How to Mail a Care Package to a Thru-Hiker

By Katie Jackson, a 2024 FarOut Scout

So, you want to send your thru-hiking loved one a care package. That’s amazing! However, it can be tough to know what would be useful in a care package, especially if you yourself are not immersed in thru-hiking culture.

Related Post: FarOut’s “Before You Go” Checklist

a hiker standing in front of the John Muir Trail Memorial Shelter
Photo provided by Katie Jackson
a hiker and tent on a rocky section of the mountains on the pct
Photo provided by Katie Jackson

Balancing Gifts with Pack Weight

Many hikers have their gear so dialed in that superfluous items may end up trashed, or begrudgingly lugged until the end of their hike. Additionally, it’s hard to know how to get a package to your loved one when they’re constantly on the move.

In this post, I’ll give you some care package ideas, broken down by cost. I also asked thru-hikers what items–if any– they would love to receive while on a long trail, and incorporated their answers below. Finally, I’ll give you some tips to ensure your package ends up with your hiker when you want it to.

Care Package Inclusions: Low Cost & Low Effort

First, let me just say that hikers greatly appreciate any physical or emotional support given to them. Connection with friends and family back home is underrated and hard to come by on the trail. And, as a group, thru-hikers are very easy to please.

After spending weeks or months living out of their backpacks, even the smallest treat can significantly boost a hiker’s mood and morale. When I get to town, there are several items that would make my stay more enjoyable, convenient, and relaxing. Most of these items fall into the category of ‘small, cheap, consumable item not readily available in every town’.

1. Consumable Refills

Many hikers use travel-sized items to fill out their toiletries and first aid kids. This includes items such as toothpaste, sunscreen, contact solution, and a hiker’s supply of ibuprofen. Consider communicating with your loved one and asking if there’s anything they’re running low on. Sending a travel-sized version of those items can save your hiker from having to lug a full-sized toothpaste along the trail.

2. Hard to Find Food Items

A long trail is not the best time to be a picky eater. A hiker, already limited by weight and pack volume, must find enough palatable calories to fuel them until the next town. Tastes can change on a long-distance backpacking trip, and your loved one may find themselves craving something unexpected, odd, and hard to find. If you talk to them in town and hear them mention a specific, unique want– for me, it’s always seaweed, dehydrated beans, hazelnuts, and unflavored protein powder– you could send that ahead to the next town. When in doubt, any non-perishable, dry food will be a win.

3. Town Treat Food

Who says your loved one needs to pack the gift out with them? Especially if they plan to take a day off in the town (which is called a zero day, for zero miles hiked), they can snack on tasty treats during their time off trail. Think big and heavy. Think foods they would never have access to on the trail– such as anything with a high water content or not dense in calories. Fruit is always a safe bet. As long as the food can survive being shipped–and perhaps a few days wait in a post office– you’re good to go.

4. Travel-Size Shampoo and Conditioner

Most thru-hikers prioritize a hot shower as soon as they get into town. If you’ve ever had the privilege of interacting with a thru-hiker pre-shower, you also probably prioritize them getting clean. Most grocery stores in town sell full-sized shampoo, soap, and conditioner. This can create unnecessary leftovers–especially if you’re only in town for one day before returning to the trail. No hiker I know would turn their nose up at some smaller options with which to pamper themselves while in town.

thru-hikers taking a break on trail and looking through their backpacks
Photo provided by Katie Jackson

Care Package Inclusions: High Cost & High Payoff

While living as a thru-hiker can often be cheaper than existing back in civilization, most hikers are going without an income for their months on the trail. If you are in a position to send any of these items, you will likely be lifting a pretty large financial burden from your loved one.

Everything on this list comes with a caveat: make sure you’ve talked to your hiker and you know what specific brand/size/type of items they are currently using. Thru-hikers are often picky about sticking with the gear that is working for them–for good reason!– and you want to make sure you’re respecting that.

1. New Shoes

Trail runners, which are the most common type of footwear seen on long-distance hikes, need to be replaced roughly every 500 miles. Shoes aren’t cheap, and every thru-hiker has a mental tally in their head of how many times they’ll need to buy new ones. 

If you feel uncomfortable picking out shoes for your loved one and mailing them, you can always tell your hiker you will fund their next shoe purchase in a town along the trail. 

2. New Insoles or Socks

Maybe the moral of the story is that everything below the ankles gets pretty beaten up on a thru-hike. Like shoes, insoles need replacing too. And, even the most wonderful of socks eventually get compressed, stiff, irreversibly stinky, and full of holes. While the two are often far cheaper than the shoes themselves, not having to worry about the extra cost on top of the price of new shoes would be a wonderful feeling.

3. Shelter for a Night

Now this is the Ritz-Carlton of care packages– no pun intended. Most trail towns have one or two hostels that thru-hikers frequent, and they usually aren’t as expensive as one might think. Still, if I arrived in town knowing I had a full-paid stay at a place with a bed and running water, I’d be over the moon.

4. A Meal in Town

Thru-hikers eat a lot in towns. Despite their best efforts, most hikers are physically unable to keep up with the calories they burn while hiking, leading to absolute feasts when they can eat food they didn’t have to carry. 

Tell your loved one that their next town dinner is on you, or buy a round of beer for them and their tramily. Hikers tend to remember even the smallest acts of kindness from long distance trails, and this is a good way to ensure your name comes up a lot in conversation as people reminisce on the trail angels they encountered.

5. Funding a Resupply

This is like sending food, but without having to deal with the post office. Lots of trail towns have a grocery store of some kind, but many can be more expensive than the stores back home. Funding a resupply is a great way to ensure your loved one gets to pick exactly the food they want with them for the next stretch of trail while lifting a financial burden from them and supporting the trail town’s economy.

6. Gear Replacement

Inevitably, all hikers will have a piece of gear fail them on a thru-hike. Not only can this lead to some incredibly uncomfortable days on the trail, but it adds stress in town of trying to find and afford the specific gear they want.

If you know your loved one has a piece of gear they love that has become irreparably damaged, sending a new version to the next town would be an incredibly generous way to boost their spirits.

trail sign post on the pacific crest trail
Photo provided by Katie Jackson
thru-hikers hiking in snow on the pacific crest trail
Photo provided by Katie Jackson

Care Package Inclusions: No Cost– Just Effort

Sometimes, a gift doesn’t have to be tangible at all. Juggling responsibilities from a long-distance trail with limited service is stressful at best. If you’re searching for a way to emotionally support your loved one, look no further than favors you can do for them from the comfort of your hometown.

1. Pick up Prescriptions

Contrary to popular belief, life back home doesn’t stop on a long trail! Many thru-hikers have prescription medication they need to bring with them on their trip, but don’t have access to their regular pharmacy to receive their refills. One wonderful gift you could send in a care package is a refill of your hiker’s medication.

2. Updates from Home

Thru-hiking can be lonely! When your hiker is in town, consider giving them updates on what is going on back home– even if you consider it mundane. Any news about family, friends, pets, and cars will be incredibly welcomed.

3. Mail Ahead Location-Specific Gear

Some trails traverse varied enough terrain that hikers need to swap gear at specific points. For example, most Continental Divide Trail thru-hikers pick up snow gear in northern New Mexico and grizzly-specific gear in Wyoming. Your loved one almost certainly has the gear they want already picked out, and someone else handling the shipping hassle would make the process a breeze.

4. Send a Handwritten Note

Again, thru-hiking can be lonely. Just a tangible card in a trail town from a loved one would feel amazing to receive. It’s something that says “I’m thinking about you enough to mail this as opposed to sending a text”. Truly, such an unbeatable feeling.

hiker holding sleeping bag at sunset
Photo provided by Katie Jackson

How to Mail to the Trail

Use General Delivery for Post Offices:

When mailing packages to post offices in resupply towns, address them to the recipient’s name followed by “General Delivery,” the city name, state, and zip code. Aim for your hiker to pick up the package within two weeks of its arrival, as post offices typically hold General Delivery items for up to 30 days.

Include Clear Instructions:

Write “Please hold for [Trail Name] hiker” along with the estimated date of arrival on the package. This helps post office staff identify and hold the package accordingly.

Minimize Individual Packages:

Resupply locations receive numerous packages, so make yours stand out and try to consolidate items into fewer packages to streamline the process. Pick a colorful box to help your package stand out among all the others. Standing at the window asking for “the bright blue box” goes a lot faster than asking for the white one.

Consider Extra Handling Fees:

Packages stored by private businesses like stores or hotels may incur additional handling fees that must be paid upon pickup. Some hostels will only accept and hold resupply boxes for hikers that have a night booked with them. When in doubt, call the business and ask them their policy on holding hiker boxes. 

Allow Ample Shipping Time:

Shipping to remote locations can take longer than usual, with some areas requiring over two weeks for Priority Mail delivery. Plan accordingly to ensure packages arrive on time.

Coordinate with the Hiker:

Before sending a care package, coordinate with the thru-hiker to determine their schedule and delivery location. Timing is crucial, so ensure the package arrives before they reach town, preferably at a location they were already planning to visit.

My parents have downloaded the FarOut map for the CDT, which I’ll be hiking this year. Not only will it be entertaining and give them peace of mind to know a little more about my surroundings, but it can also be a very helpful tool in estimating which towns I will arrive at next and when. 

Choose the Right Shipping Service:

Most care packages should be shipped via USPS Priority Mail, as it’s the most economical option and many trail towns have local post offices for package pickup. Most trail towns are serviced by a local US Post Office where your hiker can receive a package. If you are sending a care package General Delivery to a post office or PO box, you must ship it using the USPS. FedEx, UPS, and DHL will not deliver parcels to US Post offices or PO Boxes.

Address the Package Correctly:

Here is a sample address for a package that will end up at the Post Office in Grand Lake, Colorado.

 

Jimmy Goodman
General Delivery
Grand Lake, CO 80447

Handwrite on the package, “Hold for CDT Hiker. ETA July 10th ”

 

When Jimmy arrives at Grand Lake, he can pick up the package from the Post Office any time during business hours. 

In Conclusion

At the end of the day, your loved one just wants to know you’re thinking about them and cheering them on from afar. Try to find time to give them a phone call when they’re in town, or send them an encouraging text. You don’t need to mail anything to contribute to the support and success of their hike.

However, if you’re wanting to send a package but aren’t sure what would be helpful, I hope this article gave you some good examples and advice.

And, if anyone wants to send my mom a link to this blog, I won’t stop you.