Zero day at a glance
- Zero
- No trail miles
- Nero
- A few miles, mostly off
- Typical rhythm
- Roughly one a week once fit
What a zero is actually for
Rest is only part of it. A zero is when the laundry gets done, the resupply box gets sorted, the blown-out shoes get replaced, the permit gets sorted and the injury gets looked at. Hikers who take none of them tend to end their trip on an overuse injury rather than a decision.
The other half is psychological, and experienced thru-hikers are blunt about it: the trips that fail usually fail in someone's head before they fail in their legs. A day off in a town where you eat properly and sleep in a bed resets a great deal.
What it does to your pack
Zeros and neros are the thing that sets how much food you carry, which is the largest variable in total pack weight. A schedule with frequent town stops means short carries and a small pack. A remote stretch with no resupply for a week means eight or nine pounds of food alone, and a pack with the volume and the frame to take it.
This is why base weight is quoted separately from what you actually carry. Base weight is a property of your kit and does not change; the food on top of it swings by many pounds depending on where the next town is.
What this means when you're choosing
- Pack volume and load rating that cover your longest carry, not your average one
- Resupply spacing on your route, which sets food weight more than anything else does
The common mistake
Treating zeros as lost days
Hikers new to long trails often push through and skip them, then lose a week to a tendon. The days off are what let the days on continue, and almost every successful long-trail schedule has them built in from the start rather than taken in an emergency.
Common questions
What is the difference between a zero and a nero?
A zero is no trail miles at all. A nero is a near-zero: a few miles into or out of town with most of the day spent off trail. Neros are more common because they still move you forward.
How often should you take a zero?
There is no rule, and it depends on your mileage and your body. Many long-trail hikers settle into roughly one a week once they are in shape, and take more early on while their legs are still adapting.
Where this is defined
- Thru-hiking planning and resupply, Appalachian Trail Conservancy