In general I have the knowledge of gear as well as hiking to be able to go at the trail no problem, however I have never been able to adequetley gage just how much money is required for the average person looking to hike the AT. If those of you who have completed thru-hikes can fill me in about how much money was spent on average, I would certainly appreciate it.
LacquerHead
I was concerned about running out of money on the trial and so I tried to be quite frugal throughout. I spent about $3000 all up and had money left over at the end which made the trip home to new zealand much more enjoyable.
I didn’t want money get in the way of my AT experiance however and I still stayed in many hostels and ate well.
Things that seem to really suck down the funds are:
-the very strong urge to buy new gear on the trail
-staying at accomidation other then hostels
-staying in town too long
I’m going off subject… hope this was of some help. feel free to email me.
Paul ‘Kiwi’.
Kiwi
You are going to get a WIDE difference of opinions here. First of all, to compare oranges to oranges and apples to apples… When you say how much do you need are you saying how much do you spend only on the trail or how much do you spend including airfare to the trail, storage locker for all your worldly possessions while you hike, etc. In total, including every dollar spent on all my original gear and trail upgrades, paying for storage lockers, including airfare there and back, etc. I spent 10 G’s in 2000, 6 g’s in 2001 and about 6 or 7 in 2004. You can hike the trail for less and you can hike the trail for more. To me, this is a once in a lifetime event (or three in four year event) and I wanted to enjoy it and I had the money saved. I had fun. I went to nicer restaurants occassionally along the trail, I prefer to sleep in my own room in towns, I prefer motels to hostels, I ate far better than the norm on the trail, went to a few festivals and concerts along the way, saw movies etc. I always felt sorry for people on tight budgets. Sure they complete the trail the same as me. But a lot of people, especially last year, who came on limited budgets were so miserable. I remember one couple who argued in every town about even eating a grilled cheese or burger and almost never stayed in town. I ran into them alot in the South then when Daytripper and I jumped up one state we ran into them again up north. They said they couldn’t wait to get off trail because they hated it. It was a job to them. This is suppose to be enjoyable… a walking vacation. I would say have 6,000 to 10,000 dollars available. Take your time and enjoy yourself. It is not often in life that we can take six months to go for a stroll.
Aswah
Aswah
Like Aswah posted, the amounts vary from individual to individual. Some spend less than $2,000, and others more than $6,000.
Hiking the trail is basically free. It’s the towns where you spend your money. So, how much you spend really depends on how often you go into town, how much time you spend in town, and how well you live while in town. People that get in and get out without spending the night, or having meals will spend a lot less than those that take multiple days off in towns and live it up.
There is no one right answer. However, I suspect that most people spend around $3000. That should allow you some days off in towns. If you look at it on a weekly basis, your allowance is $150/week.
Peaks