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Thread: Mail Drops

  1. #1

    Default Mail Drops

    Has any one hiked the AT with out mail drops???? Can it be done?

  2. #2

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    Yes, I did it.

  3. #3
    AT NOBO2010 / SOBO2011 Maddog's Avatar
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    Many people have done it! I've never used a mail drop! Maddog
    "You do more hiking with your head than your feet!" Emma "Grandma" Gatewood...HYOY!!!
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    Quote Originally Posted by Old Eagle View Post
    Has any one hiked the AT with out mail drops???? Can it be done?
    i've done a few mail drops for gear and maps, never for food.

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    The only mail drop that I used was to ship my winter gear from Pearisburg VA to Hanover NH. I bought all my food along the trail and gear was repaired/bought whenever I could get to the next outfitter. Since my hike in 97, towns resupplies have become easier and there are more outfitters. There are two situations that I recommend hikers utilize mail drops. a) prescription medicine or b) speciality dietary food items that could be difficult to find in trail towns.
    ----------------
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  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Old Eagle View Post
    Has any one hiked the AT with out mail drops???? Can it be done?
    Probably the only mail drop that is even nice to have is Fontana Dam going nobo. There is a store at the village, but it can be wiped out and is pricey. There is nothing worse than to be tired of a certain food, knowing that you have twenty boxes of it at home waiting to be sent.

  7. #7

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    Yes i did the trail twice once in 2006 a GA-ME and another GA-ME in 2012 and hiked all of it buying my food as i went along and i did a flip-flop in 96 then i did whats called 50/50 or half and half, to me buying my food is easier than mail-drops. so yes it can be done and people hikes the trail every year by buying their food instead of mail-drops. GOOD LUCK and HAPPY TRAILS.

  8. #8

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    I used 20+ mail drops on my thru and I'm not doing that again. Even using mail drops you still have to buy perishables in town which kinda defeats the purpose of the drop. I will bounce a box up the trail with meds and maps every 3 weeks or so next year.

  9. #9
    jersey joe jersey joe's Avatar
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    Of course the trail can be done without mail drops.

    I liked using mail drops and would use them again if I did another thruhike, especially in towns right on the trail where you pass right by the post office. Towns like Damascus, Caratunk, etc. Saved me time when going into towns and i was able to switch out my maps easily.

    It helped to have someone at home sending them during my hike because it gave me the ability to alter the types of food.

    The biggest negative with using mail drops is that you sometimes have to race to get to the post office before it closes and weekends are tough.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ox97GaMe View Post
    The only mail drop that I used was to ship my winter gear from Pearisburg VA to Hanover NH. I bought all my food along the trail and gear was repaired/bought whenever I could get to the next outfitter. Since my hike in 97, towns resupplies have become easier and there are more outfitters. There are two situations that I recommend hikers utilize mail drops. a) prescription medicine or b) speciality dietary food items that could be difficult to find in trail towns.
    So, you suggest spending hundreds of dollars are prepackaged food that is full of nitrates and chemicals? No thanks. I prefer to make my own food.
    If I do not keep pace with my companions, perhaps it is because I hear a different drummer. Let me step to the music which I hear, however measured or far away. HDT (revised)

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    Quote Originally Posted by litefoot2000 View Post
    Probably the only mail drop that is even nice to have is Fontana Dam going nobo. There is a store at the village, but it can be wiped out and is pricey. There is nothing worse than to be tired of a certain food, knowing that you have twenty boxes of it at home waiting to be sent.
    This is why you have a rotating supply of food. Each month you have an entirely different set of meal plans. I would presume that after 4 months of eating dried food, all of it is going to be pretty annoying, but I would prefer to spend 600.00 on food that I know is healthy and not full of chemicals, than to spend thousands on jerky that might or might not actually have meat it in.
    If I do not keep pace with my companions, perhaps it is because I hear a different drummer. Let me step to the music which I hear, however measured or far away. HDT (revised)

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    I'm trying to keep my thru hike expenses to an absolute minimum, so what is the cost difference between mail drops and buying food along the way? I feel like buying the food itself ahead of time in bulk would be cheaper, but then adding in the postage fees it might not be...anybody know?

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    I'm trying to keep my thru hike expenses to an absolute minimum, so what is the cost difference between mail drops and buying food along the way? I feel like buying the food itself ahead of time in bulk would be cheaper, but then adding in the postage fees it might not be...anybody have any idea?

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    Registered User Grampie's Avatar
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    If you are planing to go into towns along the way than just buy your food than. almost all towns along the trail cater to hikers needs as far as food is conserned. You can buy what you want when you want too. I saw quite a few thru-hikers that did meal prep and mail drops. The soon were giving a lot of stuff away because they no longer wanted to eat what the had prepared.
    Grampie-N->2001

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    Garlic
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    Quote Originally Posted by frogmonkey View Post
    I'm trying to keep my thru hike expenses to an absolute minimum, so what is the cost difference between mail drops and buying food along the way? I feel like buying the food itself ahead of time in bulk would be cheaper, but then adding in the postage fees it might not be...anybody have any idea?
    It's probably close to a wash, best I could ever figure out.

    Other factors are 1) the cost of lost or abandoned mail drops, 2) what if you're one of the 75% who don't make it all the way? and 3) you see a lot of pre-packaged meals dumped in hiker boxes, for whatever reason. That's a waste and an expense, too.
    "Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning

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    jersey joe jersey joe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by garlic08 View Post
    It's probably close to a wash, best I could ever figure out.

    Other factors are 1) the cost of lost or abandoned mail drops, 2) what if you're one of the 75% who don't make it all the way? and 3) you see a lot of pre-packaged meals dumped in hiker boxes, for whatever reason. That's a waste and an expense, too.
    These factors are important to consider. Having someone at home sending mail drops out as you hike the trail will help a lot to mitigate these factors. You can also switch up the variety and amounts.

  18. #18
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    I sent myself 1 mail drop from Stratton to Caratunk and it was nice to have the food selection from a bigger store without having to carry it, but I could have done without it. I would send myself something to NOC next time too.
    COG 2011

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