Shipping it or Buying it There?

I just told John in a private message about one suggestion I had that you may find useful.

Shipping cost from my parent's home in Tennessee here averages about $1 a pound--which makes much of your gear very expensive to get here. (Unless you're driving...it might be difficult to hitch hike with an axe...)

Anyway, like I was saying, there's a lot of turnover in people that have similar ambitions, so there's a lot of opportunity to get good gear second hand here.

If I were you guys, I would plan on just carrying your pack and personal belongings and camping gear with you, and get the rest once you get here.