 for the trip. Not necessarily because I'd spend it all, but because I don't want to stress about conserving money during a thru hike.

[10-K]

Wouldn't start without $7k available myself.

I wonder how many times I've said that on this forum...... I don't think I've said anything new for about 2 years...

[garlic08]

Many hikers spend more than that on the AT hiking solo, so that's definitely a challenge. You might make a budget like that more easily on your second thru hike, after you get most of the kinks worked out. But as others have said, it's not impossible.

My rule of thumb for budgeting is $1000 per person per month, but that includes gear replacement and transportation and single occupancy. I've hiked for as little as $750 per month, on-trail cost, averaging about 600 miles per month, and I don't think I'd like to cut it down more than that, but then again I'm getting old and I have a credit card. My total cost on the AT was $3500, relatively cheap, and I don't believe I could have added a family member for an additional $1500. Just the food cost that much. Again, that was my hike. Some are cheaper, but most are not.