[at-l] Bounce boxes and mail drops

[daveh at psknet.com (Dave Hicks)]

Over the years, I have noticed a number general types of bounce box users -- 
somewhat driven by their style of use of mail for supplies (vs. buying along
the way), their method of communicating w/ home base support, and their
buying/cooking/eating habits.

At one extreme, some folk w/o a home base support person bounce all sort of
out of season stuff ahead.  Ditto TP, personal hygiene items, batteries for
cameras, zip-locks, foot powder, duct-tape, OTC drugs, (e.g., a large bottle
of vitamin I), Rx, things like that.  Ditto food, which they buy along the
trail  pack some, bounce the rest ahead (esp. Zip stove cookers -- buying
generic stuff like rice, dried beans, etc.).  They often make as many PO
stops as folk doing an all mail-drop hike.  OTOH, some folk w/o a home base
support person bounce very little, buying hand-to-mouth, as it were -- "OK,
for the next five days I eat Snickers, jerky, and mac&cheese."

However, you mention your home base support sending stuff to you.

So, its likely you'll drift toward EITHER those who communicate regularly
with your home base and who can rely on home base for supplies (to send the
right stuff, on time, and just in time); OR those whose home base support is
limited to packages you pre-packed and maybe a switch from winter to summer
gear and back.  Most fall somewhere between, but drift in one direction or
the other.

For those who communicate regularly with your home base and can rely on home
base, it is a mater of covering an occasional oversight.  Given the postage
already being spent on the mail-drops, the additional postage on a bounce
box could often be avoided by splitting the purchase with another hiker, or
leaving the extra in the hiker-box.

OTOH, those whose home base support is limited, will often bounce all sort
of stuff ahead -- covering a string of oversights, buy along the trail pack
some, bounce the rest ahead.

Bottom line is that you need to figure out what works for you and then HYOH.

Chainsaw

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <KellyGoVols@aol.com>
To: <at-l@backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 7:45 PM
Subject: [at-l] Bounce boxes and mail drops


OK, what are the standard items stored in bounce boxes?  I understand extra
food, TP, batteries for cameras, things like that.  What else?

Also, what's the best things to prepare to have your home base support send
to you?

Also, what foods are staples in a thru-hike?

GoVols



----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----


_______________________________________________
at-l mailing list
at-l@mailman.backcountry.net
http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/at-l