View Full Version : Trying to Thru-Hike on a budget...
CANtucky
06-11-2009, 18:45
HI! I'm planning a '10 SOBO thru hike and I'm on a pretty tight budget-trying to save every penny till next june, hoping to have about 4000 for the hike itself. I do a lot of day hiking in the Red River Gorge, a couple of over nights but no long distance hikes yet, so I need to buy most of the big gear items.
That said, when trying to buy inexpensive gear is there any particular item you would suggest NEVER compromising on? Go ahead and pay the big bucks if I can't find it on sale or clearance, etc???
Survivor Dave
06-11-2009, 18:56
HI! I'm planning a '10 SOBO thru hike and I'm on a pretty tight budget-trying to save every penny till next june, hoping to have about 4000 for the hike itself. I do a lot of day hiking in the Red River Gorge, a couple of over nights but no long distance hikes yet, so I need to buy most of the big gear items.
That said, when trying to buy inexpensive gear is there any particular item you would suggest NEVER compromising on? Go ahead and pay the big bucks if I can't find it on sale or clearance, etc???
Boots and socks.
Two Tents
06-11-2009, 18:58
HUMM? That's a good question. Do you have any gear yet? I would not scrimp on a pack, but that's just me. Of course you will need most all of your other gear before you know how big a pack to get. A good sleeping bag is important also. You have time to get stuff on sale. Check E-Bay too. I have found a lot of descent clothes at Goodwills and thrift stores. Check end of season sales and yard sales this summer for other money saving ideas. So I my answer is A sleeping bag and pack. Good Luck.
Boots for sure.
You can "make do" on most of the other stuff but footware has to be right. Nothing worse than a cheap pair of shoes that almost fit.
Saving money on the hike can be done by not staying in town over night, just go in get your resupply and get out. If you go with trail runners name sure to get atleast 4 pairs and break them all in before you start your hike so when you switch out for a new pair they'll be ready to go.
Snowleopard
06-11-2009, 19:50
Boots/shoes must be comfortable and fit well. If you're lucky cheap shoes are comfortable for you.
You have a year, so take your time on getting the ultimate gear. Check ebay, craigslist, the gear for sale forum on WB and BPL. Check sales at REI, campmor, etc.
Hikes in Rain
06-11-2009, 19:51
Sleeping gear. If I don't get a good night's sleep, I'm all cranky in the morning. That having been said, there are threads on here, some quite recent, that have great suggestions on fine sleeping gear that's relatively inexpensive.
bigcranky
06-11-2009, 19:57
The sleeping bag. When the chips are down, knowing that I will be warm at night is huge. Most of my gear is mid-range or lower, but I am happy to splurge on top of the line bags.
Shoes are important, but my favorite trail shoes run about $65-70 on sale. The pack is important, but there are many choices of packs in the 3-pound range with a wide range of prices and features.
bigcranky
06-11-2009, 19:58
Hey, Hikes in Rain, *I'm* cranky in the morning. In the evening, too.
Agree with most everything posted here. For sure, sleeping bag needs to be good quality.
Easiest place to save is clothing. Way to much hype regarding Underarmour & what you see in Backpacker Magazine. Goodwill, Walmart and the like are fine. Just make sure they are quick dry materials. Even inexpensive fleece will work great.
Remember, when your clothes are soaked & you are shivering, you can always pitch your tent and jump into that quality sleeping bag.
fiddlehead
06-11-2009, 20:08
Sleeping bag is the only item i would worry about.
I buy my shoes in thrift stores and wear nylon socks (cheap)
I've hiked with people who sewed their own pack from an old duffle bag.
Tarps are often used as shelters.
Beer cans make stoves.
I never pay more than $2 for a pot from thrift stores.
but, i have one of the best sleeping bags made. And paid over $300 for it. (my cheapest one, i really have 3 for different trails/hikes/trips)
gravy4601
06-11-2009, 20:13
I also do allot of hiking in the Red River Gorge and the Sheltowee trace is a great place to get some long distance hiking practice
I live in Cincinnati and there is a store called Down Light Factory Outlet I buy clothes from they have name brands 40% to 70% off all the time i bought a 350.00 Spyder coat for 60.00 last fall so look it up if your in the area anytime
Yeah you can get Champion C9 active wear from Target for a good price. I have a long sleeve polyester/spandex half turtle neck I'd say it's medium weight fabric, i used it last september for about 100 miles in about 60 to 75 degree weather, worked great at wicking sweat and an XL weighs only 8oz. You can get most of the C9 stuff for 10 to 20 bucks depending.
reddenbacher
06-11-2009, 20:22
you can get pataguchi at tjmax
Hikes in Rain
06-11-2009, 20:23
Hey, Hikes in Rain, *I'm* cranky in the morning. In the evening, too.
That's why I have good sleeping bags. Can't have people confusing us! :p
Snowleopard
06-11-2009, 20:34
"sleeping bag" The best sleeping bag is expensive, but you don't need it. I have a feathered friends $$) that's great, less than 2 lb. BUT, I've had much cheaper sleeping bags that kept me just as warm, they just weighed 3 lb.
Carrying an extra pound or two of clothes or sleeping bag or tent can sometimes save you a lot of dollars.
garlic08
06-11-2009, 20:53
Another vote for the sleeping bag, and I agree that you don't need the very best, just really good. You may be able to find cheap shoes that are comfortable. Don't assume $250 boots are the best thing to buy. $60 running shoes work fine for many.
Town food was pretty high on my budget. I made sure to eat well in towns. I spent way more on food than I did on my gear.
There has been a lot of good advice dispensed already, but I wouldn't forget the pack either. You don't have to spend a ton on it, but get a good, comfortable pack. If you're attempting a thru-hike, you're gonnna carry your life in it for 4-6 months. That said, go to a good reputable outfitter (In Kentucky, I like J&H Lanmark in Lexington) with all the gear you're going to put in your pack, talk to the folks who work there, tell them what you need the pack for and listen to their suggestions. Let them measure your torso for proper fit and put your stuff in the packs you try. This will serve two purposes. First, it will let you see if all your stuff is gonna fit in it. Second, it will let you see how that pack feels with a load in it. If you can ever get away from Kentucky, head down the road to Damascus and get fitted at MRO, they're absolute experts at it.
Tent, sleeping bag, mattress and backpack, I think they are all important.
Panzer
A great question. But not one that is easily answered. I walked the trail, 15 years ago, mostly with what I had in the house, including what was then a 20-year-old sleeping bag liner. probably rated at 45-50 degrees. It remains my bag of preference -- at least for the spring through mid autumn hikes.
Yes, I was chilly on a few nights. But never seriously uncomfortable, though I carried insulated underwear, early and late. It's the only bag I'll bring to the tent sites at the biennial ATC get together in July in Vermont.
Because I had lived in one-room housing for years before I got a real job, and a real wife, I was skilled at cooking one pot meals. On the AT I was restricted by both finances and philosophy. I hate spending more than I need to spend.
Because of years of relative poverty, I knew how to eat well without spending much money. It helped greatly on the trail (and now as I struggle to support a wife, a "luckly" purchase of a house on the water, and a bevy of less than successful kids and grandkids on their treks through life.)
Anyway, generic rice, pasta, oatmeal and such have provided most of my nutritional needs before the trail, during my 6 months on the trail, and the decade and a half since.
And based on these experiences, I continue to believe that an important way to reduce thru hike expenses is to learn to avoid convenience foods like Lipton sides and freeze-dried stuff, and to get most trail calory needs from generic foods available from every supermarket.
Weary
ShelterLeopard
06-11-2009, 22:54
In my opinion, this is the order of importance (don't scrimp at all on the top)
1. Boots
2. Pack
3. Sleeping Bag
4. Rain pack cover (I use outdoor research- I like dry gear)
And based on these experiences, I continue to believe that an important way to reduce thru hike expenses is to learn to avoid convenience foods like Lipton sides and freeze-dried stuff, and to get most trail calory needs from generic foods available from every supermarket.
WearyProbably the most effective way to save money. Saving on pack, bag, etc is a one-time savings. Savng money on food is every day, not only on the trail, but for the year before the OP hits the trail.
The Solemates
06-12-2009, 12:44
as obvious by the posts, you're gonna get tons of responses. you are going to have to find out for yourself what you can cut costs on etc. many have said dont cut on boots...for me personally i can be perfectly comfortable in a $20 pair of walmart specials. i would never scrimp on the sleeping bag, however.
There's nothing that you absolutely have to spend top dollar on. Consider Warren Doyle, top AT mile-ster, who is also an ace at not spending money.
Have you checked out the gear challenge threads?
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15329&highlight=gear+challenge
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=44067&highlight=gear+challenge
A top-of-the-line sleeping bag is a thing of beauty. But you can get a Ray-Way kit and make yourself a quilt very cheaply.
http://www.ray-way.com/Quilt-Kit/index.htm
I bought five pairs of running shoes, and spent less money than people who bought two or three pairs of boots for their hike.
Contrary to popular opinion, going light can be very, very cheap. Why? Because a lot of the art consists of not buying things, not carrying things, and making one thing serve many functions. Practice is essential. For instance, you can leave out the whole stove/kitchen/cookpot thing if you just eat cold food. You might as well try it before you spend money chasing any kind of backcountry kitchen.
Similarly with packs. I have an expensive pack that sits, unused and unloved in my closet, while my three lightweight packs (costing, respectively, $79 during a model closeout sale, $139 Trail Days special, and $99 used, from someone on Whiteblaze) were relatively cheap, as packs go.
Being tight-fisted while you're gearing up will be good practice for doing the same while actually hiking.
Two Tents
06-12-2009, 18:02
"Being tight-fisted while you're gearing up will be good practice for doing the same while actually hiking"
Two Tents
06-12-2009, 18:04
"Being tight-fisted while you're gearing up will be good practice for doing the same while actually hiking " THAT IS A GOOD PIECE OF ADVICE FROM MARTA!
CANtucky
06-12-2009, 18:29
WOW, thanks everybody. Really helpfull advice, if varied. :) I expected a lot of answers but I think that helps in weighing the pro's and cons.
I went to just a local outfitter to look around and get an idea of what I could expect to pay and my eyebrows became stuck in the furrowed position. :eek:
THIS helps....
BTW, I have a pack I bought four years ago when I first heard of the AT, and everything else I have to buy. EEEKKKKS.
CANtucky
06-12-2009, 18:31
well.... i do have some appropriate clothes, a light pot, etc. But the big things appropriate for long distance, thats what I have to buy... (sleeping gear, more tiny things, etc...)
Hikes in Rain
06-12-2009, 19:05
One of the things I really like about backpacking is the ability to distill the essentials down to what you absolutely, really need. It's astonishing, in our consumer oriented culture, just how little that truly is, and how comfortable you can be with such a small amount of "stuff".
It makes me feel rich, when I get back off the trail and head home.
I went to just a local outfitter to look around and get an idea of what I could expect to pay and my eyebrows became stuck in the furrowed position. :eek:
The dedicated scrounger doesn't buy ANYTHING new. There's enough 2nd and 3d hand stuff in this country to make it unecessary to buy anything new, almost ever.
Being tight-fisted while you're gearing up will be good practice for doing the same while actually hiking.Plus it will prepare you for your retirement years :D
mixinmaster
06-12-2009, 21:36
The dedicated scrounger doesn't buy ANYTHING new. There's enough 2nd and 3d hand stuff in this country to make it unecessary to buy anything new, almost ever.
This has to be one of the most accurate statements I have read/heard/spoke in a long long while....