Documented low Budget Thru hikes?

[Max L]

Are there any blogs or trail journals out there where the hiker/writer documents their spending while on the trail? A lot people talk about doing hikes with $2k or less but I haven't run across any trail journals that go in depth about $$$.

[BuckeyeBill]

I read a lot of books about other peoples hikes and none of them go into that much detail about money other than what they start with. In several of them they mention people who had to get off the trail due to lack of funds. I personally will have $5400 in the bank when I start my hike.

[Max L]

I read a lot of books about other peoples hikes and none of them go into that much detail about money other than what they start with. In several of them they mention people who had to get off the trail due to lack of funds. I personally will have $5400 in the bank when I start my hike.

Agreed. I plan on having more than enough money in the bank to hike the trail on my terms, plus a fund for starting life back up when I get home... wherever that winds up being.
I just find most trail journals kind of boring... I think one that is focused on a budget would be really interesting.

[Mountain Mike]

I used a lot of MH dinners, upgraded most of my gear & still came in under $1 per mile on my AT thru. Of course that was 25 years ago.

[evansprater]

It's totally possible. I've heard stories of people leaving with $100 in the bank account and living off of the kindness of other people. I'd never do something like that, but it can be done. I would say you could feasibly spend less than $1 per mile on the whole thing. Just be smart. No hotels, no drinking beer (wait, what?), no buffets. Lots of ramen and hot dogs.

[aficion]

It's totally possible. I've heard stories of people leaving with $100 in the bank account and living off of the kindness of other people. I'd never do something like that, but it can be done. I would say you could feasibly spend less than $1 per mile on the whole thing. Just be smart. No hotels, no drinking beer (wait, what?), no buffets. Lots of ramen and hot dogs.

It can unquestionably be done. Few want to, and those who do aren't usually going to post a journal.

[Mountain Mike]

One person I hike with was a guy just out of high school on very low budget. Dinner literally every night was mac & cheese every night over a fire in an old aluminum kitchen pot. He liked the way it got beat up since it maid straining easier.

[Hosaphone]

Theoretically possible. Theoretically it wouldn't even be hard to do, especially if you're in shape and put in decent mileage. But theory and reality are often different.

[prain4u]

I am still a bit of a skeptic regarding any actual thru hikes being completed for under $2000 within the last five years. On paper, they sound theoretically possible, but they appear to be very unlikely in the real world.

I am SUPER skeptical of all stories regarding any recent thru hikes being completed for under $1,500. And, I just don't believe that ANY recent thru hikes occurred for under $1,000 (unless the person chose to beg, Yogi, steal or rely heavily upon the generosity of others).

I tend to classify most of these low budget thru hike stories in the same category as Sasquatch and the Loch Ness Monster stories. You certainly hear about them--people sometimes present "evidence" of them---but you never really see one where the evidence holds up to close scrutiny.

We certainly see stories that go something like this:
A) "I had a buddy who HEARD about a barefoot gal who once did a thru hike for $1500"

B) "In 1984, I did my thru for under $1,000--and I think I could do one now for just around $1,300"

C) "I did my thru hike in 2008 for just $700. I lived out of hiker boxes and got help from lots of folks along the way"

D) "Last year, I did my thru for under $2,000". (Then, when you push him for details, you find out that his mom was buying all of his food and shipping it to him. So, he didn't count all of that food or postage in the cost. At other times, you discover some other information which causes you to question whether they REALLY kept close track of their finances and perhaps overlooked a bunch of costs).

I am still waiting to hear any CREDIBLE and RECENT stories of really low cost thru hikes--especially ones for under $1,500 since 2008.

[takethisbread]

While I wouldn't necessarily be one to do this, one could easily hike for under $100 a week (eating cheap meals like Ramen ect). If one takes only a few stabs at hostels and few town meals. It would also require a fairly quick hike.

[yellowsirocco]

There is a sort of person out there that is just living in the woods and going for a walk who can live it on the cheap. They are not thru hiking and they probably don't care about earning a merit badge either. They are best described as disciplined hobos. They are the kind that doesn't care much for town anyways.

[daddytwosticks]

Sounds like a good subject for a book. "How I hiked the AT on less than $1000".

[kayak karl]

Sounds like a good subject for a book. "How I hiked the AT on less than $1000".

yea right, but the people that would need it couldn't afford it and the ones that can afford it wouldn't need it

[Slo-go'en]

yea right, but the people that would need it couldn't afford it and the ones that can afford it wouldn't need it

You'd have to title it "Steal this book"

[Stir Fry]

If you want to get an idea how much you will spend this is what I sugest.
1. Buy and eat what you would for 7 days on the trail, Romain Mac and Chese, Snickers and other candy.
2. Keep track of anything else you buy to eat.
3. If you make it the week, total what you spent. Add 20%.

I have not done a thru yet, 2014 is my year. On my section hikes 15-20 days my average is arround $250 week. I'm not on a budget though.

[Spirit Walker]

My AT experience is old, but I hiked with some very low budget hikers. It is a very different experience from the average hike. The folks I hiked with never paid for a room - they either camped out or someone else paid for them. They never ate at restaurants unless someone else paid for their meal. They ate a lot of mac n cheese, ramen, bologna, and poptarts. A couple of friends took time off to work at a hostel - for free room and board and perhaps a few dollars to help them up the trail. The successful ones were also lucky - no big gear issues, no health issues, no serious weather issues.

It is easier to be a very low budget hiker if you are young and personable, so people are willing to give you meals, extra food, etc. I watched two low budget hikers get treated very differently. One was a young kid, the other an older man. People wanted to help the kid. They would give him food, money, gear. Not so much the older guy. I also saw the attitude toward folks who cleared out the hiker boxes all the time because they had no funds. It's easy to get a reputation as a mooch.

Easiest way to do a low budget hike is to spend very little time in town and to do fairly big miles. A four month hike costs less than a six month hike.

In the WB articles section is a good article by Weathercarrot - who was a very low budget hiker. See http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/cont...(Hiker-Advice)