Expert Tips For Planning Backpacking Meals And Mail Drops For a Successful AT Thru Hike

• Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) Bryson City, NC
• Fontana Dam, NC
• Hot Springs, NC
• Troutdale, VA
• Pearisburg, VA
• Harpers Ferry, WV
• Port Clinton, PA
• Unionville, NY
• Bear Mountain, NY
• Cheshire, MA
• Killington, VT
• Glencliff, NH
• Monson, ME

The above towns likely suffer for adequate stores where you can resupply backpacking food since this is where we ship most food orders to AT hikers. See these helpful resources for a complete list of resupply locations and planning advice –

• The A.T. Guide by David “AWOL” Miller and the 12-mile day planner and 15-mile planner
• Postholer AT Databook
• GutHook app

Plan your food using an average pace of 12 miles per day (19 km)

Inexperienced hikers often overestimate their daily mileage. So many hikers tell us they plan on covering 15 – 20 miles per day to start. That is unlikely — even if you are in great shape. The AT is a challenge, and your body takes time to adjust to the constant movement and living outside. Keep in mind that the average mile per day for most hikers on the AT is between 10-15 miles (16-24 km), including non-hiking “zero” days. You may hike more miles on a particular day, just as you may hike no trail miles while you resupply in town. 

According to the ATC, the average thru-hiker takes 165 days to complete a thru-hike, which is just shy of six months.¹ Thinking in terms of the entire 2,200-mile (3540 km) distance of the AT, and averaging 6 months to complete it, your daily average would be 12 miles a day. 

• Plan on a pace of 10 miles (16 km) per day for the first week of your hike while you acclimate to the trail. After the first week, you will know your pace better. Expect to improve on hiking speed gradually.
• The most remote sections of the AT include Georgia through central Virginia and the northern part of New England. This section is where resupply points tend to be far apart, and the towns are further away from the trail. Research this area well to make sure you have enough food here. 
• If you are headed NOBO, by the time you reach TN/VA, you can expect your daily average to increase up to 5 more miles per day. This pace will likely continue until reaching northern Pennsylvania, around Duncannon (mile 1147). The rocks are excruciatingly painful on your feet and will slow you down. Otherwise, your pace will resume until you reach the North East’s southern portion. 
• The trail will become more difficult once you hit the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Expect your pace to slow to 8-10 miles per day. Maine is challenging due to trail erosion and rocky terrain.
• Backpacking burns requires eating a lot of calories. In general, on the AT, you’ll need to consume at least 3,000 calories per day to keep from losing weight. Don’t expect to get all your calories from eating three meals daily. You will need to snack between meals to supplement calories.
• Aim to keep your food weight to 2 lb (~1 kg) per day. If your food pack weight exceeds 2 lbs per day, you’ll have more food than you need. Four days of food should be at most 8 lbs per person.
• Keeping food weight to 2 lb daily requires you to pack only dry, calorie-dense food. Look for meals/snacks with 124 Calories per ounce | 438 Calories per 100 grams | 1832 kJ per 100 grams.
• The 124 cal/oz rule will provide you with around 4,000 calories per daily, assuming you are carrying two lb. of food. See Outdoor Herbivore’s Calorie Dense Snacks and Meal List.

Expect your timeline to change

Most of the Appalachian Trail is never more than 50 miles from a town. Generally, this means you can resupply every 4 days. The only exception is the Hundred Mile Wilderness in Monson, Maine—a remote section of the AT near the northern terminus. Most hikers carry 6-7 days of food to complete the 100 miles here.

You should have a resupply strategy, but expect your schedule to change once you get on the trail. Don’t make yourself miserable by hiking in a torrential storm to meet your mileage goal or to reach town at a specific time to collect your dropbox. Having a fixed maildrop schedule restricts you from fully enjoying an authentic wilderness experience. Instead of holding yourself to a timetable, allow yourself the flexibility to adjust your plans as you hike.

How to use Outdoor Herbivore Mail Drops

We recommend ordering your mail drops while taking a zero (rest) day in town to fully allow yourself the flexibility to adjust your plans as you hike. If you are placing orders while hiking the trail, please order at least 1 week before you need your food! We ship from Northern California, and most orders will arrive 3 to 4 business days after ordering from our website. If you put orders ahead of time on our website (more than 30 days out), we’ll hold your order at our location and ship your package 7 calendar days before your noted Estimated Date (ETA) to ensure the package arrives in time. Sometimes, placing pick-up orders is not possible in town — you don’t have cell service, or you are traveling on a visa and must adhere to a strict schedule. In that case, Outdoor Herbivore can help you. Please contact us with your planned resupply stops, and we can coordinate mail drops according to your plan.

Most hikers have food mail drops sent General Delivery to the Post Office using our ‘Best Rate’ shipping service. The ‘Best Rate’ service ships USPS Priority Mail to post offices on the AT.

Tips for Mailing AT Food Orders With Outdoor Herbivore

• If the destination is a Post Office/General Delivery/PO Box, please select our ‘Best Rate’ service. Best Rate orders will ship Priority Mail or USPS Ground and arrive within 5 business days.
• If a location accepts UPS/FedEx only, you must select UPS Ground as your shipping option.
• Provide an Estimated Date (ETA) that you will arrive to get your food order in the Order Comments field. Providing the ETA is essential because we use this information to schedule your shipment and verify your order arrives on time. Post offices will hold your order for up to 30 days, so we recommend you plant it to arrive several days ahead of when you will need it. Worst case: you can have the package bounced (see below) to another post office if you miss it.
• In a rush? If you need your package delivered sooner than 5 days, please use the Express service choice to cover the expedited fees. Tell us your ETA in the comments so we can confirm the timeline is possible. If it is not possible, we will contact you by email or phone. Note: if you select Express shipping to a PO/General Delivery address, we’ll ship it Priority Mail Express.
• If you need to cancel or reschedule your order, let us know before your order ships! Generally, that means at least seven days ahead of your ETA.

How to address a resupply box to a Post Office along the AT:

[Your Name]
General Delivery
[City], [State] [Zip Code]
[Order Comments with ETA]

Miles Walker 
GENERAL DELIVERY
Hot Springs, NC 28743
Hold for AT hiker ETA 25-May

How much is it to send a food order from Outdoor Herbivore to a mail drop location on the AT? How long does it take?

Here’s a breakdown of Outdoor Herbivore’s ‘Best Rate’ Shipping Service :

How does a bounce box work?

If you have an order shipped to a post office and don’t need it yet or can’t pick it up, you can opt to “bounce” or forward your box to another post office location further down the trail. 

Bouncing is free if all of the following are true:

1. The box is mailed using USPS priority mail.
2. The box is sent to a post office.
3. The box is unopened.

You can only bounce your package for free to another post office, not to a residence, business, campsite/hotel. You can bounce a box a few times (3 – 4 places) before you must collect it. If you are not sure of your hiking schedule, consider sending packages to a post office so that you can bounce it, if needed. Have the package tracking number when calling the post office. You will need the tracking to request forwarding. When you ask the postal clerk at the counter or by phone to bounce your box, explain that you are a thru-hiker and tell them, “I need to have my priority mail parcel forwarded to a different post office location.” If you are at the post office counter, do not leave the station counter with your box, or open it. Once you walk away with the parcel or open it, it is considered in your possession, and you will be charged a fee to bounce it.

What Food to Order

Outdoor Herbivore’s 3 and 5-day combos are popular for AT thru-hikers. The backpacking meal combos take the guesswork out of meal planning and save you time and money. Our multi-day combos provide you with three high-calorie meals daily, so all you have to do is supplement with trail snacks.

More Helpful AT Resupply Planning Resources

• Where to send AT Mail drops — a helpful guide written by Maggie Slepian from The Trek.
• Post Offices on the AT
• The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC),  “Thru-Hiker’s Companion”
• The Complete AT Guide by Trailheads is packed with helpful content for beginners as well as recommended section hikes.
• Reddit AT Forum
• Appalachian Trail Database: Free and extensive online planning database. Town info, post office info, etc.
• Outdoor Herbivore’s Resupply Services

Related Posts:

• Where Do Most Hikers Receive Mail Drops on the PCT?
• Where Do Most Thru Hikers Mail Food to Resupply on the Colorado Trail (CT)?
• JMT Resupply: Mailing Food on the John Muir Trail
• How to Send a Thru-Hiker Care Package
• Thru Hiker’s Eating Strategy: How Many Calories To Pack

References

[1] Appalachian Trail Conservancy – FAQs. (2020). Appalachiantrail.org. Retrieved 12 January 2020, from http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail/thru-hiking/faqs
[2] Outdoor Herbivore Shipping Mail to Thru-Hikers FAQs. (2020). OutdoorHerbivore.com. Retrieved 12 January 2020, from https://outdoorherbivore.com/shipping/#generaldelivery