Whats Your PCT Price?
Im not going to put a price on my PCT hike. However, I’m aiming to spend as little as possible while hiking the PCT. When I type into google “What is the average cost of hiking the PCT?” Google gives me a range between 4,000-8,000$. I run some quick math through my head and realize I can live in modern society for five months spending the same amount as some spend on thru-hiking the PCT.. Dang
So I’m setting a personal goal to spend as little as possible while on my hike.
How I plan to save money on Trail:
- Don’t obsess over pack weight – I have most all the camping gear I need I’m not going to buy all new ‘Ultra-light’ gear.
- Stay out of town!
- Keep clean, well fed, and healthy on trail – This way I don’t feel the need to splurge when I get to town – you’d be surprised how ‘at home’ I can make myself in the woods..
- Plan ahead for things that might have a high price tag – snow gear, bear barrel, sleeping in town
Anyone have any other ideas of how to save money on trail?
Why is this important to me? Well thru-hiking is appealing to me because it’s a way to get away from modern society which, in my opinion, runs on money. When living in the city I realize that a lot of people need to be spending money and buying new things for pleasure. My thru-hike is the antithesis of money = happy. Low price of living is attractive to me and I think that living in nature and hiking just shouldn’t be that dang expensive!
So I plan on starting to track how much I spend on hiking with my travel fare to Campo, as well as any gear I purchase for the hike prior to that. Think I can keep the price tag under 2,500$? Challenge accepted?
NOTE: I Plan on joining the PCTA and making a donation before I start my hike. If there’s one place we need to be spending money right now, in America, it’s to help upkeep and protect our public lands. I hope you think about making a donation as well! https://www.pcta.org/donate/#why-give
Home is where a thought of feeling can be sustained instead of being interrupted or torn away from us because something else is demanding our time and attention
-Clarissa Pinkola Estes Women who Run With the Wolves
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Comments 9
Best (semi-facetious) suggestion I can give is not to make friends… when you find a group of people you love, and they invite you to go to dinner and stay in a hotel room with them, or take a bus to a festival, it’s hard to turn down. Especially when saying no can mean being separated for a long time afterward.
Give up drinking/smoking! Seriously, its crazy how much money thru-hikers spend on beer, wine, weed, cigs, etc in town!
Dang Such a tough reality because I love everything from Friends to beers and all in-between! A good thing to thinking ahead about… the social aspect
Live out of hiker boxes for resupply! Also, give up drinking, except maybe when the beer is free. Camp while in town instead of hostel/hotel. There are also several places on the trail that offer work, from farms to other odd jobs, it’s a good way to rack up some cash in case you really need some.
I Like the Hiker Box Idea! Thanksz
Your single biggest savings will be a function of how quickly you choose to hike the trail. Everything else being equal, on trail costs will be 50% higher if you take 6 months to hike the trail vs. 4 months.
I second this Big Juice. Less time on trail is less time without a decent or any income. Congrats on the AT!
Pickle AT class of 16
How about embrace Trump’s tax cuts. There’s a few grand for you right there (unless of course you are just a freeloader living off the government then the tax cuts won’t do anything for you). Or maybe making friends with us rich conservatives who don’t mind treating our friends to free hotel rooms, meals, and gear.
No need to be derogatory about tax cuts. The only people who care less about your political opinion than politicians is everyone else who isnt a politician.