I’d like to hear what 2011 AT Thru-Hikers spent on their hike. I figure that’s the best way to figure out the cost for 2012. Thanks.
Nunam
Cost of 2011 AT Thru-Hike
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#3
Sorry it’s three years old, but in 2008, my costs were:
Lodging: $850
Trail food: $750
Town food: $700
Gear replacement including shoes: $400
Travel from/to from Colorado: $700
Total: $3400
I spent more on lodging and town food than necessary (I’m in my 50s and I have a credit card), but my overall costs came in way under my $5000 budget. I had no medical expenses, no physical issues at all, no family emergencies to travel to, no major gear losses or failures. It’s good planning to have a $1000 contingency fund for such things.
It’s good to get a range, but your hiking style will dictate your cost more than anything else. It’s easy to spend money on zero days and car shuttles for slackpacking if that’s the way you want to hike. It’s easy to drop $20 in every town on microbrews with buds, too, if that’s your hike. Some spend over $1000 for new gear at Mt Crossings, 30 miles into the hike. I’ve met hikers dropping as much as $10K for the season.
A good range is $4000 plus/minus $1000, I think. Not too many fall outside that range.
Garlic
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#4
I never kept track, but I think Garlic is spot on. If you want to keep on the low side, just stay away from hotels, even the cheap ones. Use hostels instead of hotels, time your town arrivals to be early in the morning so you can get in, resupply, wash clothes if needed, then hike out. That is easier said than done–I often get sucked into hotels.
Tip: Get used to being wet early on in the hike. Get used to not dodging expected storms/rain. Stay safe for sure, but get wet early and just hike through it. Hotels are the killer because they come with their evil twin, restaurants.
Jason
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#5
Garlic and Jason’s advice are excellent!
Jason is describing “The town vortex” it sucks you in, delays your hike, and drives the cost up.
I never kept track of my expenses but Garlic’s 4k estimate sounds about right. Hopefully you’ll have sufficient funds to be able to enjoy your hike.
Old Goat
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#6
Most folks only hike the AT once in their lifetime, so save enough beforehand to enjoy yourself. As others have said, factor in $1000 extra for contingencies you are not expecting…illness, travel home for emergencies, equipment failures, etc.
Jeff
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#7
The information is VERY helpful. What was the duration of each of your hikes? So I can figure costs out by monthly average. (I figure I’ll need 7-8 months.)
Nunam
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#8
Just read about Carnivore And Purple spent over14 k on a southbound hike of 5 and a half months, read there last 2 entries. some like to figure dollars per mile.
Bubblegum
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#9
Nunam,
Per your question, some more info:
If I was to guess on my costs, I would say no more than 5K.
I thru-hiked in 2005. It took me 4 months and 10 days. Late March to early August.
- 21-23 zero days (of those days two were sets of 5 days off due to an injury early on and visit with friend in July)
- 8 Neros (less than 10 miles that usually meant hotel or hostel stays)
- Re-gear at Mt Crossings early on (400 dollars there alone)
- Most of my zeros came between Springer and Damascus
Some more advice that could affect your costs:
-
Get in shape before the hike. I wasn’t in shape for my 2005 thru, but I still made it. However, I paid dearly early on. Both physically and financially. Get in shape!
-
Commit 100%. If you’re going to do thru hike, commit to it 100%. Go all in. I’ve ridden the fence via a pseudo committment to hikes before and I always regret it. Get ONE thing done, don’t be distracted by thinking about all the other things you COULD be doing. In 2005 I had that focus, other time not. Remember this…
“Multitasking is the art of doing many things poorly at the expense of doing one thing well.”
– Me, to one of my ex-bosses who ran around with her head cut off half the time
- Pack Light. Top each their own on trails, but I highly advise going light. It’s less expensive in the long run. You can do longer miles (if you want to), faster miles (if you want to), you have less risk of injury, fewer things to worry about, and your hiking is more fun (don’t tell me that turtling down a trail is fun, I’ve skipped past too many trail-turtles who then muttered that I must be a day-hiker because I was wearing sandals and carrying a 15 lb pack on one shoulder to believe that turtling is fun hiking…
Anyways, getting long winded here. The trail can be as cheap as you make it, or as opulent and spending as you dare. Both have definite merits. I do like me my pricey hotels for their clean white sheets, privacy, and their notable lack of beared-trail-drunk-frat-boy cliques.
:cheers
Jason
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#10
I agree with Jason’s post. I packed light and hiked relatively fast (3.5 months, early April to mid-July) and I’m sure that kept my costs down. Since I packed light and started in shape, I only took three zero days and those were mainly to meet family and friends.
Some costs are pretty constant. I think you can figure about $7 to 8 per day for trail food, about $40 average for hotel nights (sometimes you can share, it’s more expensive in New England, and hostels are cheaper), $30 to 40 for town food per day in town, $10 for laundry and incidentals, and you can figure the bar bill yourself. $100 per day in town is a little high but isn’t too hard to reach, especially up north.
$1000 per person per month might be a good rough figure.
Garlic
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#11
The advice of packing light is the way to go as Garlic says. Getting in shape before you hit the trail as Jason said is also excellent. I agree with all of that advice.
How much your pack weighs depends on your level of comfort you want and your experience as a hiker/camper. Your winter pack will weigh more than your summer pack because you’ll need fewer pieces of clothing, also you can use a lighter sleeping bag when the weather is warm. I recommend not leaving warm items behind at the start, you will learn your comfort level as you go and then shed unneeded items as your hike progresses. My pack without food weighed about 30 pounds.
I was 57 years old on my 2006 thru hike and I averaged about 2 mph as I hiked, I took lots of breaks for water and snacks each day. I left camp early and hiked late each day to average 15 to 16 miles per day. The younger crowd seems to sleep in, walk fast, and spent more time in town than I did. I took 16 zeros when my wife met me along the trail. My total hike took 5 1/2 months.
I had one of the younger hiker make the comment to me that they didn’t know how they surpassed me long ago. Once I compared our hiking styles and how much longer I hiked each day it became clear (Just like the the tortoise and the hair).
Jason’s point #2 of committing 100% is right on the money! A thru hike is not a vacation it is a JOB. You have to work at it to be successful.
Don’t sweat the small stuff if you keep your eyes and ears open to new things you’ll do fine. You will find your hiking style totally different within a few weeks as you refine what you do.
Old Goat
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#12
I spent around three thousand for my thru-hike. I was aiming to spend more like two thousand. I started finding out as a girl it was easy to get invited to people homes. Which cut costs considerably. 
Rules for saving
few to no drop boxes
no hotels
get to town in the morning
buy durable gear
Amish
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#13
Everything you are all telling me is incredibly helpful. If anyone else has more to say, I would love to hear it. Expansion is a wonderful thing when one is hearing those who know speak.
Nunam
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#14
A grand per month sounds about right. Of course if you want to party in town it will be more. It took me 5 1/2 months and I figure I spent about 6,000.
Amish, I recall you using that in Kent.
Chainsaw
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#15
And then there are those good ole section hikers. I suppose if I ever make it to Kathahdin, it will be the cost of my college education. I do not regret it for a minute but shuttles, logistics such as planned food drops, driving to and fro or taking the “dog” ie Greyhound adds up pretty quickly.
I dropped $1200.oo or so to hike 280 miles or so this past hiking season with no new gear. shuttles, shuttles, shuttles, food, food, food.
I am always on a time crunch doing 20-30 miles per day and hostels/hotels are not even in my radar.
the draw back to big mileage days is that if you run into a wayside or a town; feeling kinda exhausted: the temptaton to eat out is great. I mean who wants to cook when you have been pushing up the Priest or climbing across Hawksbill when food is at your hand??
fraserfir
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#18
I have completed the trail twice. Once in two sections (2008) and once as a thru (2010). I never looked at what it cost me because I did not want to know. It was a lot. There are many great comments being made above on this topic. Most are very valid. It is a hike of a lifetime. Don’t get too restricted on the money if you are able. The town visits and hostels are enjoyable but does add costs. Hike light. Have fun.
FOG
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#19
I hiked in 2006 and spent around 2500 that gear and every thing, I am planning another thru this year i figure about .75 per mile.
RED-DOG
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#20
I learned, after gear, it cost about a buck a mile. That is, if you can survive without having to have a grand hotel stay or your butt pampered at town stops. Hike your own hike. Just make sure you have the funds, or a good credit card limit, when you go. Have fun. I Thru hiked in 2000; i’m going to section hike in 2013; hoping to leave within a month from today. Two months on the trail shouldn’t cost me more than eight hundred bucks; my guess. Take care and be insightful about your hike. Plan on a lot of personal reflection when you’re out there.
Symba