Cost of food for 1 month

[weasel and bunny]

Well it is getting to be crunch time!!!! All our gear has been bought and tried out. We are happy with our list, for the most part. Plane tickets are in the works, but I am wondering about the cost of food.
For all you who have made the venture realistically how much will I be spending once I am on the trail for food, hostels, etc. My wife and I will be out for one month starting April 1 NOBO. We are trying to get through the Smokies in that time.
Can you please assist?

[SGT Rock]

Wow, that is open ended. Without knowing what you guys eat like or want in towns it is hard to say. I've been in one town and made it out only spending $45 and been through another town and blew $200 in one overnight on resupply, lodging, and food.

[Jack Tarlin]

One month should get you to Hot Springs, North Carolina.

Which means, your "stops" which may (and more likely WILL involve paying for lodging) include Neel Gap; Hiawassee; Franklin; the Nantahala Outdoor Center; Fontana Village; and perhaps Gatlinburg. And Hot Springs, too.

In all likelihood, you'll stay in motels in Hiawasse and Franklin. You may share a bunk room at the NOC (tho there's free camping there, too). Fontana has all sorts of options.

So assuming at least three motel stays and probably a few hiker hostels, we're talking a couple hundred bucks for lodging.

Obviously the more time you spend in town, the more you'll spend on restaurant meals, beer, etc.

As far as on-the-Trail food costs, this will run less than $100 per week.

So I'd plan on spending around seven hundred bucks, tho I'd certainly bring a bit extra.

As far as food options, shopping, where to Re-Supply, etc., you might want to look at the "Articles" section of this website; lots of info there.

[Blissful]

Always take a little more $$ or have access to more to be safe.

[weasel and bunny]

One month should get you to Hot Springs, North Carolina.
As far as on-the-Trail food costs, this will run less than $100 per week.

.

$100 a week for 1 person? 2 people?
That sounds outrageous!!!

We spend $40 a week at home for more two and a dog.

[Panzer1]

$100 a week for 1 person? 2 people?
That sounds outrageous!!!

We spend $40 a week at home for more two and a dog.

Is that $40 after using coupons and knowing which stores have the best sales?
When you get into town, consider that your are on foot and tired and your going to take whatever is available and your don't know where to find the best bargains like you do at home. Also, your can't buy in volume. You always have to buy the small containers that have a high unit cost. Sometimes you will be shopping at convenience stores that are relatively expensive.

Panzer

[garlic08]

$100 a week for 1 person? 2 people?
That sounds outrageous!!!

We spend $40 a week at home for more two and a dog.

It'll be easier than you think to spend $100/week for two (notice Jack said "less than...", so consider that a maximum). I spent about half that with considerable care, my better-funded friend easily spent that much. You'll buy a couple of $2 individually-wrapped muffins and they'll be gone in two minutes, for instance, and you'll get pre-made deli sandwiches at $5 that you would never buy at home.

[Stir Fry]

What would it cost for you and your wife to eat during that time, add 2 nights in a hotel, and you should be close to what it will cost.

[Jack Tarlin]

Keep in mind, please, that there are going to be two of you.

Can one eat on the Trail on $50.00 per week (i.e. $7.15 per day)?

Sure, depending on what you want to eat.

Let's look at a typical day's food that you might consume:

Breakfast, i.e. a packet of cocoa, a Pop Tart, two Granola Bars. Or maybe a Bagel with
cheese, or if you're lucky, an orange you brought from town.

That's two bucks, easy. Probably more, in that a single orange goes for a dollar these days.

Now lunch: A tortilla sandwhich with cheese, pepperoni. A quart of Kool-Aid, another Granola Bar, maybe a Snickers. Another $2, maybe 2.50 gone.

This leaves for dinner: Some cheese and crackers to start, a Lipton, cocoa again, and another candy bar.

Oh, and never mind snacks during the day, candy, Trailmix, chees crackers, whatever.

There's only one thing wrong with this picture, and that in all likelihood, it's significantly more than $7.15 per day.

If you think you're gonna spend $50.00 or less per person for food while en route, I sure hope you're partial to rice and oatmeal.

Otherwise, the only "Outrageous!!" thing about your food will be how horrible it is.

[YoungMoose]

it depends on what you are buying

[Jack Tarlin]

You're right.

And if you look at the meals I just described, they're pretty basic, if not spartan.

Most folks will spend a lot more than $50.00 per person per week out there, and that's a fact.

[Panzer1]

Also consider that you will for sure be using up much more calories in a day of hiking than you do in a day at home. This means that you are going to eat twice as much. This means that your costs will be twice as much.

Panzer

[KG4FAM]

this is what i eat when i am hiking

one big bagel for breakfast - at most 50 cents i guess
granola bars and other snacks for food throughout the day - 2.00 to 3.00
mac and cheese for dinner - 1.25 to 1.50
other misc things (oil, drink mix, ect) - .50 to 1.00

daily total
min 4.25
max 6.00

weekly total (x7)
min 29.75
max 42

its a pretty plain menu, but if i want good food then i will go to a restaurant in town.

[Jack Tarlin]

Your ENTIRE breakfast is a naked bagel?

And your whole dinner is a box of mac and cheese?

And all you eat between 7:30 and 5:00 is a couple of granola bars?

Well, I applaud you, but most folks require significantly more.

[garlic08]

Your ENTIRE breakfast is a naked bagel?

And your whole dinner is a box of mac and cheese?

And all you eat between 7:30 and 5:00 is a couple of granola bars?

Well, I applaud you, but most folks require significantly more.

There is a significant difference in appetites between section hikers and thru hikers, especially after the first 500 miles.

[Panzer1]

and also depends where you buy that bagel. If its from a dunkin donuts with cream cheese its going to cost more than if its from a supermarket.

Panzer

[Panzer1]

I guess like anything else, the more money you have to spend on food, the more food is going to cost you. Those who are hiking on a reduced budget will find ways to eat for less.

Panzer

[Two Speed]

Don't forget a lot of folks don't have a real strong appetite for the first 10 days - two weeks. That'll tend to push the average somewhat lower, but once the "hiker appetite" kicks in, yeah, $50/week/hiker could be a royal PITA.

[The Solemates]

food is the one thing we dont scrimp on while hiking.

for our town stays, we'd rather eat like a king and sleep on the ground than eat nothing and snag a motel.

[A-Train]

Anyone whose spent more than a couple weeks out at a time knows your appetite will increase significantly and your grocery bill will go up quite a bit. While one could get by eating a sleeve of poptarts, 3 granola bars, a handful of trailmix and a lipton for one day's ration down in Georgia, they'll probably be eating 2-3 times that by the time they're in Virginia.

People who are citing what they eat for a week on the trail is different from saying that is what you'll stick to for 5-6 months. To me, variety is the most important part of getting through a hike, for both the nutrition and psychological benefits of changein an endeavor that is fairly homogeneous.

For me, about 6-12 bucks a day is fair for food. YMMV.

In general though, Jack was pretty accurate with his numbers. Those who say they will maildrop bulk goods must also include postage rates which significantly bring up the price.