View Full Version : Backpacking for Cheap
Just wondering if anybody has good experiences with cheap gear? We're talkin under $100 here.
I got my SD Lightyear tent for like $70, love it,
I use some noname (Teton Sports) backpack for $40 (at the time) (linky: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F34ZKS)
Got a full size self-inflatable thermarest on ebay for $25 after ship (search military surplus inflatable pad or variants, example: http://cgi.ebay.com/US-Military-Thermarest-Self-Inflating-Sleeping-Mat-Pad_W0QQitemZ180319481036QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item180319481036&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50 (http://cgi.ebay.com/US-Military-Thermarest-Self-Inflating-Sleeping-Mat-Pad_W0QQitemZ180319481036QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item180319481036&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50))
And I use a pair of Walmart Hiking Poles for $15
Lafuma 45 degree sleeping bag for $39 18 oz.
6 x 8 silylon tarp on sale for $39. About 8 oz.
Pacific Outdoor 3/4 length self inflatable air mattress. 15 oz, got it on sale for $29. Kelty 25 degree down bag. $99 on sale.
Golite dawn. $39 13 oz.
Kelty Crestone 1. $59 at Steepandcheap. REI wanted $120, What a rip off REI is!!
Walmart poles $15
Walmart aluminum pot $6 or $7
White LED light $1 at Dollar Tree
Nylon zip off pants/shorts $10 at Academy Sports.
Nylon socks 3 pairs for $3.33 at Walmart
Nike polartec longsleve shirt $6.00 at Ross
Fleece gloves $5 at Marshals or TJ Max
Addidas trail runners $29 at Academy
M-65 liner jacket $12, about 9 oz
SD clip flashlight 1 person. 4lb $30 used :D
I've been able to find a wide variety of good wool sweaters for $20.
Problem is I don't know when to stop buying them, but I've slowed down.
I've gotten much use out of two light nylon wind shells from LLBean outlet.
$20 for a Large. $12 for an XXL I use in winter. Both about 4oz.
Haven't been as lucky finding a cheap 4oz wind pants.
The bakepacker. Some people like it some dont. I really like to cook great meals in the backcountry.
Sorry paid $20.00 for it.
flemdawg1
01-15-2009, 18:54
I got a Nimbus Ozone 2 weeks ago for $105, brand new from amazon. I haven't tried it out yet.
My car camping tent was $99 from Outdoor Outlet, Kelty Trail Dome 6 refurb.
$20 Camp Trails Catskill Pack- used via local yahoo trader.
$20 Peak1 Stove- used from friend
$23 EMS LT 20 sleeping bag via eBay
$53 SwissGear 2-man Hiker Tent - Sam's Club (practically a Hubba Hubba clone, except for being 5.4lbs)
My compliments to all. Some great usable inexpensive gear finds that proves U can hike on a limited budget. Great to know that accessibility to backpacking and camping is not solely determined by those with the most money!
johnnybgood
01-15-2009, 19:22
Check for deals on ebay - purchased X-Pak 0* bag for $69. I also was the high bidder on a on a Osprey pack for $ 74.
Thrift shops like Goodwill practically give away wool sweaters, silk shirts, etc; it's easy to find nice stuff really cheap if you don't mind shuffling through a bunch of racks.
johnnybgood
01-15-2009, 19:47
Thrift shops like Goodwill practically give away wool sweaters, silk shirts, etc; it's easy to find nice stuff really cheap if you don't mind shuffling through a bunch of racks.
So true , So true . I bought my first pair of hiking boots for $3. I don't remember the brand name but I certainly got my $3 outta them.
flemdawg1
01-15-2009, 20:06
Oh yeah, I've gotten most of my fleece from thrift stores and hiking pants, including 2 excellent Polartec pieces on Jan1.
Well said Dogwood,I agree 100 % . I have never had expensive gear. Always wished I had the money for fancy gear,but never happened. I make due with what I have. As long as I can hit the trail I am happy.
My compliments to all. Some great usable inexpensive gear finds that proves U can hike on a limited budget. Great to know that accessibility to backpacking and camping is not solely determined by those with the most money!
I wish we had a Goodwill around here. I here of all these great deals folks find. That would be cool,I would feel like a kid at x-mas walking into a Goodwill.
Thrift shops like Goodwill practically give away wool sweaters, silk shirts, etc; it's easy to find nice stuff really cheap if you don't mind shuffling through a bunch of racks.
Serial 07
01-15-2009, 20:15
stay focused on the trail, not on the towns...but then again, the AT is "more than miles" so not focusing on the towns does take away from the experience...i couldn't imagine skipping some of the great little towns the AT crosses...in fact, it's tough to do it on the cheap...
theinfamousj
01-15-2009, 21:38
Walmart Ozark Trail Children's Tent (sleep diagonally and you can fit if you are 8' tall or less) - $18 (really $17 and change, but I rounded up) 2.5 lbs, freestanding
Heineken Keg Can/Pot - $4 (and I got free beer)
home-made whittled chopsticks from sticks found along the trail - $0 after forgetting any sort of eating utensil at home ... what you cannot eat with your chopsticks you can just drink as a drink anyway
bamboo spork (https://www.kitchenworksinc.com/itemDetail/26615/3.5%22-BAMBOO-SPORK) - $2.50 (because I got tired of whittling my own chopsticks)
Adventure Medical Thermo-Lite Bivy (http://www.summithut.com/products/thermo-lite-2-bivy-sack/) - $30, my summer bag when used with a liner, thermarest, and my fleece "pajamas" (I'm a cold sleeper)
Rayovac Children's Single LED Headlamp - $4
Nike Drywick Shirt (seen in profile picture) - $0 (it was free due to a sponsorship deal between my university's varsity sports program and Nike) if it cost more I'd still buy a shirt like it because it is synthetic but doesn't stink with a daily rinse-and-wring
Walmart Ozark Trail Children's Tent
Simply Amazing. I imagine a Disney Princesses Pink tent parked on the side of the trail.
Gray Blazer
01-20-2009, 15:22
Simply Amazing. I imagine a Disney Princesses Pink tent parked on the side of the trail.
Did someone find my tent?
berninbush
01-20-2009, 16:43
I wish we had a Goodwill around here. I here of all these great deals folks find. That would be cool,I would feel like a kid at x-mas walking into a Goodwill.
:D I work for Goodwill. My office (in the corporate offices) is right next to the Clearance Store, where they sell all the stuff that didn't sell the first time around in the regular stores. I have to put in a plug... when you buy stuff from us, you keep it out of the landfill and you're supporting great programs that help people with disabilities get a chance to work. And there really are some fantastic deals. I haven't really gone hunting for camping gear yet, but I've gotten some great regular clothes. Added bonus: I get an employee discount!
Walmart Ozark Trail Children's Tent
I love this tent! :bananaOzark Trails Jr. Dome Tent. I've had about 4 different incarnations of it and paid $13 for the latest one. My sister and my dog and I spent the night in one in a thunderstorm on top of a mountain, and never got wet. (Yeah, that was a tight fit.) The only one I wasn't happy with was when they tried to change the design from a dome tent to a sort of diamond mummy-shaped thing. That tent leaked like a sieve, not because of holes in the material but because a bad design made it collect a gallon of rainwater that eventually leached through. Thankfully they've corrected that now and gone back to the simple two-pole dome. It ventilates well and gives you options for stargazing in nice weather.
And no, it doesn't have to be Princess Pink. ;) My current one is a nice green and white.
kytrailman
01-20-2009, 17:07
just make your own stuff-- it really is not that hard, it is enjoyable, and with a little searching-- can be very cheap( and ultra lightweight I might add) Good luck whatever you use.
theinfamousj
01-20-2009, 17:19
Simply Amazing. I imagine a Disney Princesses Pink tent parked on the side of the trail.
My friends call mine the Macaw tent because it is OD-green, yellow, and has a typical-tarp-blue rainfly. Mine has the most subdued set of coloring I've seen.
Another friend has a turquoise and white tent. I have yet to see pink, though.
On the positive side, you won't lose your tent on a midnight potty run.
cowboy nichols
01-20-2009, 21:55
I've used a walmart tent (15.00) to train my dogs and used it on many miles. I did tone the color down using hunters camo paint. It never leaked in some pretty rough weather.
hnryclay
01-20-2009, 22:45
When I was in high school, we would stay out long weekends,and weeks in the summer with Jansport day packs that doubled as our book bags for school, army surplus sleeping bags, and army surplus tent halves. You can do it cheap, its not light, not comfortable, but still fun.
Siestita
01-21-2009, 02:11
I started backpacking 35 years ago as a cash strapped student and probably should have spend more $$ initiallyfor a better sleeping bag and pack. Sometimes paying more gets you better stuff. But, now that I can afford specialty gear I leave some of it at home, saving weight by using cheap items instead of "backpaking equipment". Homemade alcohol stoves' which work adequately can be very simple; mine is just a small cat food can, with no enhancements. I store its yellow HEET fuel in a 20 Oz Sprite bottle. Food from my one liter discount store grease pot (K-Mart sells these) tastes just as good as it would if prepared in similar weight titanium pot. One quart/liter Gatorade containers work as well as 'hiking' water bottles and weight less.
I have always been frugal. In bicycling and running, I have never allowed myself to buy the latest and greatest, but I find that , with experience, I always migrate upward to "generic good stuff".
When backpacking got my interest, I made a pack and a hammock and scrounged through my stuff for the rest. I wore jeans and cotton flannel shirts, because that was what I had.
My first experience was the springer New years eve hang two years ago. The weather sucked. rain and fog the whole time. My clothes got damp and never dried out. I learned the hard way "Cotton kills"
Current gear:
Sportsman guide tarp $30 ish
heinie pot and alcohol stove maybe $10 with the plastic carrying thing
Gearskin clone pack Who knows? $10 to 30 in material.
sleeping bags: summer weight; Sportsman guide mummy 50 deg at $20
Fall weight; Kelty Light Year down at $60 used from forum
Poles $20 ish used from forum
Boots lbean $45 ebay trail runners $40 Sierra
Stuff sacks: set of 3 walmart $10
Big one Walmart $10
Cloths: military EWS long johns $30 or 40.
Convertible cargo pants $30
Poly t shirts $10 each walmart
Poly underwear $10 each and one pair ritzy from outfitters for $18 to get a fly.
Socks 3 pair ragg wool Swedish Army surplus for $11. Occasional smart wool for sale price under $10
Rockhound
01-21-2009, 19:47
got my hiking poles for free. Found them on the ground in GA. Some people call em' sticks. Got my stove for $1.09. It's made by Bic. Some people just call it a lighter. Got my moleskin for next to nothing. Some people call it duct tape. The rest of my gear I paid way too much for.
I use Craigslist quit a bit to equip our Scout troop. Some of the dads don't have the equipment.
hikingtime
01-26-2009, 16:47
Goodwill:
Patagonia fleece $5
Columbia nylon windbreaker $5
MSR pot $3
Titanium spork $1
North Face insulated hat $5
Torch lighter $1
Petzl LED light $1
Key to Goodwill is find the one in the most expensive neighborhoods. Rich folks buy expensive gear, find they don't like camping and then they drop the gear off at Goodwill.