Thru-Hiking on a budget - IDEAS?

[rickb]

How about a southbound hike that'll give you a couple more months of work and then everything will be closed and you won't have to worry about spending money on anything just hike

+1

Not so much because some place will be closed later in your hike, but because you won't be quite so likely to get sucked into the contemporary norm of spending so many nights in town, and so much at restaurants.

Thousands of people had great hikes with less, but doing without is hard if you are surrounded by others who are not.

[kayak karl]

Good advice given here.
Its a job.

if i quit my thru hike can i collect unemployment ?

[RED-DOG]

Im very curious why people with tight budgets don't do more mail drops with food and other necessities. I can buy good quality food and prep it at home and then have it shipped to me and KNOW what my food costs are. Or I can buy cheap food cheaper at home in large grocery stores instead of spending three times that money in 'convenience stores' while hiking.

Most folks just simply get tired of the same old thing every day and your appetite will increase considerably as you making your way up the trail and then you have to buy food to supplement your mail drops so at that point Mail drops becomes obsolete.

[Dogwood]

if i quit my thru hike can i collect unemployment ?

No, you have to be fired or layed off from your thru-hike job. More than a few have thru-hiked while collecting unemployment supposedly while looking for a job as unemployment mandates though.

[Just Bill]

You could sell the computer you are using to access this forum, as well as any other electronics, odds are decent that could give you a $500-1000 bump in budget. Same with anything else you don't want or need. If you have a good thru, you're likely to re-examine your purchasing and consumer choices upon your return- why not have that garage sale now and use the proceeds to help fund your hike.

[Dogwood]

Most folks just simply get tired of the same old thing every day and your appetite will increase considerably as you making your way up the trail and then you have to buy food to supplement your mail drops so at that point Mail drops becomes obsolete.

Good pt Red Dog which I originally learned from Baltimore Jack's well done resupply article here on WB. I can say I learned much from Jack. However, as with any information you get from anyone each of us would be best served to consider how it applies specifically to us and hopefully improve on the info shared. That's my goal. And, with anything I share I too sincerely hope others improve on it not always follow it to the letter. Observe. Consider. Be creative. Adjust for your hike. HYOH. That's what I did when I first heard of this possibility as you mention getting bored with the same old trail food mailed in resupply boxes. There's a very simple solution to it too. Don't mail resupply boxes with the exact same food in it every time. Mix it up. Ramen, dries mashed potatoes, Knorr's Sides, tuna, stuffing, etc aren't all the possible trail food options. Nor does one mailing resupply boxes have to take a second mortgage out on the house to fund trail food exclusively opting for pricey dehydrated pre-packaged meals every night either.

As far as supplementing, whether one mails resupply boxes or not, every hiker I've ever met supplements somewhat usually in town or nearby or on trail by eating at restaurants, buying some extra, etc. Heck, lots of possible food supplement possibilities right on route for the AT.

I'm like Penny Pincher, not that what we do or believe is right for everyone, but I like to know what my basic food costs are pre-hike. Then, with what money/budget I have on trail it's gravy as far as additional food costs.

Further, and this is equally important with kit wt conscience hiking styles, I can take the time pre-hike to dial in my daily food wt, caloric content, and other nutritional beta goals. All distances between resupplying are not always going to be the same either. So, on those shorter mileage sections I know I can afford to add a little food in terms of cals, wt, variety, etc even with a UL hiking philosophy.

I've made some mistakes by throwing mailed resupply boxes into the resupply equation/mix but like anything with experience, observation, and the willingness to adjust/to improve we can get better and more efficient at it.

[Slo-go'en]

+1
Not so much because some place will be closed later in your hike, but because you won't be quite so likely to get sucked into the contemporary norm of spending so many nights in town, and so much at restaurants.

I don't need peer pressure to drive me to town when the weather sucks or to a restaurant when I'm hungry. Okay, once I got talked into going to a DQ which was a ways off the trail and then into a hotel room as it got too late to head back. Plus I needed a shower anyway...

[Dogwood]

You could sell the computer you are using to access this forum, as well as any other electronics, odds are decent that could give you a $500-1000 bump in budget. Same with anything else you don't want or need. If you have a good thru, you're likely to re-examine your purchasing and consumer choices upon your return- why not have that garage sale now and use the proceeds to help fund your hike.

Besides, in the 4-5 months it takes to thru-hike the AT when you come back your electronics are likely to be outdated and you'll be pressed to buy new electronics anyhow.

That's just anti American to suggest selling our electronics. Don't you know we NEED them....umm, in case of emergency....says the guy with 8000 posts.

[Coffee]

Liquidation of assets can be a quick approach to raising cash. However, if those assets will be needed right after the trip, then the cost of replacement items has to be figured into the equation. Since buying new electronics is going to cost more than the liquidation of old electronics, this strikes me as a false economy unless an upgrade is being contemplated anyway.

Another good example of this type involves what to do with a vehicle prior to a long hike. I'm probably going to just store my car for the time I'm on the PCT. It is tempting to sell it so I can rent out my parking space, eliminate insurance needs, and avoid the risk of mechanical issues coming up due to disuse. However, since I would want a vehicle again after the trip, I would have to account for buying another one and I doubt it would be cheaper that keeping my current well maintained car where I have understanding of its entire maintenance history and all records.

[Neemor]

I have thought about things to sell, but i keep a very minimal amount of "things". I have a small recording studio that i use my computer for, and plan to continue doing that so the comp will stay but i am going to try and sell my piano. That would give me another 1,500 and give me a much more cushy budget.

[shelb]

Also, things get more expensive up north.

That is true~

[hikehunter]

There has been a lot of negative posts in this thread.....
If you want to make a budget ....make it....
You can set it for high/med./low.....................your choice....
eat "roman noodle" for months or "mountain house"
make a mix of both............
stay in hostel or a hotel..........................if you can stay in your tent/hammock I say do it to save some cash.....

set some "big stops" and set some "low stops"
you may find some people along the way that might split the cost of some hotel stops.....

"Dogwood" had a good post about doing the AT.....

Hike the hike you want to hike......make it something that is of little or no stress......
If yo get to the 1000 mile mark great.....or the 1005 mark that is just as good....
Set a goal and go for it.
If you got to do it over time so be it....

Hike the AT to find your limits/self.....to hell with the crap that others throw in to block your path....

[Booshay]

If you wear diapers you can **** on the run and save a ton of time over a 6 month hike, which means you spend way less cash.

[squeezebox]

Nothing wrong with a section hike until you run out of money.

[swisscross]

Nothing wrong with a section hike until you run out of money.

Many consider a thru hike a badge of honor.

[jdc5294]

I did it on $2,000 (after buying gear) with no mail drops. You'll be fine.

[Neemor]

how many hotels/hostels did you stay in?

[Connie]

Maybe a grant, for a master's in sociology?

[Mags]

eat "roman noodle" for months or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonara

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrabbiata_sauce

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasta_al_pomodoro

Sounds pretty darn good

[Lone Wolf]

Many consider a thru hike a badge of honor.

it's a vacation. nothin' honorable about it