Care Package ideas

[Thin Mint]

I'm starting my thru in 3 weeks! My friends and family are asking me what they can send me in a care package. I have a few ideas, but I'd like to get a better list together.

Any suggestions? And for those of you who have done a thru was there anything you received in a care package that was a particularly nice surprise?

[Captain]

I'm starting my thru in 3 weeks! My friends and family are asking me what they can send me in a care package. I have a few ideas, but I'd like to get a better list together.

Any suggestions? And for those of you who have done a thru was there anything you received in a care package that was a particularly nice surprise?

first of all congrats i have never done a thru but i would imagine things like fresh socks, batteries, some of your favorite flavor hard candies or mints (that way they dont melt)...care packages for a thru hiker is hard to think of..given that everything in the box adds to your pack weight and you have to carry it..

[Captain]

first of all congrats i have never done a thru but i would imagine things like fresh socks, batteries, some of your favorite flavor hard candies or mints (that way they dont melt)...care packages for a thru hiker is hard to think of..given that everything in the box adds to your pack weight and you have to carry it..

OO fruit leather cant forget fruit leather

[fredmugs]

I would think of things that you enjoy eating but are too heavy to carry. You could eat those things the day you pick up the package, dispose of the waste, and not have to worry about taking it with you.

Come up with a list of homemade food like cookies, trail mix, etc that will taste a whole lot better than what you would get in a store.

[fiddlehead]

Homemade cookies.
If not homemade, then the best they can find.
Everything else is just stuff for the hiker boxes.

[Maddog]

make sure you tell them not to send too much, because anything you can't eat or don't want has to be bumped, given away, packed out , or trashed! good luck on your hike! happy trails! maddog

[Blissful]

The best pkg I got was before the SMokies with a couple MH meals and desserts, the space ice cream, etc. Agree - have them mail you homemade cookies to enjoy in town. They won't last long around your hiking buds, though.

[Spirit Walker]

Partly it depends on whether you are planning to buy as you go or do maildrops. If you intend to buy as you go, then anything that isn't readily available along the trail is nice i.e. fancy dried fruit (strawberries, mango, blueberries, pineapple, etc.) or dehydrated veggies (friends sent us broccoli etc. when I complained about the lack of vegetables) or dehydrated hamburger or an occasional fancy freeze dried meal. Maybe food from the exotic foods aisles at the grocery that would make a change from the usual Lipton dinners. (But beware of dried squid, it was nasty!)

In any case, good cookies, logan bread/fruitcake, fudge, brownies, etc. are always welcome.

I had a friend who sent me newspaper clippings that he thought would interest me - odd news from home, funny stories, comics, etc. They made good reading in town.

[mountain squid]

Maps.

And, as already noted, baked goodies. I would suggest more than needed because they will get eaten.

What you don't want is anything heavy that is not really necessary. Impress upon friends and family that YOU have to carry whatever they send, unless of course you eat it right away.

See you on the trail,
mt squid

[JustaTouron]

You should ask for boxes of thin mints.....You need to always have them on hand if you want to keep your trail name.

[Jester2000]

Here are some things friends have sent to me:
Baked goods from Mom, the larger the quantity the better, 'cause you'll most likely have other hikers around. That's pretty much the only "useful" thing.

Friends have also sent me:
Alcohol, snuff, Chuck Norris poster, VHS video tapes, enormous sombrero, hotdog shaped hat, individually wrapped single paper towel, magic tricks, Mad Libs, small dinosaurs that grow when they absorb water, cigars, bottle opener keychains, Mentos, Bobble Heads, glow sticks, medical supplies, and many other "useless" things.

I enjoyed every package I received.

(note: many of these items were sent as revenge care packages from other hikers I've sent packages to in years past)

[Deadeye]

Homemade cookies.
If not homemade, then the best they can find.
Everything else is just stuff for the hiker boxes.

Second on the homemade cookies - my brother thru'd and loved getting cookies. Also appreciated dried veggies that could be rehydrated and added to mac n cheese
Letters from home!

[Appalachian Tater]

Cookies, brownies, and pound cake.

[Thin Mint]

You should ask for boxes of thin mints.....You need to always have them on hand if you want to keep your trail name.

haha... I don't know why that wasn't on my list yet. I was given a package of thin mints from someone else's care package while sectioning a few years ago.

[Smoky in TN]

My best surprise in a care package?
A fifth of Wild Turkey, in Duncannon Pa.

[Hatfield]

MINI LIQUORS and LOVE

[Captain]

MINI LIQUORS and LOVE

tsk tsk tsk... now you know alcohol is forbidden in state parks...