Post office drops

imported
#1

Whats the best way to mail yourself supplies?

My Idea:
I’am going to pack or make up one food supply box for every PO, and mail them before I leave. If I need something extra or special I’ll call home and have it sent. I have no Idea as to how fast I’ll be traveling so it just makes sense to send one to every Post Office. Who know’s when I’ll get there and how much food I will have or need.

Steve

#2

I did’nt mean everyone. Obviously there are many that are only 2 to 20 miles apart…

So what is the best way?

Once again I would appreciate as much advice on this one as possible…

steve

#3

We tried to document our process for determining Maildrops for our ADT hike. (www.trailjournals.com/gottawalkadt) Some of it may help in your planning. (Obviously not the specific post offices)

Most of the post offices along the AT are familiar with hikers mailing re-supply boxes. They are usually very helpful and accomodating.

A few things to be aware of:
Be aware of holiday schedules. A Monday holiday may mean the PO is closed for 2 1/2 days and you won’t get your box.
Don’t be demanding of the PO’s. That can spoil the rapport for those hikers who follow you.
Most PO’s won’t hold you box for over 30 days, some even less. I suggest you mail each PO a letter asking what their guidelines are. You probably need someone at home to mail your boxes to meet your schedule.

Good luck on your hike.

Ken

#4

I plan on making use of some of the hostels/motels and other places that will accept mail drops, rather than JUST Post offices. Most of them only hold for registered guests, but I figure I will call about a week before I get there to make a reservation, so they will hold my package for me. This makes it easier than having to worry about getting into town before the PO closes. Some towns I will be utilizing the POs, but not all!

Jeff

#5

I used very few post offices for mail drops choosing to use hostels, motels, outfitters, and many other places along the trail that would not be closed weekends and holidays and that would not have the strange hours many rural post offices maintain. I also chose to only pack my first 3 or 4 drops in advance. My wife filled the rest of my drops based on calls I made from trail towns. That way when I became sick of eating a particular food I chould change to something else.

Gabby Art

#6

Here are several reasons why I would reccommend that you not use post office drops:

  1. Unless you have specific dietary requirements, there is no need. Towns are close together on the AT, and most have a good grocery that will supply all your wants. The ALDHA or Dan Bruce guides will give you an idea of which towns may be a problem.
  2. You will not save any money by doing this. Even if you buy in bulk, the cost of shipping will negate any monetary advantage.
  3. You will likely get sick of some types or flavors of meals. If you have already purchased and mailed to yourself, then you will likely be tossing that food in the hikerbox or garbage. In addition, food can easily spoil (even bagged,boxed,etc) and then you are in the same boat.
  4. It is very difficult to plan ahead to a great degree. Assuming that you will be hiking at the same rate through different sections of trail is a fallacy. If you rely only on maildrops, you will likely have too much or too little to eat. Either situation will lead to frustration, despite your best intentions.
  5. Post offices do not keep the most convienient hours. Do not be suprised if you get to town and the post office you thought would be keeping standard hours has closed early. Having to do bigger miles to get to town before the PO closes sucks. I speak from experience on that.
  6. What really will really piss you off is when your package isn’t there, or is lost entirely. There were several times when my hiking partner & I took extra town days just to call around and track our bounce box.

That said, if you do want to do maildrops then I recommend:
a. Choose UPS over the US mail. It is cheaper, much faster and you can actually track it. Don’t be fooled by USPS claims of tracking, signatures, return receipt, etc. Unless you pick the very expensive option of registered mail, the Post Office has no idea where your package is. All other options will just tell you if they delivered it to the endpoint, not where it is or when it can be expected.
b. Send to a hostel, motel or business address. Most businesses are open for longer hours and weekends than the Post Office. UPS will not mail to a post office. I had my parents call several businesses and have picked my UPS boxes up at hotels, grocery stores and even hardware stores. They called ahead each time and asked if they could send there.
c. Use food drops to supplement what you are buying on the trail. A favorite food or fresh brownies are a blessing. By buying the majority as you go, you can tailor your desires to the moment. Your hiking style will change, which can lead to a change in diet. I know people who switched to no cook meals and breakfasts that they could eat on the go.
d. Do not close up and mail your boxes ahead of time. Have someone seal them and mail them as you request. You will likely find towns that you dont want to stop at, and having a package there will create a sense of obligation. Again, please trust me when I say you don’t need the stress.

30-30

#7

30-30 puts it very well and I echo what he said.

You’re going to mail all of the boxes at once??? You’ll mail off the ones in Maine before you start in Georgia? The PO’s will hold boxes a long time, but they’ll have sent it back long before six months.

You will have no idea when and how much your appetite is going to change, so you’re rarely going to find yourself with the exact amount of food you need and will end up at the grocrey store anyway.

0101

#8

I agree what 30-30 said. When I hiked this past summer, I had someone send me stuff if I felt I couldn’t get it in a town. I had a lot of extra stuff laying around the house and it was cheaper to mail it than to buy it in town. I don’t think you should pre-mail all of your supplies because everything is going to change after the first couple of weeks. You wouldn’t want to invest all of your time and money now trying to guess what you’re going to like later in the trip.

Grinds

#9

what worked for a lot of friends who used maildrops was to have all their food at the home of a friend/family, and they would call one town ahead and tell the person specifically what and how much they wanted to send.

0101

#10

It would be a benefit, also, to check out whiteblaze.net. Jack Tarlin posts an excellent article every year on the availability of resupply along the way. it will give you great information on which towns have good grocery stores and such, and which are good to send boxes.

0101

#11

Thanks for all your great advice. I will have someone mailing the boxes for me… who will only be a phonecall away. And I will definitely be doing more research,

You guys rock…!

Steve

#12

I used mail drops and ran into one major problem. I planned too few calories per meal. I ended up suplimenting meals with store bought food. Good communication with you home support if very good. My dad ended up prefering UPS before I was done. Its quite convinient but makes you decide where to stay without ever visiting that hotel. Not a huge deal, even crappy hotels have less mice than shelters. You will have to buy some thing anyway (like cheese) so plan accordingly. If I were to hike again, I would mail drop again.
Just be flexible with your plans and its all good.
TB

TurkeyBacon02

#13

I’m going to put in another plug for maildops. If you have a home support system and especially if you make much of your own food, they can be awesome. Jeff and I maildropped almost all of our food for our two hikes, and had no problems. We almost never ran into problems with PO delays - just modify your plans(speed up or slow down) as you go.

Priority mail is the only service you should use if you go with the USPS, as we did. Free forwarding (by phone), quick delivery (2-3 days from NY to CA). We had no complaints at all, and no lost boxes, either.

Also, on the AT, you can mail cheese in your boxes with no trouble, except in all but the absolute hottest weather. We had an 8 oz. block in every one of out AT drops, and didn’t lose any of them. I don’t advise doing this if your box will sit for a week or more, but if your drops are being shipped relatively close to you ETA, it’ll be fine.

Chipper