$10 a day?

[Elizabeth11]

Hi everyone,

I know this kind of question gets asked all the time, but, I have been searching the forums for a really long time and have yet to find an exact answer; so I do apologise if this is a repeat question.
My question is: I am hoping to do a long section of the PCT this year, and after budgeting for everything (travel, hostels, gear, flights etc.) I have around about $1000 to take with me, so, I was wondering if anyone could shed any light on whether or not this would be enough for food for about 3 months (85 - 90 days)?
I've read in a few places now that food in California is about $10 a day, and had initially planned to hike for as long as possible until my money ran out; but as I'll be travelling from outside the US, once I have booked my flight I can't change the date on the return, so would need to know how much I would realistically need to have saved for food each day. I'm really looking to go for as long as possible as I will be spending a lot on the flights and travel, and probably wont get another chance to experience the PCT for a long, long time.
I also know that the price would probably vary depending on money spent at restaurants and bars etc., but I genuinely have no desire to eat out at restaurants a whole lot, and I am not old enough to drink in the US; so that will probably cut down the costs!
I will really appreciate any advice people can give me on food costs in the area, and whether you think $10 a day is a good estimate. I am hoping to leave within the next week and start around Big Bear/ Agua Dulce - so obviously I need to book the flights asap, so will be really grateful for all advice (even if you tell me I'm not being realistic and should go for less time!).

Thanks very much for reading all of this!

[BostonBlue]

$10 a day seems a little low to me in California as food prices are relatively high there. However, you may experience a little more "trail magic" than normal since you are from the UK and many hikers like to treat international guests. I would plan on $10 a day, but bring a credit card just in case.

[Elizabeth11]

Thanks for your reply BostonBlue! That all sounds great, especially the extra trail magic! Unfortunately I don't think I can get a credit card, so it may have to be a case of trying to convince the "bank of mom and dad" to lend some money if I get short . I don't think that would work out too well though!

[TD55]

It can be done, but only you can determine what kind of food you will need to stay happy and satisfied. If you can be happy with lots of carbs such as oatmeal, pasta, rice and bread with a minimum of ingredients added, you can do it for under $10 per day and splurge every few days for other more satisfying and nutritional foods. For example, you can get a loaf of decent sliced whole wheat bread for about $3.50 or store brand day old white bread for as low as $1.50. Add a jar (plastic squeeze), or peanut butter @ $3.00 and you may have enough to satisfy your hunger for two days, maybe three, but maybe only one (you will get about 10 sandwichs). The question is, will that satisfy you? How will you supplement your diet to insure good nutrition? Can you subsist on oatmeal everyday for breakfast, bread with spread for lunch and pasta or rice with spice for dinner? You will figure it out when you get on the trail and do the first few re-supply stops.

[Elizabeth11]

Thanks for all the info TD55. I definitely feel comfortable living off of oatmeal, bread and pasta; I'm just worried about getting all the required nutrition and/or getting completely fed up with it after a few weeks. I'm also not fussy about types or quality of bread, but I am concerned things might be different after a while on the trail. Your information is certainly very encouraging - I'm feeling like $10 is probably realistic and achievable now. Thanks again!

[TD55]

Getting re-supply is a skill. You have to consider cost, nutritional value, bulk and weight and finaly, taste and choice. Your biggest problem will be that often times the place where you re-supply may be limited as far as selection goes. When I backpack in Europe I have learned to adjust in every country I visit. It pays to take your time when shopping, look fo the bargins, stock up on the basics when you find them at good prices, be willing to experiment and try new things. Be prepaed to "hunker down" and maintain a diet of uninteresting cheap stuff for a few days if you happen to go over budget and need to "balance" your overall budget. Try to ascertain what kind of re-supply stops are ahead of you. Plan accordingly.

[Dogwood]

You are 19. I'll assume you've never done a continuous 85-90 day hike. And probably not of that duration outside the U.K. Those factors alone will most likely play into your PCT costs for food.

Watch out with this assumption you make, "after budgeting for everything." You can only budget for that which you know about. Unless you are a time traveler and can see all the details in the future you don't know everything or everything that might occur. What I'm saying is it's always nice to have a little emergency stash set aside JUST IN CASE even if it's only a few $100. Being from outside the U.S. and being a female(trying not to sound sexist!) I think this applies to an even greater extent.

Many International travelers, as well as myself, travel and thru-hike on modest budgets regularly. Can people work it on $10/day. Absolutely!

[garlic08]

My thru hike costs for trail food are generally in the $7 a day range.

[Coffee]

It might be worth stocking up on non perishable foods at a Wal-Mart after arriving in the United States and shipping food ahead on the trail. Also Trader Joe's for nuts and dried fruit.

I don't have anywhere near the experience of many on WhiteBlaze but I do know that I can easily feed myself in my daily non-trail life for well under $10/day. My monthly grocery bill is usually in the $175-180 range and I hardly ever eat at restaurants. I will say that I'm mostly vegetarian and do not drink alcohol which helps keep grocery costs down.

I typically eat on trips for under $10/day with a diet consisting of oatmeal, nuts, fruit, and trail mix, and dinners like Knorr sides. However, I'm not buying these items at small trail towns or resorts where the costs would probably be double or triple. The Sierra resort towns that I've been to, such as Mammoth, are definitely not cheap places to buy food or lodging...

[Spirit Walker]

Partly it depends on what part of the trail you plan to do. In much of the northern part of the trail, town stops can be limited, unless you go off trail to resupply. In some areas, resupply is either at very expensive campground stores (i.e. $2 for a candy bar) or you can buy food in a town with a large grocery with better prices and mail packages to yourself at the camp stores (with $$ for postage) but the cheaper and better selection is offset by the expenses of town.

If you have never done a long hike, you may be underestimating how hungry you can get when you are walking 20 miles or more every day. Twenty five years ago the thruhike cost estimate was a dollar a mile. That cost has gone way up since then. Try to have a reserve available so you can enjoy your hike without feeling like you're on the edge of starvation. If you don't eat enough, your energy will flag and your enjoyment will disappear.

If possible, get a changeable ticket as well. You don't know what is going to happen. You may not enjoy long distance hiking. You might get injured. You might be called home for some reason.

[Dogwood]

If you have anticipated a rough but ball park set dollar amount for each of these: travel, hostels, gear, flights etc. with EVERY $ you save on each put it into that emergency fund or to that on trail food budget. Many of these costs can sometimes be negotiated to a lower price. For instance, I'd rather have a longer flight or have multiple layovers or transfers or take a red eye or tuesday flight saving the do re mi on travel and putting it to better use while on trail. I also hitch alot. Typically the faster you want to get to the TH to start a hike the more do re mi you shell out. Save $ by limiting in town stays or doing zeros or neros on trail or very close to the trail rather than in downtown where you 're more apt to give into money spending temptations. I RARELY stay in higher priced hotels or motels on hikes anymore and when I do I pair up with other hikers, 2-4 in a room. Hostels are about $25 a night on the PCT and even if you get someone to put you up for free I still offer them money so as not to be an imposing dirt bag. I regularly stop by campground, state park, national park, RV park, etc showers to get cleaned up. Most of the time they let me shower for free or I pay something like $5. Buy groceries in large grocery stores. Thing is when you just got a $1K 90 day budget one or two bigger unexpected money monkey wrenches can really throw your budget into a tail spin. I'm a pretty handy guy so if I had to, AND I'VE HAD TO, I'll pick up a side job for a couple of days to make up for that unexpected expenditure so I'm back on budget. Heck, I'll sling SLURPYS or mow lawns or paint a hostel if it gets me what I want - to hike! One time it was sat night when I got into town when I was thruing the PCT. My debit card crashed and burned which SUCKED because I had $3000 in the acct for hiking at the time. I had no dead presidents. No chow. No stove fuel. Bank wasn't open until Mon. Phone was dead. Couldn't reach anyone. Someone asked me what I was doing. I told them what happened. I MILKED THEIR GOATS FOR $50 AND A DINNER. They even gave me FRESH SQUEEZED GOAT MILK to take to the trail and drink. No kidding. Get er done! Les Stroud got nothing on me. Like to see him milk some goats to do a hike! Actually, he's a nice guy and the real deal. I'm gettin old. I've turned into my chastising father with that grin that just screams out I told you so. He was right more times than I knew. I was wrong more times than I thought too.

[JAK]

Helps if you like to do math in your head, or develop some good rules of thumb. Oatmeal is a good main staple, with dried fruits and nuts and honey and oil to boost calories. You can even make granola or oatcakes on the trail as you go. Lentils are a good staple for evening soup, and to rehydrate, with herbs for vitamins and minerals and flavour. You can make your own chai using tea and herbs like cardamom, cloves, anise, ginger, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon. The trick is to find a way to add your skim milk powder without it clumping because of the hot water.

[Elizabeth11]

Thank you so much to everyone for all this advice. This has really helped a great deal. I think I am going to pay a little extra for a refundable flight, just in case I do need to head home early - but also stick to the $10 a day budget, taking into consideration that I may need to ship things ahead in towns along the way. After doing some searches it seems that the few resorts in the sierras are the only places I would really need to ship to, as I would only be doing a big section in California and not Oregon/Washington - although some of the prices they charge for holding packages does seem a little steep.
I should also mention that I really wouldn't mind at all if I had to work for a while in exchange for a meal or something, and that in fact I would probably enjoy milking goats for free milk and some food!
Thanks again, and if anyone wants to add anything then that's great, as this is really helping a lot!

[Dogwood]

Felt unusual pinching a teet in a way I wasn't accustomed. You can get away without having to ship a box in the Sierras. Have you heard of Hiker Boxes? These are boxes usually at Post Offices close to a major trail, some hotels, hostels, some campgrounds, National Parks, and basically where hikers tend to buy groceries or pick up mailed resupply boxes. Hikers put leftover foods and all manner of other goods into these boxes for others to take free of charge. For example, the Saufleys in Agua Dolce CA, Kennedy Meadows(southern Sierras), Tuolomne Meadows Store(Yosemite Natioanl Park), etc have these boxes.You can POSSIBLY save some money IF FLEXIBLE and NOT PICKY by SUPPLEMENTING(NOT totally dependent on) food resupplies this way. Big Hiker Barrel at Vermillion Valley Resort in the Sierras too usually stashed with free goodies. * AGAIN, these ARE NOT dependable for full food resupplies; it's a hit or miss proposition.

Elizabeth, GREAT to have you hiking the PCT in the U.S. Welcome to WB. We're here to help. Have a GREAT hike.

[Malto]

I can vouch for the barrel at VVR. my package didn't show up and I did a resupply out of the barrel to get me to Mammoth. Granted it was only a day but it worked in a pinch. You can go out at Kearsarge Pass then resupply either at Reds Meadow or Mammoth. If you resupply at Reds it is only a day or two to get to Toulemne Meadows where there is another store. The key is not to be picky.

[Venchka]

Please, please, please carry your spending money safely. Traveler's checks, debit card, pre-paid Visa cards, etc.
The least expensive way to send a box of groceries in the States is to use the United States Postal Service Flat Rate Priority Mail boxes. Get the Large size box from any post office. Fill it up & send it to yourself at a post office along your route. The cost is approximately $15 and the box will hold a lot of food. If for some reason, you miss the post office where you sent your box, call them & they will forward it to another post office for FREE! Obviously, keep a record of where you send things with operating hours & phone numbers.
Good luck! Have fun! Welcome to America!

Wayne

[Elizabeth11]

Thanks again everyone! I have officially booked the flights to land in Los Angeles this Tuesday, and will be starting from Big Bear Lake. I will be going for about 75 days and will have over $850 for just food, so hopefully that'll be more than enough!
Venchka, I have transferred my money to a pre-paid Visa currency card, so I will be only taking a small amount of cash! Thanks for the info about USPS prices as well, that'll really come in handy; thank you!
And, yes I had heard about hiker boxes, but I found it difficult to find any information about where to find them and how reliable they were, but your information has certainly helped with that. Hiker boxes really do sound like such a great idea.
Thank you again for your wisdom and encouragement everyone; hopefully I will have a really great time, and I'm super excited to experience America and the PCT!!!

[singing wind]

Hi Elizabeth - welcome and have a wonderful hike! As previous posters have mentioned there are many ways to resupply on budget. Hiker boxes ARE there, but can not be reliably counted on. You'll mostly likely be in or towards the end of the larger group of thru-hikers who started at Campo in late April-early May. If you're hiking through the Sierras you'll need to ship a box of food to Kennedy Meadows as there's not really any other way there (hiker box maybe...). Bear canister organized as well. Please do look after yourself in the desert heat (hike early and late/night hike (awesome under the moon!) and pay regular attention to the PCT water report - http://www.pctwater.com/. The PCT 2013 Facebook page has regular posts from current hikers with occasional updates about water caches and trail angels as well. Halfmile's Android or iPhone app is a great resource as well. Do you have maps for the trail?? Be sure and take it easy the first few days, even the first few weeks, even if you're in good shape to begin with. The desert heat and altitude definitely surprised a lot of hikers this year... And look after your feet. Hope you have a wonderful time!!

[Dogwood]

MAP MoNeY. If you feel comfortable with quad topo maps(small picture of the trail corridor and perhaps a few miles on each side) and are mostly staying on the PCT without lots of side hikes, which doesn;t sound like you are, look for FREE PCT maps you can print out at home, or as I sometimes do, a U.S. library with a good laser printer. Try Halfmiles PCT maps.