[pct-l] Midwest anyone? & Bounce Boxes

[moodyjj at comcast.net]

KJ,
The size depends on what you put in it, and the material on how many times you bounce it, I guess.  On the AT in '06 I used a "fixed rate" box from the USPS.  Got several for free from usps.com.  Mine was cardboard and did not deteriorate, although it had lots of tape and "mark-outs".

The postage was about $8.50 no matter what it weighed - 6 oz. or 6 lbs. - all the same.  It might have been a little more expensive but made it easier to arrange for mailing by hostel owners, trail angels, or others.  I could give them the money for the postage knowing that they wouldn't have to pay any out of their pocket.  (Sometimes you want to start walking instead of taking a day or so to get to an open post office.)  Also, if you accept it at the PO but don't open it or carry it out, you can forward it to the next location without additinal postage.

I found by accident that I should leave a little extra space in the b-b - don't fill it up all the way.  Sometimes I would have a food drop arrive with the b-b but would not need all the food for the next leg of the hike.  I could stick the surplus in the b-b and forward it to the next location without having to throw it away or carry it.

Besides the pre-addressed labels for your planned b-b destinations, include a few blank ones and  Sharpie fine point, just in case.

Have a great hike.
Mango

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: Katalina Jimenez <katalinajime at hotmail.com> 

> 
> I'm coming from Minneapolis. I plan to be at the Kickoff at the end of April- 
> this is the year that I'm finally getting on the PCT and I'm very excited. I'm 
> sure we'll have a few midwest peeps representin' :) 
> 
> Since I'm writing I have one question for the group: 
> What are you using for a "bounce box". I heard that re-using the same cardboard 
> box might be dodgy, so I think Yogi's book recommends some sort of 
> plastic/durable bounce box. A 10 gallon bucket seems a bit big and expensive to 
> ship every week. 
> 
> Any suggestions? What have people used in the past? 
> 
> 
> Katalina from Minneapolis, Minnesota 
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