I have created a variety of little backpacking planning tools to help me plan backpacking trips. These tools can help you better understand costs affiliated with thru-hiking. These tools are given freely to the community with no warranty.
Planning Tools
Trail GPX Converter – Convert a GPX route file into a Garmin-ready course with named, typed waypoints snapped to your exact track. Upload your GPX, configure a trail corridor, add resupply split points, and export TCX (for Garmin Connect) or GPX (for Caltopo, AllTrails, etc.). Supports splitting long routes into separate legs — useful for thru-hikes that crash Garmin Connect as a single file. Works offline as an installable app on iOS and Android.
Backpacking Food Optimizer – Plan your trail diet using the USDA food database. Filter by dietary restrictions (vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and more), set calorie and macro targets, and find real foods that hit your nutrition goals at trail weight. Built on the WWEIA nutritional survey data.
Trail Finder – There are hundreds of long-distance trails, and picking one is harder than it should be. This tool matches trails to your experience level, the days you can actually get away, the season you can travel, and the terrain you want. It covers 79 trails including all 11 National Scenic Trails. Day estimates are calculated from your experience against the trail’s navigation difficulty, and trails that are out of season for your dates are filtered out rather than buried. Every result links to a trail page with route details and outside resources.
Cost Calculators
Thru-Hiking Cost Estimator – The Cost Estimator is a tool to put total thru-hiking costs into perspective. This includes direct costs, such as food and gear purchases, as well as other real costs such as lost wages. Feel free to download the spreadsheet and enter in your own details if you are considering a thru-hike.
Marginal Cost Calculator – This is a tool to estimate how much you should spend for each ounce of weight reduction for your gear. This is highly dependent on the estimated gear lifetime, as well as the amount you hike in a given year. How much can you spend per ounce of weight you save.
Note: just because these tools work for me does not guarantee that they will work for you. If you have questions or complaints, please feel free to contact me.