former hikers - did you find Priority Mail times legit?

[AllDownhillFromHere]

Does USPS Priority really deliver in the time advertised? Even +1 day would be ok, I'm more concerned that they're 2 days +/- a week.

[Malto]

I would give it a five day window unless that is impossible. I would never cut it a day close. I had a resupply on my Wyoming trip last year that was several days late. But it beat me there.

[MuddyWaters]

Most time yes, its fine.
Occassionally one takes a detour for a few days for unknown reasons. Possibly secondary inspection. There is a lot of illicit drug trafficking thru mail, fedex,ups. They are aware if it. Stings are regularly conducted on recipients. I knew a guy at gym 15 yrs ago that got busted picking up package at PO. Box . He didnt know how to do it safely.

[Miner]

On the PCT and AT, I always had things sent more than a week ahead of time, usually shot for 2 weeks ahead. Even when bouncing a box forward, I'd send it at least 1.5 weeks up the trail, usually 2-3 weeks. Never had a box not show up ahead of me. On the other hand, I knew people whose packages didn't show up and they had to hang out in town over a weekend because they tried to time it exactly. When you are on the trail, you should have a pretty good idea within a day of where you'll be in 2 weeks.

[AllDownhillFromHere]

I would give it a five day window unless that is impossible. I would never cut it a day close. I had a resupply on my Wyoming trip last year that was several days late. But it beat me there.

Thanks, their map from my ZIP shows a variety of times (based on destination), padding it out to 5 seems prudent. At least it's not all over the place.

[scrabbler]

Plus 5 days after delivery date for "Priority Mail" that you paid extra for seems "prudent" to you? How about unacceptable?

[Dogwood]

Priority Flat Rate Delivery boxes take 1-3 days depending on origin and destination. It says this in fine print on the pricing board inside USPO's. Some places may take as much as 4 days or longer because those USPS delivery times isn't the be all end all of when a package mailed gets to the exact pick up location. And, that's not just in USPS hands. The eastern southern Sierra is notorious for longer Priority Mail times. Been there! If mailing to Bishop, Independence, Big Pine, Lone Pine, maybe Mammoth Lakes, maybe Bridgeport(central Sierra) allow 4 days if mailing to the USPO's there. If USPO Priority mailing to Reds Meadow or the Tuolumne Meadows USPO or Yosemite Valley PO I'd also allow 4-5 days. I'd check with Reds though first as they also may have to head out to get their mail in Mammoth Lakes every few days which could push the delivery times to get a box a RM to 5- 6 days. I'm not sure about RM though currently. It's been yrs since I mailed a box there.

And, as another example, if you're mailing to MTR or VVR allow longer delivery times because the USPO doesn't delivery to these exact remote locations but to a USPO where it has to be picked up by MTR or VVR and driven, ferried, and/or taken in further by stock.

I'd allow 4 days if mailing from RI to Ridgecrest, Onyx or lake Isabella USPO's. If mailing a box to Agua Dulce I'd allow 4-5 days from RI if mailing to the Saufleys or the AD USPO.

I'd also suggest you allow 5-6 days mailing from RI to some of the Oregon campgrounds/fishing resorts since again these places may have to pick up there own mail further away.

I would allow longer times mailing to Stehekin WA as well as it's in a remote location with mail coming in by ferry or floatplane. Sorry, I can't remember how far in advance the one time I did mail a box to Stehekin.

FWIW, as another example mailing to Hawaii or Alaska from the mainland/Lower 48 takes longer by Priority USPS mail. Same reversing the mailing to the mainland/Lower 48.

FWIW, mailing First Class Mail and certainly Retail(Standard) Mail from one HI island to another only a few hundred miles away or sometimes even to another town on the same island only 20 miles away it has taken more than 2 wks to receive my package.

[Venchka]

In all of the above estimates, think in terms of business days, NOT calendar days.
Dogwood's examples for the PCT also apply to places like Benchmark Ranch or Big Sandy Lodge on the CDT. These small, remote places don't drive 50 or 100 miles to the post office everyday. It might be once a week or every other week.
Wayne

[garlic08]

Ditto the notes about the remote places.

The only package handling problems I've seen or heard of were by the remote, private business or residents providing hiker services, not the USPS.

[srvand02]

Ive had only one delay in my past two thrus, and that was at the USPS Station within Yellowstone National Park. Had to spend an extra night at the campground in the middle of tourist season. At least I met some interesting people.

[ARambler]

Yes, times are variable based on Dogwood's criteria and are also variable. If you add two days for the weekend and two days contingency, to the "non guaranteed" 3 days, you are at exactly a week.

You will likely get your own "PO" story. I had a packaged delayed well over a week going to Kennedy Meadows. I had two boxes mailed together from central PA to Tuolumne Meadows. The important one made it in two days, the other I had to have returned. On the AT, a motel lost my box for months and returned it at the end of the season. Almost had this happen at Paradise Valley Café (the food box got hidden behind the potatoes and the gear replacement was just delivered and behind the counter waiting to be put away.) So early or late can be a problem.

Another important issue is your variability. For all boxes I would round up the food supply from e.g. 4.2 days to 5 days (who wants to run out of food). I often hiked faster. Because I used the full 5 days for the next mailing date, my schedule was quickly off by a lot (in the wrong direction). Make sure there is a way to update your times if you predict ahead.

Finally, manage the more important boxes differently. Most resupply locations have enough food that you could buy and continue hiking. I ship my maps (pre gps days) to a 7 day/week business well ahead of time. The same would apply to medicine or other essentials.

Of course, this year a zero or two waiting for a package may be a plus for waiting for the snow to melt. When is your start date?

[AllDownhillFromHere]

Starting May 14 (insert grumble about terrible permitting process here).

So far I'm only doing three drops incl KM. Given that you have no recourse if your package isn't there in the "promised" time, I was just trying to gather if USPS is close or not, and it sounds like they are, with a bit of caution in the more remote places. I'm going to tell folks to send a week ahead of time.

Yes, times are variable based on Dogwood's criteria and are also variable. If you add two days for the weekend and two days contingency, to the "non guaranteed" 3 days, you are at exactly a week.

You will likely get your own "PO" story. I had a packaged delayed well over a week going to Kennedy Meadows. I had two boxes mailed together from central PA to Tuolumne Meadows. The important one made it in two days, the other I had to have returned. On the AT, a motel lost my box for months and returned it at the end of the season. Almost had this happen at Paradise Valley Café (the food box got hidden behind the potatoes and the gear replacement was just delivered and behind the counter waiting to be put away.) So early or late can be a problem.

Another important issue is your variability. For all boxes I would round up the food supply from e.g. 4.2 days to 5 days (who wants to run out of food). I often hiked faster. Because I used the full 5 days for the next mailing date, my schedule was quickly off by a lot (in the wrong direction). Make sure there is a way to update your times if you predict ahead.

Finally, manage the more important boxes differently. Most resupply locations have enough food that you could buy and continue hiking. I ship my maps (pre gps days) to a 7 day/week business well ahead of time. The same would apply to medicine or other essentials.

Of course, this year a zero or two waiting for a package may be a plus for waiting for the snow to melt. When is your start date?

[Dogwood]

Again I was talking about USPS Priority FLAT RATE delivery times NOT just Priority. This takes the weighing to calculate postage and sorting and delivering based on varying package wt and package size out of the delivery equation. The added privileges of service and handling using USPS Priority FLAT RATE boxes are worth it according to three family members with over 70 yrs total USPS service...One Uncle was a southwest regional USPS Supervisor. If you can jam a lot of heavy stuff into one of their boxes, up to I think 70 lbs, which would be a stretch for a hiker, it's a better more reliable cost friendlier deal in most circumstances where delivery times are important.

Just mail out your USPS FLAT RATE boxes 7 FULL BUSINESS DAYS(M-F) ahead. AND pick them up in within 3 wks of your ETA which is written on the box along with HOLD FOR HIKER. That gives you a month of initial flexibility. IF IF it could take longer before picking up your box COMMUNICATE that to the mailing location ASKING to hold it a bit longer with your new ETA.

Again, the USPS delivers Priority Flat Rate boxes in 1-3 biz days depending on origin and destination. But the destination where you might pick up the box might be different to where that mailed to address has to pick up there mail and get it to the exact location where you will pick it up. This is not teh USPS 's fault! They delivered as "promised."