How much can be expected to be spent on the trail…i.e. Town food (not resuply), hostels, hotels, pay campsites. ect… I dont plan to go all out. I will be just graduating from college with loands and no job and have to watch what i spend, but at the same time semi-comfort is nice. Thanks
Anthony
its tough to spend less than 100 in a town…
i average it out to about 40-60 for food-full resupply, 35 for a private motel room- or 10-15 for a bunk w shower, cooked town food!!! dinner and breakfast… and more food…plus tips- at least another 25-30, and 3-5 bucks for laundry… + beer money if your of age to make that call.
to save money ya can split a larger more expensive room w another (big PITA IMO… rather have a room to myself for a few $ more) , or hit and run after doing your chores, eat from hiker boxs (ramans n rice)etc etc etc.
I would say you will prolly need a couple of grand (2) for the actual hike after gear and transportation to n from trail… it can be done much cheaper or more expensive, its all based on YOUR choices… and those will be changing as you hike and discover what you really do n dont need. and based on your choices in gear now… ive seen people spend thousands on gear by Damascus… replacing everything they have several times over all to save a oz here or there or looking for that perfect fit… and people who have bought almost a dozen pairs of boots by SNP
so as you can see, there is no difinative answer to the question.
hiker
Like newb says, you mileage may vary. Some people go very frugal. Some go extragant.
Hiking the trail itself is basically free. It’s in towns where you spend your money for the most part.
So, you need to figure out just how much you enjoy towns and all the comforts there.
Myself, I hiked for less than $1.00 per mile. But, in general, I was the type of hiker who got in and got out. I only spent 3 nights in a motel/hotel. About the only days off I took was for Trail Days.
Others, 20 to 30 days off, and usually in hotels/motels. These people spend several thousand dollars.
If I were to generalize, I suspect that the “average” is around $3000, or about $1.50/mile
Peaks
Officer Taco’s journal has a pretty good recond of the amounts and the types of expenses he has incurred so far. May give you some insight. I’m sure the potheads have analysed the expenses and will dispute the numbers (long story - different topic) but I find it interesting.
180
I think Peaks is right–for the typical single-year thru-hiker the amount spent today (not counting gear) is at least $1.50/mile, maybe even closer to $2. Not that it can’t still be done for less, just that it usually isn’t. That $1/mile figure first started appearing in the '80s.
Section hikers probably have a much higher per-mile figure.
“Skyline”
Ah, “Skyline”, you wouldn’t want to know what I’ve spent section hiking. Actually, I wouldn’t want to know either!!
Drive to Front Royal, shuttle from Front Royal to Harpers Ferry, overnight in motel, drive back to Jersey. Section-hiking is not a cheap hobby. But I love it anyway.
Harry Dolphin
While it is common not to include gear costs in the calculation of expenses, it is customary to include food costs–whether you use maildrops or buy in stores along the trail. If you exclude the cost of maildrops (contents as well as shipping) then I think Scamp may be close to correct that $1 per mile is still do-able. At least that would be $1 per mile that you actually spend in trail towns.
“Skyline”
I’ve been reading weathercarrots page, [Ideas for a Inexpensive Thru Hike] at the whiteblaze website, $1100. He really did about the best job of laying out as a foundation to build from to make your own journey Anthony, from what little I know about you. Being cheap is the best time of all. Always remember fact, nobody wants to wash dishes. I think what I mean to say, if your cheap you’ll feel right at home hiking the A-T.Just make sure you still got enough money to get the bus home when you run out,thats all, right? :pimp
Greg
In the 21st century, it is certainly possible to thru-hike the A.T. for about $1/mile. This and other sites have recent anecdotal evidence of that.
However, I think we’re setting folks up for possible failure and disappointment if we don’t make it clear that almost two decades have gone by since that $1/mile figure was even close to the average. Inflation has hit the A.T. just like everywhere else. And IMO the $1/mile figure is the exception, not the rule.
Decent restaurant meals that cost $4 in 1985 cost closer to $10 now. It is difficult to find an AYCE buffet–other than pizza–for less than $8 and that doesn’t include a beverage. Hostels that used to charge $2 to $5 are definitely much higher. Motel rooms that used to go for $15-$25 now cost $40 or more–up north, a whole lot more. Super market staples have ticked upward. Transportation to and from the Trail is higher. You get the idea.
“Skyline”
Thats all there is to it.Are you hiking the A-T or living in town ,thats the question?
Greg
You forgot the cost of toke. But this shouldn’t set you back too much, especially if you grow your own. A three-finger bag could last you a few months, if you only smoke occasionally, like a few times a week. Growing your own is cheaper, like I did in high school:
I had six plants growing by the side of the house. When the plants started to grow above the wooden fence, I cut them down and hung them upside down in my closet to let the THC flow into the leaves.
After a couple days the leaves started to wrinkle, and I stripped the leaves off and put them in a glass jar to cure, with holes poked in the lid. After a few days, I had a full baggie (five fingers) of the sweetest scented, strongest, mellowest one-toke dope I’ve ever smoked. One toke, no joke!
:pimp :pimp :pimp :pimp :pimp
Also I made my own corn cob pipe. Here’s how I did it. First, I boiled a corn cob and bit all the corn off the cob. Then I let the cob dry out. Then, cut a piece off the cob a couple inches from the bottom, and bored out the center of the cob.
Then went out in the back yard and cut a piece of a thin branch off a fig tree, since them branches have a soft styrofoam-like center that you can hollow out. So I hollowed out the center of the branch about a foot long, and stuck it in the bottom of my corn cob. Had to bore a hole in the cob to get it in, of course.
Then put a screen in the bottom of the cob, and Voila! I had my own smooth smokin’ cob, for my own home grown one-toke pot!
:pimp :pimp :pimp :pimp :pimp
steve hiker
i spend about $3.00 to $3.50 per mile…but i eat very well when i get to town and i usually have to get a motel because i’m a lite sleeper. i’m out there to play and i DO have fun.
stumpknocker