Cost...

[bohochristine]

Hi everyone. I'm Christine, brand new to this forum and fairly new to long distance hiking, so if I ask any really dumb questions, please forgive my ignorance and just bear with me! My boyfriend and I are planning our thru-hike starting in March 2018...we would love to go this coming March but with our finances right now it's just not possible. My question is how much money do we need to have an enjoyable thru-hike? What should we expect to spend? Any estimates or guesses at all would be helpful.. And have any of you had to pack up your entire home and put it in storage when you were gone? I'm wondering what other non-homeowners have done with their belongings? Assuming you didn't pay rent for the 6 or so months you're going to be gone and living in the woods.

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[scrabbler]

Lots of good info on this channel ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwrz...emj6SNM7Gx8A7i

[Dogwood]

With a frugal questioning consumption and non shopping centered lifestyle I was able to not fill my 2 BD house in Sea Girt NJ with tons of stuff that reduced the chores of maintenance. I disconnected utility lines like turning off water to laundry, sinks, bathrooms but left heating/AC system still functioning I had a family member stop by once about every two wks to check on the house. Since I owned a landscape design and contracting biz at the time I had a biz associate that allowed me to store larger landscape equipment in a protected storage shed and fenced storage yard. The landscaping at the house was designed to be very low maintenance with only a very small slow growing variety of turf area to be mowed which a friend mowed for me in exchange for some help working on his backyard. Plus. I had some gracious friendly enough neighbors that watched over my property. I left keys with three trusted people that could gain entry. It wasn't a huge financial burden for me at the time because my mortgage was slightly less than $600/month and basic utility maintenance/month was less than $70.

This frugality oriented downsized lifestyle carries over to trail life with gear and trail budgets. For example in 06 I was able to thru the AT in 5 months very comfortable on a sub $2000 budget even with my picky food choices. Rarely did I spend a night in a hotel and did not spend money on alcohol or other substances. That sub $2000 included 4 hostel stays, 2 hotel nights shared with other hikers, and multi night forays into Atlanta, Washington DC, Millinocket, and at White River Junction VT getting off trail for 6 days for my bro's wedding in southern NJ.

[BillyGr]

I think if you look at posts you'll see there is no exact amount that works. It depends on what you plan to do, what you include (that is, are you thinking only spending while on trail for food and stops, or counting costs for the gear you plan to bring - are stops a quick break to resupply or a night in an expensive lodging with several restaurant meals and drinks) and that makes it hard to give one or two numbers that work for everyone.

Hard to say what one would do on the living - seems you could either rent one of those storage places (for whatever cost they are) for the stuff, or pay the rent and leave the stuff wherever you are. Part of that might depend on how you like the place - if you have a great place, like the neighbors and the owners it might be worth the cost to pay to keep it, rather than having to find a new spot you might not like as well. If it's only a spot you have because it was there, then not such a big deal changing afterward.
3rd option - would that location allow you to rent the place for a short time to someone else (or offer to do so for you)?

[bohochristine]

Our situation is somewhat unique, being that we don't really know where we will be living after our thru-hike. What we do know is that we more than likely will not moving back to our current state of North Dakota, or even our previous one of Minnesota. Point being that we will need to figure out what to do with our things...with the exception of a few sentimental things and the Harley, I would personally like to just sell it all, but I'm sure my boyfriend will not be onboard with that!
I have heard a few people say to plan about 1000 a month per hiker, to me that seems really high...am I completely ignorant of the actual cost to live in the woods? Can anyone tell me their personal actual costs were?

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[scrabbler]

It doesnt cost anything to camp on the trail. How much food and what kind of food/snacks do you eat? Add up what that would cost per day. You'll need more of it on the trail too since you're burning more of it. You'll need fuel to cook your food. You'll need personal items replaced. Do you like to get off trail and use hotels/hostels? Do you like to drink or have any other vices? Add them in too. Dont forget you'll need new shoes at some point, and probably want to swap out gear, etc. Have you ever gone on a week long hike? Might want to try that to see if you even like it before getting all wrapped up. Bonus points if you do it when it's cold and raining.

[Gambit McCrae]

Met a gentleman on roan 3 weeks ago, on his 3rd thru hike in a row. He has done them for the following amounts:

$960
$1040
$1200

He takes 7 months to hike the trail every year and plans to hike it for the next 10 years.

2+2= math...Living on 1000 for 7 months, I will not say you wont have an enjoyable time because that is in the eyes of the beholder. But what is true is you are not staying in a lot of towns, buying a lot of booze, you are not buying a lot of tobacco or other substances.

I know that if I wanted to have a good time on a thru hike I would budget $7k and shoot for $4.5K, this is after I have bought my gear.

[Hikingjim]

Our situation is somewhat unique, being that we don't really know where we will be living after our thru-hike. What we do know is that we more than likely will not moving back to our current state of North Dakota, or even our previous one of Minnesota. Point being that we will need to figure out what to do with our things...with the exception of a few sentimental things and the Harley, I would personally like to just sell it all, but I'm sure my boyfriend will not be onboard with that!
I have heard a few people say to plan about 1000 a month per hiker, to me that seems really high...am I completely ignorant of the actual cost to live in the woods? Can anyone tell me their personal actual costs were?

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If you look through some threads here, you'll find $800-$1,000 is fairly typical monthly expense, but some can do it a few hundred cheaper.
That is not just the cost of living in the woods. It incorporates periodic hostel/laundry, the odd meal out, and your food supply, and potentially some replacement gear that you need to acquire. Some food suppliers along the trail are not very cheap.

Your gear cost is the biggest wildcard. $300 for some, $6,000 for others. Depends on what you find, what you're willing to carry, etc. A march start could be a touch more expensive because you need to be equipped for colder weather

Travel to start/end the trail are also to be considered for the both of you.

I have had the storage vs sell everything option before. If you're going to move elsewhere, maybe you're best to sell everything except a small amount of personal items. But this depends on the value of your goods

[bohochristine]

We are not brand new hikers, we just have never done anything near a 2200 mile hike before. We go on weekend hikes, five day hikes, and even just day hikes, so we do have some of our gear. Yes we obviously do need a lot more.. I guess I'm having a little trouble figuring out what our food costs will be, one because we have never been on a hike where we were anywhere near civilization to go buy food, and two because I have no clue how much we are going to eat, and even what exactly. I like to think I'm a pretty smart girl with enough common sense to figure this all out, but then again I am willingly walking to Maine from Georgia and going to live in the woods for 6ish months, so some would probably argue that I have any common sense at all! I guess the number I have in my head for the both of us on the trail is about $10,000. I think we should be able to do it for less, but that's what I think I'm going to save for this adventure. Not including storage and getting there of course...

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[MuddyWaters]

Dont underestimate town expenses. A motel or hostel, several restaurant meals, etc.

A lunch with big cheeseburger, fries. Followed by milkshake , slice of pie. Add tip. $25 or so. Now do that 3x per day. Throw in ice cream too for midday snack.

Your in town to binge on good food so you dont whither away.

With lodging, no problem spending $100 per person per day in town . Even 1 day per week can add 400 per mo.

[Engine]

You can eat pretty well on the trail for $10 a day, per person. So, $20 a day is a good place to start when thinking about your budget. In addition to that, remember that hostels are going to generally cost twice as much for two people, so a motel becomes almost a no brainer when it costs about the same. Figure $75 a night when staying in town for lodging and probably another $75 daily for food and drink.

There are going to be expenses related to gear repair and replacement, but let's say you get lucky and only have to replace shoes a couple times each. That's going to be about $400 for 4 pairs of trail shoes.

With all of that in mind, a rough estimate would look something like this:

154 days of trail food for 2 people: $3,080
26 nights lodging in town: $1,950 (lodging in the northeast will be higher than that further south)
26 days town food: $1,950 (eating frugally in town)
Gear repair and replacement: $400 (probably going to be higher, but difficult to estimate)
Other expenses like stove fuel, etc...: $250
Travel expenses getting to and from the trail: $1,000 for two people (admittedly, a very rough estimate)
Total for a frugal two person thru hike: $8,630 (my wife and I are planning on closer to $10-12,000)

All of this assumes you already have your gear...

[Dogwood]

Our situation is somewhat unique, being that we don't really know where we will be living after our thru-hike. What we do know is that we more than likely will not moving back to our current state of North Dakota, or even our previous one of Minnesota. Point being that we will need to figure out what to do with our things...with the exception of a few sentimental things and the Harley, I would personally like to just sell it all, but I'm sure my boyfriend will not be onboard with that!
I have heard a few people say to plan about 1000 a month per hiker, to me that seems really high...am I completely ignorant of the actual cost to live in the woods? Can anyone tell me their personal actual costs were?...

That scenario isn't all that unique as you assume it is. I've known more times than my digits allow of those that sold all or most of their stuff pre or post thru-hike while relocating post hike. Not every thru-hiker goes back to that same place they were from/in pre hike...in more aspects that you currently known about.

Correction. It's more accurate to state you are not living in the woods but hiking through the woods on a path that often is but not always in the woods.

So many have analyzed and documented their trail costs for an AT thru-hike in excruciating detail. FWIW, I've never observed two parties in the exact same situation with the exact same budget doing the exact same AT thru-hike particularly even more so while connecting LD trail life to their off trail situation.

[jimmyjam]

about $2/mile/person, maybe more depending on how much time you spend in towns

[orthofingers]

As has been said already, it depends on how frugal you want to be. If you think you will sleep every night in the woods and eat every meal on the trail I would caution you not to underestimate the appeal of a juicey cheeseburger (or three), when you haven't had anything remotely like that for the last week or two; or the appeal of a warm soft bed and a long hot shower when everything aches and you smell like you haven't showered in two weeks (because you haven't).

There is no question you'll spend money if you spend time in towns . . . lodging, restaurants, laundry, resupply.
"Oh, it's raining and miserable again today. Let's spend just one more day in town." And that's fine if you've budgeted for it. If you're careful, you might even save a little because there's two of you sharing expenses.

Welcome to White Blaze. There is a treasure trove of information here for the asking.

[Just Bill]

I would consider this a frugal hike...
Half a year is 26 weeks.
$100 a week works out to $14.28 per day which eating 3 meals and 2 snacks (thru hiker snacks are meals) that's $2.86 per meal.
Say you spent a zero per week, as the average person tends to and scored pretty cheap hostels at $30, that's actually $70 a week/$10 per day for food or same math as above down to $2 a meal.

So 26 weeks at $100 a pop is $2600.00
Assuming you own your gear (including replacements like shoes/socks) and nothing breaks.

You could dumpster dive, eat beans and rice, pillage hiker boxes, never have a beer, never hit a restaurant, skip hostels, beg, borrow or steal. It's certainly been done and is done. I actually love ramen, but eating Knoor sides, powdered taters and snickers only works for men in their early 20's as a sustainable diet if you ignore the whole post apocalyptic weight loss look they tend to rock.

The AT is a beautiful trail; but half of the appeal is meeting the folks you meet, visiting the towns you pass, snagging a town meal, hoisting a beer, hauling in a pizza to a shelter.

Cheap is possible, but not much fun. And better trails out there if you are on a budget... if nothing else it's not much fun to pass on every adventure that might arise along the AT.

The answer to the OP is 'know thyself'

Do you drink (or buy other drugs and/or tobacco)? Add in a decent bar bill per week.
Will you take zeros? Probably- where will you stay? You can take a zero at a shelter and save the hostel/hotel money- but might want to plan around places you can take a shower if so.
Do you want to eat town food? Everytime you get a chance, or once a week?
Mail drops or shop as you go? keep in mind a "bar" may be a buck at Costco or Wally world and $2 at a "resupply"...

Most folks aren't out for a week... more like 4-5 days so your "week" of walking, town, zero, repeat may not be seven days.

$200 a town stop is a decent number for an average hiker. Stopping every 100 miles or so puts you around 22 stops.
$4400 with a 10% fluff factor $4840 or basically $5k each and 10k for two seems reasonable budget to me.
Keep in mind you may each have your own personal things that can cost more... We all have a bad day or need a break. When you're in a pair your bad day may not be your partners so there's a bit higher chance for that sorta thing to impact your budget. ON the flipside of that, you don't need to bunk up with strangers as often to keep motel room costs per person down.

Many people who do really cheap hikes are typically experienced dirt bags, hikers, penny pinchers or semi-professional bums. That's not a derogatory statement on my part as I admire a bit of that... but that ain't most and it's a rough way to go your first time. Especially if'n you're like most who will be scrimping and saving and likely doing this once in your lifetime.

Enjoy yourself... it always pays to watch your money but if at all possible best to avoid stressing about it.

[George]

the biggest variable is medical expense / health insurance

it could be zero, if you go uninsured and incur no medical expenses

all the way up to what ever $$$ amount that would make you go bankrupt

a friend broke an ankle hiking - 22 hours in the hospital - 30K - no insurance - 6 yrs to pay it off

[Slo-go'en]

Putting all your stuff in storage short term isn't a bad deal. Keeping it in storage long term is a very bad deal. The rent can quickly exceed the value of what's stored. I speak from experience, but I suppose I'm glad I still have some of the things I paid all that money to store.

Since you don't plan to return to your current location, sell off the bulk of what you own (especially the bulky stuff) and rent the smallest U-store locker you can find.

[garlic08]

My wife and I spent about $10,000 on our first thru hike together, the PCT. That's a longer trail and many of the town stops are expensive resorts. It took us 5 months, so $2K/mo/person worked out. We celebrated a wedding anniversary, replaced a lot of gear, etc.

My last thru hike was the AT, and I spend $3500. It took me 3.5 months, so still $1000/month. I shared some lodging costs with a hiking friend.

Of that $3500 on the AT, about $1400 was food, $800 lodging, $500 gear/shoe replacement, $800 travel to/from.

$5000 per hiker is a very generous budget for a healthy young thrifty person. Hopefully you won't need all that, but it'll be good to have the contingency funds if you do need it. Also consider the money you need to re-enter society--deposit on an apartment, restock stuff, etc.

[Venchka]

This question is asked multiple times per thru hike cycle.
This question is answered multiple times with multiple guesses by multiple folks.
$1.00 per reply would probably fund a very nice hike.
Take all the money you have available.
Spend the minimum amount of money necessary for an enjoyable hike.
Have fun!
Wayne


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[bohochristine]

That's really why I asked and am trying to get an idea of what's necessary, I don't want to worry about budgeting too much on the trail. We plan on enjoying our time there and the freedom we will get to experience.

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