Average initial gear $$$ investment

[Bronk]

Some people here like to hike. Some of us like the camping aspect more than the hiking. And then there are people who enjoy shopping for gear more than they like camping or hiking. Most of us are a mixture of those three.

It all adds up...even the person who thinks they only spent $300 on their gear probably isn't counting the $110 pair of hiking shoes and the $45 shirt...just because it doesn't go in your pack doesn't mean you didn't spend it. You're probably just more honest about how much you've spent. Its like anything else, you can spend a lot of money on a hobby.

[cmoulder]

BackpackingLight has turned into basically a gearswap site with the occasional pertinent backpacking thread. Great place to get barely used, top-notch gear at a significant discount. Well worth the $5 annual basic subscription.

[q-tip]

My basic 3-season kit, populated with top of the line equipment, was $3,500. Safe, Dry, and Warm, this kit delivers. One could surely do it for much less.

[QiWiz]

Some good light gear can be expensive. Cuben and high-loft down insulation being the biggest $$$ items in my kit. I try to sell gear whenever I buy used or new gear. This lowers the cost of gear somewhat and helps keep the gear closet(s) in line.

[kevperro]

Like most hobbies it can be really expensive. It can also be very affordable if you don't get stupid about chasing every new gadget. I went almost fifteen years without buying hardly anything at one point. Once you own what is needed most of it will last you a couple decades or more. The last 5-6 years I've blown a lot of money updating my early equipment but I'm financially in a better place now than I was when I bought my first gear. I've bought and traded gear as a hobby more than hiking as a hobby.

Actual trips are affordable too. Just buy food and go walk.

[gbolt]

Is $3100 a lot to spend on gear? Maybe. If I buy something and get a lot of smiles per mile I forget how much I spent on it. Money well spent.

+1. Also, if it does that same job as another item but is lighter in the pack; money well spent.