Pacific Crest Trail Resupply and Maildrops

Maildrops vs. Buy as you go

There are two methods of getting supplies on the trail.

You can buy everything in advance, package it up before you leave home, and recruit someone to mail the packages out to towns along the way so you can pick them up. Maildrops are typically sent “General Delivery” to Post Offices in trail towns where hikers can claim them with a valid ID. Some trail angels and businesses near the PCT also accept maildrops and occasionally they may need to be sent by UPS or Fedex.

The second method, known as “buy as you go” involves purchasing food and supplies from stores in trail-towns or purchasing items online (when an internet connection is available) and having them sent to upcoming resupply stops.

The benefit of using maildrops is good selection. If you buy everything you need beforehand you can be assured of getting it. The downside to maildrops is that the cost of shipping can become expensive, you need to find someone to ship them all out to you (which is a lot of work) and if you are shipping food there is a very good chance you will get sick of the foods you picked out before you started the trip (this happens a lot).

The benefits of buying as you go are you can be self-sufficient and flexible and you will save a lot of time and money preparing for your hike and shipping packages. The downside is that there is not a great selection of food or supplies in many of the smaller trail towns – so you have to make do with whatever you can find. If you are a picky eater or have special dietary restrictions (like vegan or vegetarian) you might have a hard time resupplying out of the small markets and convenience stores.

Resupply & Maildrop Info: You will find a complete list of resupply stops and maildrop addresses for the Pacific Crest Trail in the Pacific Crest Trail Atlas.

Hybrid method

My preferred method for resupplying is a hybrid of the two methods that is 80% “buy as you go” and 20% maildrops. If a town has a supermarket or decent sized grocery store I will buy food in town for the next leg of my hike as well as any small towns I will be passing through in the next few weeks and I will mail food and supplies forward to those small towns, so I can pick it up when I arrive.

I put together a few mail drop boxes before I leave home too, containing gear and supplies that are not easily found along the trail like: replacement shoes and socks. My resupply person sends these when I need them.

Bounce Box

One method for keeping items handy that you will need in town (such as chargers for electronics, vitamins and medication, spare socks, etc.) but do not want to carry on the trail is to have a “bounce box”. This is a package that you would mail to a trail town, pick it up and use it’s contents while you are in town, and then when you are ready to hike out you pack it back up and mail it to the next town (or every other town… or whatever you prefer). If you send the box by Priority Mail and you do not need anything from it in a certain town, the USPS will forward it for free to your next town stop.

Note about bounce boxes: Like having too large a pack, having a big bounce box can tempt you to fill it up with junk that you really don’t need. Make sure that you are only putting stuff in your bounce box that is not available to buy in towns… or you will pay a fortune shipping it.

Stove Fuel

The two most popular types of cooking fuel used on the PCT are denatured alcohol and isobutene canisters. Here are some of your cooking fuel options:

Denatured Alcohol: Denatured alcohol is widely available in trail towns along the PCT. You can get denatured alcochol in most hardware stores. Another alternative fuel for your alcohol stove is Heet (gas line antifreeze) which is available in most auto parts stores and some convenience stores.

Isobutane Canisters: Isobutane canisters are not as widely available on the PCT as alcohol, but they are becoming more popular. Here is a list of places you can find canister fuel on the PCT.

White Gas: White gas is not a very popular fuel choice on the PCT because the stoves (such as the misnamed MSR Whisperlite) that burn it are too heavy. I really don’t know what the availability of white gas is on the PCT, but I recommend that you don’t bother with white gas stoves.

Esbits: Esbits and other solid fuel tablets are not widely available along the PCT, so if you burn fuel tablets you will need to include them in your maildrops.

Wood: The kind of wood (small sticks) needed to fuel the newer wood gas stoves (such as the titanium Sierra TT Zip Stove and the Bush Buddy) is available almost everywhere along the PCT (although you might have a difficult time finding dry wood in some areas of the High Sierra and Washington in the fall).

Note about burning wood and alcohol: The PCT is very dry in some places and wildfires are a constant threat. It is important to be careful when burning wood and alcohol in high winds so as not to start a fire.

Hitch hiking

Most of the towns near the PCT route are 5-20 miles away from the trailheads so (unless you want to walk a long way out of your way) you will need to hitch-hike to get to them. If you have never hitch-hiked before you may be a bit nervous about it, but once you have done it a few times you’ll get the hang of it.