Cost of outfitting yourself?

[TOMP]

This topic recently came up for me when I was talking to a friend about backpacking costs. He wanted to know how much it would cost him to outfit himself for a 4 day backpacking trip. So knowing that he is a day hiker and doesnt have anymore more gear than a platy for water, clothes, trekking poles, and boots I was unsure but I knew it would be a lot.

I first thought it would cost 300 dollars to buy a bear bones setup and only but the cheapest of items in each category. But then I thought on this some more and thought that maybe this wouldnt be possible either.

So my question is what is the cheapest cost to completely outfit yourself for a multi-day hike, in warm weather, not including food? Also assume you cant MYOG and you want to be reasonably comfortable, so no just a knife answers.

[flemdawg1]

Sgt Rock had a $300 challenge on his website a couple of years ago. Buying thrift store clothes and walmart gear its wasn't too hard to beat. It definatley helps if you keep your costs down on your big 3 (tent, pack, sleeping bag).

[TOMP]

Still I thought about the Big 4 minimum prices, $50 boots, $75 tent, $25 bag, $40 pack. Doesnt leave much room for for other stuff. Yeah you could buy a tent at 25 bucks and shoes for $5 but would these items be realistic to use.

I think I should repharse my question: What is the cheapest amount of money you could spend to outfit yourself, with gear that you could reasonably use and last for atleast 2 years if not more, on a multi-day hike?

[Rasty]

About $500

Tent $90
Pack $80
Bag $80
Pad $20
Stove & Aluminum cookset $60
Rain gear $50
Everything Else $140

I purchased basic gear for four people for about $1500 four years ago.

[q-tip]

The lighter the more expensive. My ultralight gear is about $3,000. And thats just for the CT. I have about $8,000 total gear, hike, trek, alpine.

[Energizer Bunny]

I have been starting to build up my gear so I can start the overpm trips. I am finding great deal for the end of year sales. I got a $200 pack for $80 from golite.com and a $100 bag for $60 at backcountry.com. Now is the time to look for the deals. Hope that helps.

[hikerboy57]

you can rent gear from places like REI or EMS before you go out and invest any sizable chunk of change. the setup i carry today, is certainlynothing like what i carried 2o years ago. your gear is almost always a work in process, you're always refining. ive got a whole room filled with gear, most of which i dont use anymore, and even though im pretty set at this point, im still a gear hound, and still shop regularly to see what i dont need.

[MuddyWaters]

If you want good, lightweight gear that will serve you well, and you will enjoy owning, yes it will cost a lot more.
But you dont have to have that stuff. It does make it all much more enjoyable if you pack for 4 days weighs 17 lbs rather than 35 lbs though

[Duramax22]

I kinda feel like its better to spend your money once if your sure your gonna continue to hike. Buying cheap gear now is basically wasting 500. Better to take your time work some extra hours and buy it once rather than 3 or 4 times. Also you may wanna try Craigslist I seen I few people over the years selling their whole set up for 300 or 400 dollars.

[ParkRat09]

Duramax22 beat me to it...buying the cheapest of everything is a waste of money if you ask me. Unlike some other stuff the cheapest backpacking stuff really is **** and will not last long or perform well from day 1. My ultra-light complete outfit came in at about $3,000. I'm not saying you need to spend that but if backpacking is something you'll continue to do, get at least the middle of the road stuff. I work at an outdoor gear store if you have any specific questions about gear (kind of a gear nut). Craigslist is a great alternative as well. I got a $350 MSR tent for $175 on CL.

[TOMP]

Ok, ten posts this about the point in most threads when everything worth saying has been said and it gets redundant so to avoid that I will redirect. A couple posters mentioned that they have spent several thousand dollars, do you mean that is what you spent on all your gear in your life or on the gear that you currently use? If it is only the gear that you currently use is the amount like a huge closet of stuff most of which is rarely used? And finally what is the cost of the gear that you would use on one multi-day hike? If you can itemize costs and provide brand names it would be helpful to know but whatever you can provide is fine.

[Papa D]

cheap man spends the most - I hate this post - why would anyone BUY all gear necessary to be a backpacker for a 4-day trip - hire a guide service or rent gear - if you PURCHASE gear, buy the best available, period.

[Sassafras Lass]

I would expect $400-$600 for better-quality (non-North Face, etc.) stuff that's reasonable in weight. You talkin' the whole kit and caboodle - carry, camp, clothing?

[TOMP]

cheap man spends the most - I hate this post - why would anyone BUY all gear necessary to be a backpacker for a 4-day trip - hire a guide service or rent gear - if you PURCHASE gear, buy the best available, period.

Its a 4 day trip with the intention of continuing to do multi-day backpacking trips. So its not for just one 4 day trip. I hope that makes more sense. I originally just wanted to know how little was possible for my friend to spend without buying disposable junk.

[TOMP]

I would expect $400-$600 for better-quality (non-North Face, etc.) stuff that's reasonable in weight. You talkin' the whole kit and caboodle - carry, camp, clothing?

Pretty much everything, I mean my friend is currently a day-hiker so he has stuff for day-hikes. Or you can treat this as a hypothetical and just mention everything if you want.

[Badspeller]

6- pairs of Merrell Shoes, 25 - 1 foot square shipping boxes, 200 - dry meals, 4- pair of ex-officio boxers, 4- Ice-Breaker Smart Wool Shirts, 4- Champion running shorts,2- Osprey Packs with pack cover, 2- pair of North Face Rain gear, 6- Smartwool PHD outdoor socks,2- sets of walking poles, 2- blue solid core sleeping mats, 1 compass,1 guide book, 1-Snow melt cook pot, 1- roll of toilet paper, 2 - Hennessy Tent Hammocks, 2 - 40* sleeping bags, 1 - Steri-pen Water wand, 2 - 103 lumen head-mount flashlights, 2- waterproof wet bags, 1 - Appalachian Trail guide.1 - Pocket Rocket Stove, 16 oz of stove fuel, 1 - wool Indiana Jones Fedora. 2- plastic sporks, 4- light weight tent stakes, 1 bottle of 100% Deet, 2- compression sacks,1- Gerber pocket knife, 1- lighter, 1- small first aid kit and 50 feet of light weight cord.

This is for two people and has been purchased over the last year, There is a cat-stove that I no longer use and swapped out for a rocket stove, My base weight with both packs is 15lbs for my son and 15lbs 6 oz for myself. There is a few things missing but this is many of the essentials.

$2203.00 that is after a 20% discount.

[Badspeller]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater <~~ might work, its a pic of all my stuff.

[MuddyWaters]

Example Prices :

WM Ultralite $385
Trail runners $100
Hiking poles $100
UL pack $200
R1 $120
nanopuff $130
Neoair $130
UL 1p Tent $275
Stakes $25
Groundcloth $7
2 pr socks $30
Rainsuit $25 (driducks = cheap)
Houdini $130
glove liners $30
Stove $60

PLus a lot of miscl stuff.

So Id say $1500 -1750 is do-able.

[Juice]

Roughly $1300 for under an 8lb base weight. Some items at retail price and some were at discount.

[Leanthree]

Current 2.5-season Setup which is about 14 lbs base cost $220 for tent (+$7 groundsheet), $160 for bag, $140 for pack, $70 for pad, $30 for pot, $1 homemade alchy stove, $20 for stuff sacks, $3 for bear rope. So $511 total. Those are the main expenses to upgrade from a reasonably outfitted day hiker to a reasonably lightweight and high quality set of gear. Clearly, money can be saved in places but I also shopped around, waited for sales and used Steep and cheap so to put all of my gear together overnight would probably have cost $150-$200 more.

I have enough overnight gear to outfit an additional friend and have taken a few people on their first excursion. Some loved it and went and bought their own gear, others keep mooching, others are one and done. All depends on the person. Try renting for a first timer.