Trans-Am trip costs

[Bluff52]

My buddies and I are trying to plan a trans-Am trip for summer 2005. However, we are having a little trouble putting together an accurate estimate of trip costs and need your help. If you've completed a trans-am trip, we would love to know how much you ended up spending (details of how you were travelling and duration would be helpful as well). Thank you very much. Your aid is greatly appreciated.

[Peaks]

I'm sure that the cost of a trip varies with duration, and your life style.  Motels are going to be more expensive than tent sites.  Prepared meals are going to be more expensive than grocery store shopping.

For what it's worth, I figure that I spend about $2700 while doing the Northern Tier with my daugher.  It was 4500 miles, and 56 days ($50/day).

42 nights in a tent (80%), $12.50/night
11 nights in a motel (20%), $62/night

Dinners and lunches on 20 days ($21/day for 2)
Grocery store shopping almost every day ($18/day for 2)

[MrFusion]

my trans am trip was about $1500 (not including gear).  however, i ate a lot of ramen, almost never paid for a place to sleep, and finished rather quickly.  i felt that my economic constraints made the trip more exciting, but i understand that people have different standards of comfort.  you can eat healthy for $10-15/day and free places to sleep aren't hard to find.

[scott.laughlin]

True, different people seek different grades of comfort.  Being out of sight is most often the safest avenue.  As long as you don't leave anything behind you don't ruin it for the next person. .

Scott

[SKYMAX]

A coupla quick questions from an overseas newbie.
What is "ramen"?
How did you wash if you stealth camped?
What about Bears if you stealth camp?
Thanx.



Clear skies, Max.

[Peaks]

Ramen is a dry block of noodles.  Not much nutrition, but cheap.

How do you wash when you stealth camp?  You don't

Bears?  Usually not a problem.  Bears are creatures of habit.  They look for food at established campsites.  

[SP]

I did a XC trip 4 Years ago and my budget for camping and hostelling was $30 per day. This was easily achieved out west and in the mid west but the further east i went the more expensive the camping became.

I only ate in restaurents on 4 occasions, cooked the rest of the time, Biggest problem was finding coleman fuel in small quantities( mostly found it in gallon cans).


FKS

[jeek]

>>A coupla quick questions from an overseas newbie.
What is "ramen"?

Ramen is an asian-style instant noodle meal which 20-somethings learn to exploit by combining with eggs, meat, vegetables.  One could write a cookbook about the hearty bike-bum meals possible while dollars are saved for beer.

>>How did you wash if you stealth camped?

On my many US cycling and hitchhiking trips I bathed in creeks and lakes. This only works if you can appreciate the vitality found in cold water.  If you soap up on shore and rinse off with your cooking pot before going back in for a final dunking you will not pollute. In winter, you heat a little water to shampoo and rinse your hair.  This is a fantastic exhilaration. Public showers are found at swimming pools, truck stops, and for a small fee at commercial campgrounds.

>>What about Bears if you stealth camp?

In bear country, which includes the extensive woodlands  of the national forests and parks, you must take measures to prevent feeding them. This is not trivial. Black bears aren’t normally dangerous but they will destroy your panniers. Hanging y0ur food from a high tree bough is the minimum step one should take, and if done correctly this may also stop raccoons and squirrels. Grizzly bears inhabit a very limited sphere around Yellowstone and Glacier Natl Parks, so don’t worry about them anywhere else. PS: zip your tent up in rainy fall weather in the eastern woods or else expect to sleep with skunks.