mail drops, necessary ?

[nitetrain]

good day

apart from needing prescription medicines, are all these planned mail drops really necessary?

resupply seems to be available all along the trail.

the time and effort in planning, mailing, fitting schedule to collect, seems like more hassle than it is worth, or am i missing something?

thanks

[moldy]

un-needed un-necessary and these days expensive and full of hassle. You are not missing something.

[gracebowen]

The general consensus is unnecessary but I plan on using them.
I have checked and double checked.

$20 for a box.
$30 -40 to fill the box
Equals 60 for a week's worth of food.

I buy in bulk and use coupons. I can't remember the last time I paid for peanut butter. My store frequently offers it free with purchase.

A 6 pack of ramen is $1 at the store vs $1 for one at a convenience store. Plus I'm gonna need medicine mailed to me.

[gracebowen]

Maybe 70 depending on what I send myself. Plus I plan on. Dehydrating meals and sides.

[gracebowen]

The ramen is just an example.

[AllDownhillFromHere]

I think there were a few little burgs in PA that had just a PO, but no food. The time I resupplied at a gas station there was no PO anyway.

You can probably skip maildrops. It's great, however, to be behind someone who's maildropping everything; by a few weeks in they're sick of all their food, so the hiker boxes get epic.

[MuddyWaters]

Not necesssary.
But.....faster.
If you pre stripped and pre-packaged everything and just the amounts you need and can pick up a mail drop and go it's an a convenient thing. As long as you're still in the mood for what you're picking up when you get there....

[Slo-go'en]

The problem is, most people who start a thru hike don't finish. Some don't even make it out of Georgia. So, if you buy 6 moths of stuff in advance and box it all up, there is a good chance your going to be stuck with all that stuff. You may also find out you made poor choices and are sick of what you bought tons of. Also, you can't send anything more then a month in advance, so long as your 100% sure you'll make it that far.

The only way it makes sense is if you have someone who can manage the mail drops for you and they can customize what's in the box to what you actually need at the time.

There are a few places where a mail drop can be handy, but none are really necessary.

[BuckeyeBill]

As a LASH AT hiker at this point I never used them. It allowed me the freedom to alter my menu as weather changed and my taste buds wanted something new. On town layovers I usually found a place that had grilled burger (not McD's) or a good steak and potato dinner. Over the years I found that paying for an all you can eat was a waste of money, as I really could never get my moneys worth. The only exception being a seafood buffet with crab legs, oysters, clams and mussels.

[JC13]

For the AT no thanks, tried it once and wasn't really worth it. I will do drops for the BMT though, resupply looks tougher without hitching into town.

[Dogwood]

Pros and cons.

You don't have kids, do you?

Long list of "hassles" obtaining a DL, vehicle, registration, auto insurance, weekly fuel, finding places to fuel, yrly to 2x yrly oil changes, car washes, obeying DMV laws, paying fines and going to court when you dont, looking out for others who dont obey these laws, staying out of accidents from rain/snow/darkness/glare/narrow winding Mt roads/deer "attacks", changing flats, etc etc etc. You do it though, right? Probably learned not to even see most of these as overwhelming hassles, right? Why? Maybe, you saw the benefit outweighs the costs? Maybe, because you were willing not because you were just focused on costs but very aware of the wide range of benefits?

Some would say all that isn't necessary. They walk, ride a bicycle, drive a scooter, or whatever. Same for mailing boxes.

[Dogwood]

Pros and cons.

You don't have kids, do you?

Long list of "hassles" obtaining a DL, vehicle, registration, auto insurance, weekly fuel, finding places to fuel, yrly to 2x yrly oil changes, car washes, obeying DMV laws, paying fines and going to court when you dont, looking out for others who dont obey these laws, staying out of accidents from rain/snow/darkness/glare/narrow winding Mt roads/deer "attacks", changing flats, etc etc etc. You do it though, right? Probably learned not to even see most of these as overwhelming hassles, right? Why? Maybe, you saw the benefit outweighs the costs? Maybe, because you were willing not because you were just focused on costs but very aware of the wide range of benefits?

Some would say all that isn't necessary. They walk, ride a bicycle, drive a scooter, or whatever. Same for mailing boxes.

[Dogwood]

All of these so called "problems" have easy solutions. If you decide on sending boxes either entirely or only a few I'd share these solutions and address everyone's mentioned issues. But, it's already been done with the solutions scattered making the solutions harder to comprehend in a one stop info obtaining location often resulting in saying it's a much greater hassle than it actually is.

[DownEaster]

The problem is, most people who start a thru hike don't finish. Some don't even make it out of Georgia. So, if you buy 6 moths of stuff in advance and box it all up, there is a good chance your going to be stuck with all that stuff.

So you'll have a stock of instant potatoes and Craisins when you get back. If you're fed up for a while with some of the supplies you've bought, trail food will keep a long time ─ probably until you're no longer averse to eating whatever you got tired of. You bought at sale or club store prices so it's all good. Should you injure your feet/ankles/knees and be forced off the trail, it's helpful to have food at home while you're hobbling around and not easily able to get out to shop.

Really don't see a downside here.

[nitetrain]

Thanks all for confirming what I had suspected, hold over from the 70s trail lore

One less thing to deal with pre hike. I think going mail droplets, might just add a sliver of adventure into a long walk on a well supplied trail.

Now i can fret with gear choices

Have a groovy day

[Lone Wolf]

good day

apart from needing prescription medicines, are all these planned mail drops really necessary?

resupply seems to be available all along the trail.

the time and effort in planning, mailing, fitting schedule to collect, seems like more hassle than it is worth, or am i missing something?

thanks

no. not necessary. i never did a mail drop for food