View Full Version : The $300 Complete Outfit
buckwheat
12-11-2008, 11:07
I recently saw a thread where someone was lamenting how much it costs to gear out for an AT hike and maybe deciding it was simply too expensive.
It set me on a mission to see how cheaply a complete outfit could be had for without sacrificing too much in the way of style, efficiency or weight.
Yes folks, you can spend $900 on just a tent:
http://estore.websitepros.com/1764795/-strse-66/Saivo/Detail.bok
Or, you can get an entire outfit for less than $300.
Backpack - $59.99
Eureka Getaway 5800
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5470111&findingMethod=rr
Shelter - $59.99
Eureka Apex 2FG
http://www.eurekacampingctr.com/eureka/product.asp?s_id=0&prod_name=APEX+2+FG&pf_id=PAAAAALBFBLODNDE&dept_id=3004
Sleeping Bag - $60.00
Big Agnes 20-degree
http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/776550
At checkout, use the coupon HOLIDAYS for 20% off to get the $60 price
Sleeping Pad - $8.88
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9856753
Water Filtration - $40.00 (Optional)
Sawyer Inline Water Filter w/34-oz bottle
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8283710
Cookstove $79.95
JetBoil PCS
http://www.campman.com/jetboil-personal-cooking-system-pcs-p-1107.html?zenid=43ec07b248a4c6deff7c6bdd87ad2883
Obviously, there are better outfits you could do - and these are just the very big components (you still need incidentals and first aid, for example, and some hiking shoes). The cookstove is a luxury as you can easily make a Pepsi can stove with a couple of cans. With the savings, you could get a really decent pair of hiking shoes at many places.
But I just wanted to demonstrate that it's possible to get a really decent outfit for not a lot of money if you're willing to hunt for value, buy last year's model, get a slightly blemished product and not be too proud to carry something you bought at a Wal-Mart.
Cheers,
Buckwheat
nitewalker
12-11-2008, 11:22
skip the water filter. i never filter my water and have never been sick. u just need to be careful where u get your liquid..skip the tent and use the shelters. get rid of the jetboil and use a pocket rocket. heck now the cost is down around 200$ or so..you are rite on though when talking about how cheap it could be...peace
Cookstove $79.95 -
Reduce that to $49 by substituting the JetBoil PCS (Piece of Crap System) with an MSR Pocket Rocket ($40), Grease Pot ($5) and Canister ($4)
Water Filtration - $40.00
Reduce to $4 for Tablets (If you even treat)
The tent and sleeping bag listed above are over 10lbs just for the 2. A little heavy for my taste...
Good post. I'll leave it at that, as I don't feel the need to criticize the equipment you picked and/or boost my own ego.
Good post, but I can't let the water filter and jetboil go. They don't belong on a dirtbag list.
So the complete outfit was $180. :D
saimyoji
12-11-2008, 12:03
thats a good start, but it is nowhere near complete. are those the only things you'll be hiking with? Sgt Rock has a $300 challenge thread. check it out:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5594&highlight=challenge
blackbird04217
12-11-2008, 12:09
Besides being a tad heavy are there any reviews on the 20* Agnes bag and the Eureka backpack? I had been looking into the REI Mars 85 pack but this one has caught my interest, although it doesn't have all the features of the Mars it does have most, and is much less expensive. I've been looking into a 20* synthetic bag for my 09 thru-hike and this is less expensive as well, (with the holiday coupon), so maybe I should pick these items up now while they are inexpensive? From what I can tell the sleeping bag seems to be pretty big (storage wise), and wieght is a bit higher than the other one I was looking at. Thanks for any other info.
skinewmexico
12-11-2008, 12:12
Another good deal, if you watch Steep and Cheap, is the Primus Eta system for $49.95, with the stove, windscreen, pot, and cozy.
buckwheat
12-11-2008, 12:55
thats a good start, but it is nowhere near complete. are those the only things you'll be hiking with? Sgt Rock has a $300 challenge thread. check it out:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5594&highlight=challenge
Sgt. Rock sure has a more definitive list there. Mine wasn't meant to be comprehensive. I just wanted to see what could be done with $300, and found that a LOT can be done with it.
It doesn't take a lot of money to gear up for the trail ... just patience, an eye for a good deal.
Cheers,
Buckwheat
Gray Blazer
12-11-2008, 13:00
Everybody send me $300 and I'll see what I can do.
I'm bored, threw this together from searching the web, didn't include shipping. Following the big four theme because thrift store and free has been covered better than I could
More traditional ~10lbs 295$
Pack -- Jansport Big Bear 63 --70$
Shelter -- Eureka Spitfire -- 75$
pad -- insulmat mummy 1.0 -- 30$
sleeping bag -- campmor down 20 -- 120$
Lighter ~6.75lbs 285$
Pack --ULA conduit -- 100$
Shelter -- campmor PU 9x9 tarp -- 35$
Shelter -- mosquito net --10$
pad -- insulmat mummy 1.0 -- 30$
Sleeping bag -- campmor down 20 --120$
Am I supposed to eat the pack and the blue foam ?
Slo-go'en
12-11-2008, 14:59
If you can save $1.50 a day / $10.50 a week, you'll have almost $550.00 at the end of a year. With that much cash and careful shopping, you can outfit yourself pretty well, cothes included. Food is optional, plenty of free food in hiker boxes - if you can figure out whats in those mystery zip locks and aren't too picky about what you eat.
Pack - Kelty Redwing - $40 rei outlet w/20% coupon - 3lb4oz
Bag - EMS Boreal 25 - $54 ems - 3lb4oz
Pad - Blue foam - $8 walmart - poundish
Shelter - Hennessey Expedition - $85 themountainhideaway.com 2lb12oz
stove - primus techno trail II - $24 rei outlet - 7oz
pot - grease pot - $5 walmart - 6oz?
water purification - aqua mira - $15 reg price - 3oz
total price - $231
total weight - 10lb4oz
Pack - Kelty Redwing - $40 rei outlet w/20% coupon - 3lb4oz
Bag - EMS Boreal 25 - $54 ems - 3lb4oz
Pad - Blue foam - $8 walmart - poundish
Shelter - Hennessey Expedition - $85 themountainhideaway.com 2lb12oz
stove - primus techno trail II - $24 rei outlet - 7oz
pot - grease pot - $5 walmart - 6oz?
water purification - aqua mira - $15 reg price - 3oz
total price - $231
total weight - 10lb4oz
A hammock list, with a Redwing no less! I like it!
Jack Tarlin
12-11-2008, 18:59
Some interesting advice here, and some bad stuff, too.
News to folks thinking of hiking the Appalachian Trail:
Food is not "optional."
It will be a major expense on your trip, and you can't count on living out of hiker boxes. If you do, four things will result:
*You'll quickly be known as a trail bum
*You will eat horribly and will always be hungry
*You'll end up as a despised food mooch
*You will go home quickly
Making plans (and saving enough money) so you can either have food sent to you, or having sufficient funds to buy food en route is essential on a long-distance hike.
This is not "optional".
Slo-go'en
12-11-2008, 19:08
Sorry Jack, I was in quick reply mode so couldn't add any ;) or :) to my snide "food is optional" remark. Of course we all know you can't live out of hiker boxes - though I have meet some who have tried.
Jack Tarlin
12-11-2008, 19:11
And I'm sorry if I jumped on you....I thought your post was serious! And in that someone else recently said (quite seriously) that one could get from town to town quite easily on just Trail Mix and oatmeal I felt that another opinion was in order!
nitewalker
12-11-2008, 19:13
Sorry Jack, I was in quick reply mode so couldn't add any ;) or :) to my snide "food is optional" remark. Of course we all know you can't live out of hiker boxes - though I have meet some who have tried.
yea ,most hikers would have trouble living in those hiker boxes. they seem a tad too small for the sleeping pad and bag:D...
Slo-go'en
12-11-2008, 19:16
No problem Jack. Having good food is actually more important then gear and not a trivial expense. You are what you eat.
$300 complete outfit?
I think Men's Wearhouse (http://www.menswearhouse.com/index.jsp) may have something like that...
Sorry. I obviously need caffeine...
TrippinBTM
12-11-2008, 21:22
I like how you mentioned some "incidentals" including hiking shoes. Shoes are incidental? lol
Also, why not use a free (except for your time in making it) alcohol stove? Free because you're paying for the soda/beer, not the can. If you have a cat, make a Supercat stove out of a fancy feast can (or, just invest the 57 cents for the can), it'll take you 10 minutes. Make your pot out of a reasonably sized tin can (I used one for diced tomatoes, added a handle with a piece from a metal hanger).
Agreed that you don't need water purification mechanisms. I treated my water maybe, MAYBE, 10 times on the whole AT. I used iodine. I don't think I ever got sick (had some very mild case of the *****s for a week or so, but that was probably from other things)
don't buy a sleeping pad. Seriously. You'll find tons of them early on. You'll be alright till you do.
true, buy cheap and you tend to buy heavy. I'd try to find a happy medium and find some lighter stuff. My tent was about 4 lbs, a Cabela's XPG 1. Still kinda heavy, but a pound or more lighter than the Eureka one listed in the first post. But it cost $90. So it's all a balance. I would hate to have to rely on the shelters, though. For me, that's just not acceptable. They may be full, you may want to hike farther, or less, or you might find a good spot for tenting that you want to stay at. A tarp with mosquito netting would work, if you want to stay simple and cheap.
just with my suggestions here, I've knocked about $118 off (assuming iodine costs $10... i think it's less but can't remember). But you'll still need shoes!
...and as jack said, food.
Feral Bill
12-11-2008, 21:56
Am I supposed to eat the pack and the blue foam ?
He's just listing gear. For a short summer trip you don't need to cook. As much as I enjoy fine gear, there is value in people being able to get out cheap, even if they pack acouple extra pounds.
$300 complete outfit?
I think Men's Wearhouse (http://www.menswearhouse.com/index.jsp) may have something like that...
Sorry. I obviously need caffeine...
I have 2 from them,nice stuff ...but not at 300,that is low end for them.
I have 2 from them,nice stuff ...but not at 300,that is low end for them.
Hey..I live in Colorado. Nice means jeans without holes in them and a pair of non-smelly sandals. :D
Hey..I live in Colorado. Nice means jeans without holes in them and a pair of non-smelly sandals. :D
I wish i could hike like you.My dad had a 40ac lot picked to move to in Durango.. but choose FL.Been here for 30yrs.
Ultra cheap to bring a friend for a weekend in warm weather and have them enjoy it with a their own tent, and a pretty light pack. 8.5 lbs and 112$ for the big 4
walmart outdoor products desert ridge pack 3200ci 29$ ~2lbs
walmart blue pad 8$ ~1
sports authority alpine design hiker biker tent 16$ ~4 (on sale)
lafuma x 650 40* bag 59$ ~1.5
I wish i could hike like you.My dad had a 40ac lot picked to move to in Durango.. but choose FL.Been here for 30yrs.
Durango is awesome!
The San Juans, hands down, are the best place in the CO Rockies...
berninbush
12-12-2008, 17:43
The ultimate in cheap tents... Ozark Trails Jr. Dome Tent. I don't know the exact weight but it's in the neighborhood of 5 lbs. I think. Usually about $13 at Walmart. They're nice snug little tents... I did a week of very rainy car camping with one (with one overnight backpacking trip in a thunderstorm) and had no leaks.
The only drawback is they're made for kids, so if you're much taller than me (5'1") you won't be very comfortable. It helps to go diagonal across the square floor. On the above-mentioned overnight trip, I got myself, my sister, and my 42-lb dog in there! Cozy...
My take on this:
http://www.magnanti.com/miscwritings/3hundred_challenge.htm
Maybe it will help....
And my favorite boiler plate post. :)
Quality Gear on the Cheap: If you read those glossy outdoor magazines, you'd think you need a $300 pack, a $300 shell and a $300 fleece. You do not need expensive gear to enjoy backpacking. Often the brand name gear, besides being expensive, is heavy, bulky and overkill for what is supposed to be for the simple joy of walking.
Though written for the Appalachian Trail, the general concepts apply for quality gear on the cheap:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=206678#post206678
Some additional information I will add is that you should invest in a decent sleeping bag. The Campmor down bag is rated to 20F and is known as a good budget bag.
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=86896&memberId=12500226
If you are looking for a light, compressible and warm jacket check out an army liner jacket
(mentioned in the above article, but deserves to be emphasized) : http://tinyurl.com/2dfgpk
If you don't mind a bit of sewing, you can make a Montbell Thermwrap clone for less than $20 with the above liner jacket. A men's large comes in at 12oz! Considering a Montbell Thermawrap is $150 and weights 10oz, the cheap way is nice for those on a budget on who need something warm, light and cheap!
Check it out: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=41034
Needlong underwear, hats, socks, hats, mittens, etc? Check out Warm Stuff Distributing (formerly known as the Underwear Guys) http://www.theunderwearguys.com (http://www.theunderwearguys.com/) All the basics at excellent prices. The items tend to be off-brand, surplus and/or factory irregulars. However, I personally think the off-brand, surplus or irregular is as good (and sometimes better than) the Patagucci clothing. Sometimes warmer, sometimes lighter weight... always cheaper!
Finally, for high altitude/desert hiking I suggest a long sleeve polyester dress shirt for the princely sum of $4 from many thrift stores. I've used this type of shirt for literally several thousand miles of backpacking.
The shirt has a handy front pocket that I can stick a map in, too!
making your own alky stove is a major cost saver