How to Budget for an Appalachian Trail Through Hike?
It is the question that I have been asking since deciding to do a through hike it back in the summer of 2020. Then I tried to hike it in 2021. Due to everything going wrong, I only lasted a month but the top answer on the internet that I found was about $1000 dollars per month without the cost of beginning equipment. I spent a lot more the $1000 that first month and it was one of the consideration on leaving the trail rather then just taking some time off to rest my back. Did I even have enough budgeted to keep going…maybe.
The first 100 miles of the trail is a test for most people and many people leave for many reasons but generally not money, i.e. it is not for them, health issues, injuries, family issues, etc. But about 1000 miles in, a lot of people have to leave due to lack of funds. It is the saddest thing in the world. Most people will not get a second chance to do it again. To spend that much time and money and not make it…Sad.
Currently, I am still on the fence about heading out for 2026 thru hike. Depending on a few factors, I will be either on the trail or back on the road come next year. The funds are the most important part to me, i.e. I have a masters in accounting so I always go back to the money in most situations. It is a professional training to look at cost vs benefit.
But I am looking for a budget and to start saving until I leave. The best way for me to save and spend is to have a budget plan. Do I keep to it perfectly? Never. But having one makes me feel better and allows for me to be comfortable and make good chooses both on trail, when traveling, and in life. Currently, I believe that I have to have a certain amount in the bank that will cover my bills while I am gone, the amount that I am going to spend on trail, amount for the extra stuff that I really want, and an emergency fund.
Home Bills Budget
Most people don’t have money coming in while they are on trail unless they have retirement, school teachers types that work the school year but get paid out monthly for 12 months, a trust fund, their own business, etc. Therefore, you have to budget for all the bills that you will need to pay while you are on trail and have that money available until you have a new job, come off a leave or absence, or whatever your satiation is.
Rent or Mortgage Expenses Including Utilities, Trash, Maintenance
The younger that you are, the more chance that you live with or can move back with your parents for a short time after and not pay rent during your hike plus a few months to get back on your feet. Some hikers own their home but you still have to pay property tax and insurance plus utilities and maintenance care while your gone. But this is most peoples biggest expense.
Some sublet or rent out or leave their rental places. But you might still need a storage unit for your things until you get back. Plus if you are renting, you might need to get up first last and security deposit for your next place.
Insurance
Insurance including health, car, life, etc. If you have car insurance and your car is just going to be sitting some where, call your insurance company about lowering your insurance. My insurance allows for me to get a large discount if it is going to be parked for a while. Plus because I am not canceling the insurance, I can call at any time to get it turned back on.
Also, look into getting an emergency medical and evacuation travel insurance for your hike. Annual plans are around $200 dollars but can cost less because this is a single trip, i.e. Georgia to Maine. Every year, several people have to be taking off the trail with a health or injury. Medical insurance does not always cover it. A helicopter rescue and transportation to the closest hospital or ambulance can cost over $3,000 per hour and I imagine that they start billing when the helicopter leaves it’s home bases not just when they pick you up.
Cell Phone
Your cell phone is part of your hike but you should not have this in your hiking budget. This should be part of your none hiking budget. Verizon and ATT have the best coverage, last time I check. The reason that I went with Verizon. Some of the cheaper companies just don’t have the cell service on the trail. You might also want to up your plan to have greater service on the trail.
The cell phone is a great tool on the trail. Checking for signal on the higher parts of the trail to get local information and to call ahead for rides and reservations is important. Nothing like getting to the road and finding out that it does not have cell service. Plus most drivers try to get several people in one shot to go to town. Getting to town late can be expensive as you have to stay overnight or the whole next day to complete your laundry list of things to do including your laundry.
Plus you have a camera to remember your trip and can upload the photos to the cloud while in town. The complaint that I hear most from past hikers is that they did not stop and take more pictures and video’s of the trail and their trail mates. Especially of the bad times. As you sit there waiting for the rain to stop raining in your tent, do forget to take a photo. It is these memories that make the best stories later. Not in the moment. But after you get warm and dry and add time and distance, that is the story that you will take about.
Credit Card, Student Loans, Car Loan, Other Loans, Etc.
You want to have at least the minimum payments for the time that you are on the trail. For student loans, you might be able to get a deferment for a short time. You have to check into it. But keeping your credit rating up while your gone is very important, if you need to get a new place when you get off trail. It can be the difference in finding a place that you love or just getting into something quickly.
Apps and Other Misc Bills
Before you head out or even when you are saving up (another post that I will make shortly), review what apps you have on your phone, computer, lap top, etc. Do you really need them? I have Paramount Plus. I have to have Survivor available at all times. I use to turn this off when Survivor was over and turn it back on when it came back on. But I got the better deal with the yearly subscription. But this is a great time to get all those turned off while your on trail. If you are not using them, why paid?
But do a real review of what can you turn off. I am thinking that Excel, Word, etc. is up in Feb. I can wait until I get back to pay it. I will not need it until I get home. I can live without it for a month or two before I leave. Maybe.
Plus any other yearly or monthly bills that you might have. Things like registration renewal for your vehicle. Also, check your license to make sure that is not coming due while your away. Nothing like having to take all those test again.
Monthly or Quarterly Medicines
Before leaving for the trail, make sure that you visit with your doctors, therapist, eye doctor, and dentist to set up a plan to ensure that you keep up with any current medical treatments or can get new contacts. If you need prescription filled for your trip, you need to get your annual before you leave for the trail. Otherwise, you might need to get off the trail to see them or have to go to a local ER or other medical place. In addition, you need to see about the state laws for taking out of state prescriptions or have them sent to you by a family member or trusted friend that can pick them up. It cost a lot less time and money to see them in advance. Not a bad idea to do so just before to ensure that you are healthily and don’t need dental work.
Years ago, like over 10, about 8 to 10 miles into a hike, I cracked a tooth on a peanut. Nothing that I could do as it was dark and I had my teenagers with me in bear country. It was not a good night and the 8 to 10 mile hike back to the van was no picnic in the morning. I will be seeing my doctor and dentist about a month before I leave just to make sure that I am good. Plus give them time in case I need any follow ups.
Summary
Review all your bills and find out what you have to pay while your on trail. This is not a trail cost and a separate amount that you need to budget in. I am lucky because I own a house but only have to pay insurance on it. My child live in it and pays all the bills as I am never home. Recently because I been caring for a old relative but before that because I was always traveling. I have a room there which I sometimes use which is way I pay the insurance.
Plus you need enough money for a few months after you get back and get reset up, ie if you quit your job and let go of your apartment to get a new job and apartment. But the effects of coming off the trail can leave you needing a bit of time to get back into the groove of things even if you are coming back to a job.
Before the Trail Equipment Budget
On the trail you need a few things but with so much advise out there, we all buy way to much and get all the wrong stuff. I know that I took a tent that was lightweightish but it felt like a tomb as I could not sit up in it plus the zipper broke. I got a new one and it cost me because it was an on trail shop. But the truth is that you want to go lightweight because the lighter weight your pack is the faster you can do the trail and you have less of a chance to get hurt by overworking your back, knees, and other muscles and joints.
I will go into this more on a different post but the truth is that the only things that you need is a backpack, a tent or shelter, sleep system, water filter, water bottles, bear canister or food hanging system, a stove, fuel, matches or a lighter, a cooking pot, a spork, trekking poles, very small first aid and repair kit, good hiking footwear, 2 to 4 pairs of socks, 2 sets of underwear, 2 shirts or hiking hoodies, 2 pants or 1 pants and 1 pair of shorts, a good jacket, a hat, gloves, a headlamp or flashlight, limited toiletries, your phone and charger, plus a bit of cash and your ATM or credit card.
Everything else is gravy. Unfortunately, that gravy is what get you in trouble. Everyone has something that they can’t live without. It is personal choose. But when it comes down to it. Keep it simple. Add to your gear as you go. If possible, try it out even just in the back yard. Learning to put up your tent in the middle of a rain storm is not fun plus if something does not work or don’t work for you, then your buying expense replacements with limited options at the shops just off the trail.
Unnecessary items include things like having a camp chair, books, to many extra batteries, bear spray (unless it is required for your hiking area), extra electrics, etc. Every oz counts but not every oz that bring you joy is bad. It is recommended that you keep your pack under 20% of your body weight. But the lighter the better.
The cost of a beginner hiker is usually a lot. Because everyone watches too many video’s and reads to many blogs. Most bloggers have a financial incentive to get you to buy more. Plus, that stuff looks and is so cool but do you really need it? I will be talking more about this in a different post. But from the financial side, do more with less and pick up cool things long the trail.
Pre hiking equipment will run you between $300 to $4000. The $300 generally means that you will have a very heavy pack and you will either have to replace most items on trail or give up because you get hurt or it just is not fun. The other extreme is about $4000 the top of the line plus a bunch of stuff that you will be ditching at the first hiker box. But if you have time, then you also can get a lot of stuff on sale or even used as many people want to go backpacking and do one night and never go back. Facebook market place is a wonderful place to look. Somethings you just can’t buy used, i.e. water filter system. I will do a more complete post on this later but I would say that about $1500 would be the perfect goal amount for a good setup with all the minimum things that you need plus a few extras things that you don’t need but just want.
Transportation to and from the trail
This is very different for everyone. Those that have family or friends that can drop them off or pick them up have very different cost then those that have to find a shuttle to come get them at the airport or take them to the airport. From the Atlanta airport, train or bus station, you really have to have a shuttle come get you as Amicalola Falls State Park, i.e. the starting point, is just about 82 miles away or an hour and a half away without taking into account any traffic or traffic accidents along the way.
Talk to the shuttle drivers before you book your flight, they might be willing to do a discount if they can come for several people at the same time or on the weekend or early morning or later in the evenings. The traffic in Atlanta can be anytime if there is an accident or event but peak times are about 7 am to 9:30 am and about 2 pm to 6:30ish pm. Note: the airport is on the other side of town from the trail so that means that your shuttle driver has to drive both ways to get you.
After a long flight, it might be best to also do a night or two in a hotel to get some rest. You don’t want to be tired the first day that you are on trail. Plus Atlanta has a lot of great things to do. If you have the extra money and are flying in from the West Coast or mountain standard time frame, an extra day or two in Atlanta will allow you to be rested before you hit the trail and get that 2 to 3 hour time difference under control. Plus you might be able to find a shuttle or bus with the hotel that can get you closer to the trail or at least on the other side of Atlanta, i.e. places like Marietta.
Flights in can cheaper if you have points on a credit card. Ask friend if they have them. But think that the cost of a flight which from Los Angeles can range from $100 to $500. The shuttle last I heard is over $100 to $200. Just to make it onto the trail if depending on where you live is about a couple of bucks for gas to several hundred dollar. Budgeting is so different for everyone.
Then you have to have money to head home. This is more difficult because you have to book last moment, get friend to come get you, all kinds of hoops. Because we all hope to make it but only about 25% of hiker do. Top reasons that people don’t make it is that they physically can’t do it, i.e. including injuries, they run out of money, or they run out of time, i.e. Mount Katahdin closes for the season around October 15th. If you think that you might not make it in time, you might want to do a Flip Flop, i.e. go to Mount Katahdin and walk back toward Georgia.
Most south bound hikers don’t have this issue as the Southern part of the trail is open year round and the weather can get bad but not like Maine. I am even thinking that might be the ticket depending on where I am at on the trial at the end of June because July heat in Pennsylvania is not worth hiking. But I will talk about this more in another post.
So, if you make it, Mount Katahdin is in Baxter State Park. Baxter State Park is not on the beaten path, you actually have to drive to get to it and it has lots of rule for reservations that you need to get in advance. The closest town Millinocket is about 12 miles away from the front gate of Baxter State Park then you have a bit more to go to get to the campground which the State Park site talks about taking about 30 mins to get to.
After you finish the trail, you need to get a shuttle to Millinocket. In Millinocket, you can get a shuttle to the airport in Portland for about $150 or you can pick up the Cyr bus line to Bangor then pick up Concord Trailways bus that will take you to the Greyhound or Airport which is less.
Now, the big issue is what happens if you don’t make it? The problem with this is that you are not in big cities but rather little towns which might be hours from an airport, train, or bus line. I read where one couple had to get off and they could not even get a rental car because they hit an area that was very busy with an event going on. They rented a U-Haul and turned it in when they reached a large town with an airport.
If you leave the trail in not such a populated area, you need to chat with the local shuttle drivers. But the ride might be $200 to get to a place with a bus, train, rental car, or large airport. Then you have the flight home. Or in my case, I had to wait for the weekend for someone to pick my up as I stayed at a hotel for several days and in town with lots of restaurants. The Mexican one across the street got to know me to the point that I got my ice water with lemon as they came for my order. But this can also come out of your trail budget as you are now off trail.
Getting to and off the trail is just one of those budgets that is to personal to list a good amount. But check the airplane tickets cost 2 days out and budget the highest costing one and $200 to get to and from the trail and airport with a shuttle. Then add 10% as cost keep going up these days.
Trail Cost
There are four main cost: Gear, Food, Accommodations, and Transportation (i.e. getting to town can be on roads that you can’t walk on or to far to walk too.) I will argue that there is five main costs because food on trail and off trail is very different. On trail food, much cheaper. Restaurants are much more expensive. So, I break these up. Plus four minor cost: laundry and showers, non foods, entertainment, emergency fund, and other.
Gear
You have gear to start with but along the way but it can get lost, damage, stolen (not often but watch your packs closer to the road), left behind several miles back, not working for you, or you see a shine new toy and pick it up. For me, my tent was not working for me. It was small and I felt like I was in a tomb. I could not sit up in it. Another person that I was hike with had their hammock get destroyed during a storm, i.e. don’t camp on a ridge during a wind storm. At the time, there was also a inflatable sleeping pad, if you had it, everyone in camp known about it because it make so much noise if you moved. A lot of people replaced those because it woke them up. Something will come up.
The item that everyone need to get along the way and you don’t want to carry is new hiking shoes. Most people will go through about 4 to 5 pairs on the trail. It is the one item that I believe you should have sent from home to a Post Office. It allows for you to break them in before you start hiking in them. But it is also important if you have a issues with sizing, i.e. my foot is very wide so I have issues with finding shoes that fit me. A bad pair of shoes can take you off trail for a short time or even send you home.
But budget for at least 4 pairs and make sure that you are looking at your wear after 400 miles then every 50 miles. Also, if you get them before you leave because you have someone that can mail them out to you. You can get them cheaper during the sale seasons, i.e. black Friday. If not, budget for the cost of your shoes plus 20% more as many of the smaller shops have you and upcharge. The chance of finding a low cost resupply place in a trail town does not happen often and getting a shuttle to a larger town and back will cost you more then the shoes.
Your budget should be the cost of shoes times 20% plus the highest priced item usually your tent or sleeping bag time 2x time 20%. It sounds like a lot but something will give out. For me it was the tent and my backpack. But everyone has something come up. But shoes are the one thing that everyone will buy.
Trail Food
Trail food is just everything that you will be eating out on the trail. Popular things include pouched meat and tuna, jerky, energy bars, instant oatmeal, bagels, rice and pasta sides, tortillas, crackers, meat sticks, dried fruit, nuts, trail mixes, instant coffee, salami, instant drink packet, cliff bars, Mountain house meals, instant potatoes, Ramen, instant soups, and lots of cookies, candy bars, and all the stuff in the hostess or little Debbie’s aisle.
The cost of some of these things is not all that much, i.e. instant oatmeal or Ramen. But then you have Mountain house meal which can be up there a bit. Candy bars are up there lately. Nuts have always been a bit expensive. It comes down to the amount that you have to eat. Most thru hikers need around 4,000 calories per day not to lose weight. This brings the cost up. Personal, I lost 15 pounds in 30 days. I couldn’t get myself to eat enough calories. It was the big reason that I got off trail as it was tearing up my body up. That was with me downing at least a 12 pack of Cokes and eating a lot of food. But I have a high metabolism. But knowing this, I will be forcing myself to eat a minimum amount of calories this next time.
Plus you can some times get a Walmart or a Dollar General just off trail but a lot of times, it is going to be a mom and pop store or a gas station which just go to the local gas station and check out their prices on oatmeal or Ramen.
Most hikers run between $100 to $200 per week. Or average $14 to $28 dollars per day. The younger that you are the more your going to eat but every person is different. Best to take your current weekly food budget and just double or triple it. Also, to save money, eat something before you go shopping, count the calories that you will need until the next stop, try not to over buy because it is heavy in your pack and costly, but most importantly, try trail meals and drinks before you get on trail, i.e. you don’t want to have a lot of food that you really are not going to eat.
Restaurants and Intown Food
Now this is the area that you can really go off your budget. The moment you hit town, the smells of that greasy hot food will have you ordering a hamburger, fries plus a milkshake plus more. Take your time to eat it. Give your self a weekly budget for this. Remember that these restaurants are on the trail and you get some chain restaurants and some mom and pops but a lot of these restaurants are specially made for trail people and are priced for tourist, i.e. 10 to 20% higher then just any restaurant.
It is not about not eating at these places but if you are on a tight budget then this is were you will get hurt. Especially, if you are drinking the alcoholic beverages. Tight budget say that you should walk down to the fast food place or just eat something microwavable or just get one meal not the second. Also, one drink not so bad and averaging $8 to 10 dollars and it give you a lot of calories but several can take you off trail.
Most people are dehydrated from hiking and keeping yourself hydrated can be a battle. Adding alcoholic beverages which naturally dehydrate you more and you might get drunker faster then normal, can make it so you slow down for a few days, too many and you are staying in town an extra day w extra cost of lodging or staying on trail at the first camp which extends you time on trail. Plus if you are dehydrated and feeling a bit sick, you have a higher chance of getting hurt on the trail which might slow you down until you heal or send you home. Just the cost of alcoholic could send you home because $50 dollars here and $100 dollars here adds up plus an extra night in town and town food cost. I am not saying not to drink as they have so many great microbreweries in town or just off trail. But think about getting a sampler or just have one or two because over that can cost you in unforeseen ways.
In town, have a off trail food budget and stick to it. Also, think about getting to restaurants before 2pm as lunch is usually cheaper then dinner and breakfast is cheaper then dinner, ask the locals where they eat (locals generally know the best places and best prices), and an most importantly, make sure you enjoy town food and get a salad, fruits, or veggies (No fries don’t court). You don’t have as many options on trail to have fresh salad, fruits, or veggies, younger people might not understand this but as you get older…well. Also, if you can do dairy, this should also be high on your list as milk and dairy products don’t go well on the trail but they keep bones health.
This budget will be all over the map for everyone but think about this before you leave and make a pot of cash for the trip that should only go to in town food and restaurants, i.e. you will start the trail with $100 in cash for and each week, you will pull out X amount for town food. This will keep you out of trouble if you train yourself to only use for this expense. It is easier especially if you are on a very tight budget. Plus you should always have a bit of cash on you, singles if possible for purchase that can only be made in cash, i.e. some places might be having a internet issue and can’t accept cash and some places only accept cash, very few but some.
Accommodations
Most of your nights are going to be spent on trail. Unless you have a team that is picking you up every night and taking you to a motel, hotel, etc. So, mainly only in the 100 mile wilderness where it is a 100 miles with no roads. But this is someone that is doing a lot of planning and has a bit of money to make this happen. And yes, it has been done.
But then you have to resupply, laundry, getting a shower, see a doctor, get gear, bad weather, etc. Most people will be doing this at least weekly to every 10 days. And most people don’t head back to town on these days but stay in a hostel, motel, Airbnb’s, or hotel. Many times take an extra night if they arrive later in the day.
A hostel will run you about $40 to 75 per night or up to $100 or more per night if you get a private room. Budget hotels or motels will run you $60 to 100 per night. Nicer hotels can go higher into the $200 per night range. Cost can be split if you share a hotel or motel and find a trail family but most of them will add additional fees for over 2 persons per room.
Choosing a hostel is basically getting a bunk house and you get a bunk with a lot of other people in the room or some have private rooms which cost more. Therefore, less privacy and if snoring bugs you, possibly not a great nights sleep. The good thing about get a hostel is you get a shower, many have shuttles that will take you from the trail and back in the morning. And some times shuttle rides to the store. In addition, they generally have laundry with loaner clothes and free laundry soap which and other have coined laundry. Shampoos and other soaps for your shower. Many have a cabinet of food available for purchase and trail size items, i.e. zip lock bags for a quarter each. Usually, breakfast or dinner is included or a small fee. Plus you get to be with other hikers.
Hotels and motels are basically privacy and just like most hotels and motels. The younger you are the more the hostel is the best place to be. But as we age, i.e. me, I like having a night without anyone around. Therefore, I don’t sleep in clothes at home but I do on trail. It is nice to have a night to just relax, watch TV, and not have anyone around. But this is just a personal thing for most of us.
Just a note, a few areas on the trail, you have to pay camping fees if you are in some parks like the White Mountains or in PA, if you are staying at the campground and not on the trail.
Cost of lodging is about $60 to $150 dollars per week on trail. Note: the prices go up as you get closer to Maine. The beginning of the trail has a lot of places but not so much at the end for North boarders. I would budget $100 per week for general hikers and $75 for budget hikers.
Transportation
Shuttles can range from $20 to 60 dollars to get into town. Some times, the trail runs right through the town and you can just walk to it. Other times you can hitch hike to and from town. It just depends on the stop. About 52.5 miles in at Unicoi Gap, you have a choose, Helen about 9 miles away down hill to the right or Hiawassee which is 12 miles to the left. Personally, I love Helen which is a small German tourist town. It the Georgia Mountain Coaster, antique shop, a village grocery store, a river with a restaurant that is wonderful next to it, and a bunch of tourist shops. Plus several Motels and hotels that are easy to walk all over town from. They just opened the Capyfriends Café were you can meet and hang out with Capybaras and other wildlife. I am thinking about going there soon or taking time off the trail to see.
But truthfully, if you are budgeting, Hiawassee is more bang for the buck. It has an outfitter, a real grocery store, budget friendlier motels and hotels. But Unicoi Gap is one of those places that is great for budget people as there is a camping area just above the road about a mile. It a very rocking mile and a camping area just on the other side. It is a great place to get restocked and a full town day and get back on trail to sleep, i.e. get a shower, shopping, gear, plus laundry in a short period of time and be back on trail before nightfall. But you have to get a shuttle first thing in the morning and schedule to come back at least 2 hours before dark.
I don’t hitch hike. Most likely because I am female. So, my budget is about $40 dollars per week for transportation. If you are willing, I would put it more at $20 per week which will take into account for the ones that you can walk too.
Laundry, Showers, Non Foods, and Other
These are things that are again different for everyone because if you are at a hostel, laundry might be included but at least laundry soap is usually available. If you don’t have loaner clothes then you will have to do two sets of laundry which runs about $10 per week and $12 if you need to buy soap which I generally do because I am allergic to most soaps including shampoos and body soaps, i.e. I can’t use hotel shampoos and body soaps.
Some areas have showers and you don’t have to stay the night. Pennsylvania has showers for free or low cost that in the campgrounds, Caledonia State Park for example. They make them available for thru hikers. Camped in the area before and I love it here. Gettysburg is about 30 mins away. Not close enough to really go and spend time as you really need need a vehicle to see it properly. That is unless you need a vacation from the trail. But I would add $2 per week for showers as they don’t come up a lot without lodging but the $2 throws something in the budget for you.
Non Foods are in two areas: trail needs and personal needs. Trail needs include Band-Aids, Vitamin I (Ibuprofen), tape, TP, bug spray, etc. The most expensive cooking fuel which should be its own category. Non food personal are things like medicines, Chapstick, lotions, female products, toothpaste, batteries, etc.
Trail needs and personal non foods are basically what you need at home for a month and double that price because you have to get trail sizes plus you don’t always have a Walmart or other lower cost store. For me, I am budgeting about $25 per week which is very high but I am older and like certain things certain ways plus I would rather have more then less.
Fuel for your cooking stove which you have several kinds of stoves fuels but the 2 most used are Butane and alcohol. I would think that this is going to be average about $8 to 12 per small canister but on trail look at $14 for a replacement. Think about $5 per week for an alcohol fuel. You want to pick one up and find out how many times it boils water for you. Some people want hot breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Plus every stove is different and every person is different. At the beginning of the trail, most people use a lot more as it is cold out and start using less as the trail heats up and hot summer puts you off hot food and drink. But for budgeting assume one canister every week.
Entertainment
Entertainment is life on the trail but several areas of the trail have things got to like Helen, GA. I want to do to the Capyfriends Café which I looked up a few week back and it is $75. Most of the time, entertainment is just a few drinks with friend. But I see a lot of people get burned out on the trail. Taking a day or a few days off the trail and doing something else, I mean anything from taking the train to New York City (it is right on the trail), to going to a movie, bowling, or anything that is not trail related.
The trail is your vacation from life but when you are talking about living on the trail for 5 to 7 months, it becomes your life and everyone needs a vacation from life. Taking off a few days, i.e. 3 to 5 days, to do something completely unrelated to the trial towards the end can remind you way you are on the trail. Trail days do not count. Helpful but really, it does not count as it is still all about the trail. For me, I am a history lover, so I will be looking at going to the local museums while I am in towns and the local cultural things. Or even just a movie in a theater. It is important, to take some time to not be 24/7 on the trail. Seeing green tunnels, cow fields, beautiful valleys and mountains, etc, can be come boring at some point.
For me, I am going to take an extra $1,000 for this. Mainly, because I know that I want to have the money for small museums plus take a detour towards the end for a few day. Not sure what but that should covering anything that comes up.
Emergency Fund
This should not be less then $500 dollars but $1,000 is better. Emergencies can include see a doctor. Poison oak might need to have so meds if you get it in the wrong place or have an allergic reaction to something. If you get sick and need to see a doctor or just take a few days off trail, i.e. throwing up is much better in a private room or a hotel room with a shower, heater or air conditioning, a bed, etc.
There are other emergencies that come up like a major snow storms or weather event like Hurricane Ivan which closed some area of the trail due to the amount of trees that came down and the flooding. Some hikers left the trail and others just jumped ahead.
Or your glasses break and you have to get a new pair. New phone because it get broken or lost. Just a big cost that need to be budgeted for.
Other
Other Personal-This is just something that you might have to have but it doesn’t really go into another category. Smokers, makeup, downloading books, apps, etc..
Other trail things that you have to pay for like map apps like FarOut app which is the AT Map. It is $15 per month, $72 for six months, and $96 annually. It will show you in real time where you are, where the next shelter and/or water source is, etc. Personal, I keep the Weather Channel App for traveling. Because if you know a storm is coming in, you have to choices, i.e. leaving the trail, just getting the camp set up and staying some where before it is going to start, or doing a late start and not getting wet.
Then you have a few permits that you have to get the Great smoky Mountains National Park which is $40 and must be on you during your time in the backcountry, Shenandoah National Park are $9 with a $6 reservation fee (if you have a group then you have $9 per person plus the $6 fee) plus a $15 park entrance fee for the group if I am reading it correctly, and the White Mountains have fees for the camping and shelters but that is more accommodation fees.
Summary
With all those items, everyone’s budget is so different. Make a list of things that you have to spend: Travel money to and from the trail, Emergency Fund, monthly bills at home, starting gear, and breakdown the cost for your main trail items. They say $1,000 dollars a month but I have found very few hikers that can actually do that because this isn’t counting time on the trail and it has not change in 5 years. I have created an Excel Spreadsheet for myself and it is on my Etsy shop below. It is $4 dollars which is not going to make me rich but it will pay for it to be up and just a bit more. Check out the listing and the shop for more items like it.
https://theweeklypenelope.etsy.com/listing/4379465042/appalachian-trail-budget-spreadsheet
The average person spends between 7 to 10k on the trail regardless of time spent on it. I think 10K is a reasonable amount which does not include travel to and from the trail or your beginning hiking gear. The older you are the more you tend to spend and the longer that you are on trail. The younger you are the less you tend to spend unless you are partying to much. Beer is a leading cause of budget issues.
If you are really penny pitching, you can get most of your meals at hikers boxes the first part of the trail because people have not adjusted to how much they need. You can also get a lot of hiking gear out of them, i.e. not your shelter, sleeping system, water filler system, or backpack, but when something is not working for many people, they just leave it behind. But don’t count on it but it happens a lot. I saw a lot of Bear Spray…lol. One guy talked about how he never bought fuel because he would just get them out of hikers boxes from people like me that wanted to make sure that they had a new one.
The most money in usually spend on trail food, in town food, and lodging. Lodging is the one that you have the most control over. I spent two night at a place because I just did not want to be out in freezing rain with heavy wind gust. Like most older people, this was not only an option but safety thing as well.
The trail also has a window which is mid April to early May for Northbounders. During this window, it can be hard to get cheap transportation or lodging. Leaving earlier, you have a heavier pack as you need warmer clothes and a warmer sleep system. You also have the chance of getting into snow stormers, steams with heavy snowmelts, and mud season. Leaving later, you might not make it to Maine before it closes.
The faster you travel the less you will spend but travel to fast and you have more of a chance to get inquired and have to leave the trail early or sit in town or at camp to rest up. Remember to listen to your body. It knows best. See you on the trail!
Note: this will be one of my longest post now or in the future. Lol