OK, I am nobo in March 2010 and trying to plan my mail drops. I just can’t figure out how much food is enough per day. Does anyone have a list of a typical mail drop that they have used in the past to give me an idea? I really don’t want to send 15 packages of ramen noodles and 3 pounds of gorp for a 4-5 day stint and regret it later…
Thanks,
Brian
Brian Glass
Don’t use food drops, your hungers will change, your intake will change, your schedule will change, After all you’re out there to change. Hitch into town, food drops only seem safe and praticle in their idea.
farsang
B. B. has it right. Get real food on the way. HOWEVER…find out which P.O.s are right on the trail and give family/friends the address and ETA. semi fresh home food i.e. Mom’s homemade cookies, Uncle Jesse’s specialy formulated for hikers’ GORP, Grandma’s secret recipe jerky, as well as thinking of you notes can be the pick me up that gets you thru PA. If you get there before your package the P.O. has a Forwarding Form that you just fill out for the next town stop. If you keep one in your pack you don’t have to wait around for the P.O. to be open, just drop it in the Mail Box. If you have lots of supportive friends, fill one out any way to keep the late ones catching up to you.If you want to Bounce somthing Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes are the way to go, they will give you the box and tape. Close to the Trail is Key, Do a little research, I wasted a lot of time and energy I didn’t have tring to find or hitch to P.O.'s that were way off track. Also be aware that small rural P.O.'s may have odd or limited hours. Close at noon, on Saturday, All are closed on Sunday. Nothing like getting in to town and finding out it is in fact Sunday. Or an obscure National Holiday. Have them Address it Attn: Hold for A.T. thru hiker ETA Date, Brian Glass, General Delivery, Town Name, State, Zip code.
spider
Also, you will need to have your real name on the box, they have to have photo ID of you to release the package, and trail names may not get turned over to you.
spider
I disagree about using mail drops. I sent food and “consumables” like pills in md’s. Buy on the Trail what is common (Lipton sides, instant mashed potatoes, peanut butter, slim jims, hard cheese, bagels, etc.), but send yourself items that are hard to find in convenience markets or small towns. I used a lot of freeze-dried foods to supplement the basic instant meals, and would do it again. Try beprepared.com for some great choices (meats, veggies, fruits, even cheeses). The stuff comes in #10 cans and seems pricey, but the light weight, quick reconstitution times, taste, and nurtitional variety are worth it. Don’t confuse freeze-dried with dehydrated, which is heavier and takes longer to reconstitute. I also sent a packet of powdered milk in each m-d; it comes 6 or 8 packs to a boxes and is hard to find in small stores in small amounts. Good luck.
Mango
I think Mango has the best approach. If you are going to use mail drops only send your self staples that are hard to find in small towns or stuff like meds that you might need. I personnally do not use mail drops in most cases because I do not like to be tied to a town stop. I tried it for a while and had a knack for sending it to a town I would arrive at on a Saturday after the PO closed.
Big B
Mail drops are usually more of a pain than they are worth, but not always, for sure. I made three mail drops on my AT hike, but not for food–shoes, socks and guidebook sections mainly. The grocery stores and C-stores along the way were just fine for trail food, in my experience. It sure doesn’t hurt to support the local businesses–they really like seeing hikers spend money. And you can often buy the food you need for the cost of postage alone. It’s fun being flexible, too. Once I walked out of a C-store with nothing but hot dog buns and peanut butter for two days, and still smile about that.
“Hike your own hike” is a fine mantra, and it’s hard to do when you have to hike the Post Office’s hike and rush into town on Friday afternoon, or wait in town until Tuesday on a holiday weekend then find out your box didn’t arrive or they can’t find it in General Delivery.
Garlic
I used 42 mail drops. The idea was that my wife could be actively involved in my hike. She would be keeping closer awareness of my location on the trail. Also, I kept my journal with a PocketMail Device sending email to my wife every time I got to a town with a payphone. I only prepackaged one months worth of resupply so that my wife would be able to vary the contents. It doesn’t take long to get tired of instant oatmeal. She got very creative. I was able to make requests about a week before I would receive a package. I avoided packages sent to post offices so that I would not have to alter my hike to adjust to post office hours. Almost all of my mail drops were to hostels, motels, hotels, outfitters, tourist information centers and in one case a hardware store that accepted mail drops for hikers. I felt that it worked great. I’m sure I did not save any money since it required a fee for mailing Priority Mail. But, it certainly saved me time in town. I didn’t have to spend as much time hitching rides to and from grocery stores. There were a few items that required me to get into town. I did miss out in meeting more of the towns folks that worked in the stores of the trail towns. And I realize I had an alternative reason to use so many drops. My method probably would not work with most people. My wife proved to be an incredible base camp manager.
Gabby Art
Certainly there is great cost savings using mail drops. And just because you choose to save some $$$$ that way doesn’t mean you won’t spend some more $$$$ in the town store(s).
On my thru hike I was on a poor man’s budget -No hotels, no slack-packing shuttle fees and certainly no room for $3.00 lipton rice mix when it’s .99 at home.
I learned a lot on that first hike - but I still use mail drops and will always recommend them to anyone who will listen.
The most important tip I will pass along is to be creative in your meal planning. I make it a point not to repeat meals for at least seven days. You’re still going to splurge on something while in town (for me it’s Ben & Jerry’s) but the money you save by using mail drops allows a tight-budgeted hiker to do that without feeling guilty.
TicTac
No point, as far as I am concerned. Just save some xtra cash and eat as you go. Your cravings change as you hike!
Snack Attack
It is helpful to read others responses to this question. I have been out hiking The A.T. In Massachusetts this summer in day hikes, completing the state. I have met hiker and even have been able to talk with some of them. I also want to thru- hike in 2010. I was also thinking March would be a good time to start. I met a thru-hiker Bee Man. He uses mail drops, he may be able to offer his advice. He is on trail journals.com. I will also be writing to him once he has completed his hike. He is a really nice guy!
Christine
I did send way too much to the AT in maildrops in '89: about every 200 miles. As a vegan healthfooder, you almost have to send half of your food to trail. Oatmeal, bread, chips, & other supermarket staples can easily be bought along the trail (sandwiches were my usual lunch; just keep whole wheat bread & chips in top part of your pack). On PCT I had maildrops about every 300 miles & separated half the drop to forward about 8-10 days ahead(only send priority if PO might be closed, you can drop em a postcard or call to forward for free). On the CDT, I did most of my own shopping at Health food stores etc… (Bozeman MT, Denver,CO et al)… I used drift boxes to supplement what I knew I could get in trail towns, becuz I had bicycled down the Rockies after a failed CDT 03 attempt which got me really ready for my CDT/RMT '04. I was surprised how much veg healthfood I could get in towns like E.Glacier (few soy products), Butte(Walmart) Lander, Rawlins, W.Yellowstone, Colorado ski towns (healthfoodshops)
as well as in Silver City & Chama. If you don’t like cancercausing chemicals in your food, you will have to buy instant soup from the bulk section of hfstores & some supermarkets. I also used powdered soymilk, cookies & chocolate bars with evaporated cane juice as sweetener, which in my experience doesn’t affect your performance like bleached, devitaminized, demineralized white sugar seems to me to do. I carried non-hydrogenated margarine in a peanut butter jar in a freezer ziploc just in case… liquids like olive oil & booze only work in small soda bottles which often you can find on trail. (PS. don’t mail booze or other flammables).
gingerbreadman