How Cheap Is Too Cheap?

[dperry]

All this reading and lurking on this site is getting me very impatient to get out and start my campaign of section hiking the AT, in addition to the fact that my girlfriend seems very interested in becoming a hiker princess. Since I have no backpacking experience whatsoever, I want to take a year or so to get practice in easy situations before actually going out into the wild, so that makes me even more impatient. The problem is, however, that right now I'm quite poor (and my girlfriend's not much better off,) and given that I'm going to be going back to school for my master's degree, that probably won't be changing much anytime soon.

So how am I going to get the necessary equipment? I'm sure I can cover some of it by asking mommy and daddy to give me a gift certificate to REI or EMS or something for Christmas (and my girlfriend can ask her folks), but that will only get me so far. So anyway, I was in K-Mart the other day on unrelated business, and saw a $40 tent. Naturally, this filled my little head with all sorts of ideas, but I figured I should sit down and think about this a little bit.

So the question is, has anyone had experience with getting really cheap equipment from the Wal-Marts and Dick's Sporting Goods of the world, and how has it been? If I have to replace things once every five years, that's one thing, but if I have to replace them every year, or things fail catastrophically while we're on the trail, that's another. What's your thoughts?

[justusryans]

Most things you see in WallyWorld will last you a while, however while their durability isn't bad (they also have a good return policy) WEIGHT is everthing. figure a 5-6 pound tent, 4 pound sleeping bag, 6-8 pound pack you are up there! There are guys on this site who don't carry much more than that on a thru-hike. ( I'm not one of them!) If you want to go car camping...yea, it'll work, but for backpacking.... either save your pennies or try e-bay. Also a good idea to really research the different gear out there and find out what others recommend.

[Sly]

I think Sgt Rock has a thread about outfitting yourself for less than $300 with decent gear that should last awhile.

Personally, I started from scratch and spent about $2000 and some of that was bought used online.

$420 pack,
$30 wet rib,
$250 boots,
$25 insoles,
$30 in socks,
$40 shorts,
$150 used gore-tex,
$150 tent,
$50 filter,
$100 sleeping bag,
$75 stove,
$50 used nylon/fleece pants,
$70 LL Bean underwear,
$30 pad,
$30 pack cover,
$50 gaiters,
and I'm sure a few other things I can't remember.

On occasion I still use some of those things, have sold others and the rest takes space in the closet.

I've since lightened up considerably spending less than half that.

Check out Rock's thread.......

[Sly]

Here it is, $300 Challenge...

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5594

[TDale]

My tent makes me the object of derision whenever I mention it.

http://texsport.net/acatalog/Willowb...ail__Tent.html

It's a basic pup tent for those that don't want a tarp. It's not leaked on me through some pretty good thunderstorms, has a full bathtub floor, screen doors and window. I've rigged a vestibule for it before from a $3 vinyl poncho. You can even pitch it with hiking poles. Weight without poles, with stakes, cords, and stuff sack: 2 lb. 12 oz.

No gear-head points, but gets the job done.

[Dances with Mice]

I was once in a Scout troop in an area that included both an exclusive gated million-plus dollar home subdivision with not just tennis courts but on-site stables with weekly polo matches -and- a dead-end run-down trashy trailer park. We got boys from both and everything in between. I leveled the playing field by making it look cool to camp with the least expensive gear I could get from Wally World.

First invest a few bucks in Ray Jardine's book 'Beyond Backpacking' then go from there. Forget tents, use a tarp, not hi-tech silnylon but el cheapo coated woven polypro. Painter's drop cloths make great ground cloths. Nylon golf shirts are long sleeved and perfect for layering. Stearns brand raingear works. In the men's sports department are cheap but durable synthetic shirts, pants, and bathing suits that double as hiking shorts. Home-made stoves are best. Empty soda containers hold water and fuel (separately!), Wally World has probably sold more grease pots to backpackers than housewives. Iodine rather than filter. Small LED lights are becoming more available and the price is dropping fast. Fleece vests, caps, gloves, and synthetic underwear can be found seasonally in the hunting area of the sports section. I wear el cheapo hiking shoes with inserts that cost more than the footwear, but the shoes will last for many miles before needing to be replaced.

Only 2 things I couldn't get from W-M: Good sleeping bags and backpacks. That's where Campmor comes in.

[minnesotasmith]

1) What's a wet rib?

2) Why would a hiker want to take a greasepot on the Trail?

[SGT Rock]

1) What's a wet rib?

2) Why would a hiker want to take a greasepot on the Trail?

The greese pot is a very light and cheap alternative to buying a cookpot and it is the same size while it also serves the same function.

[WeBeHikin]

I found some really good gear cheap at Sierra Trading Post. They offer a lot of close out items and some blemished items. The selections change often and you have to be patient waiting for specific gear that you may want. But the prices are hard to beat. If you do buy something from them, you can get free S/H by answering a trivia question hidden in the catalog somewhere.

[smokymtnsteve]

1) What's a wet rib?

2) Why would a hiker want to take a greasepot on the Trail?

greetings MS, long time no argue

a wet rib is a small front pack that is attached to both straps of your pack and hangs to one side they come in right and left handed models , with the strap attaching across your chest(or belly as the case my be

they are very handy for quick easy access to trail snacks, camera, maps while on the move without removing your pack,

a wet rib signifies that the rib also has a place for your water bottle, therefore givingit the name 'wet rib"

being that there are right and left wing models, can U guess which I use


all my best from the land of the midnight sun, i have been enjoying blueberry and raspberry picking the last few days,,,last week an big ole grizz bear was picking blueberries in the same patch I was...

the low bush cranberries aka ligonberries well be ripe soon..I can't wait!

[Sly]

1) What's a wet rib?

A Wet Rib is a Dana Designs addition to your pack that attaches to the shoulder straps and sits it front holding a water bottle and a zipped pocket for snacks, maps, camera etc.

The only thing I still carry from my first hike, I've attached it to my ULA P-2

http://www.sonomaoutfitters.com/pack...na_wetrib.html

No, that's not me!

[Just Jeff]

Use the $5 grease pot as your cooking pot / bowl. Weighs barely more than a titanium pot of the same size and costs about 15% of the price.

If you want really good stuff, just wait around for sales where the big distributors (campmor, rei, etc) dump last season's models. If you have an REI nearby, it might be worth becoming a member...you can make back your membership fee on one big purchase. Make that big purchase on the first day of their end-of-season sale (members only on the first day) and you save buttloads (metric).

Check ebay and the "for sale" boards on whiteblaze, the lightweight backpacker, and any other forum you can find. People sometimes offer much lower prices to other posters because they know it'll be used and appreciated. I just bought someone's homemade tarptent for the price of shipping...saw it on thru-hiker.com. When I get my use out of it, I'll probably do the same for someone else.

Know anyone with a sewing machine? Synthetic quilts are a piece of cake to make; you can get the design from Jardine's book or www.geocities.com/jwj32542/HomemadeGearKidsHammock.html . The materials for mine cost about $50 and it took about two hours. If you're brave and want down, get the materials with instructions in a kit from thru-hiker.com for $123.

Sewing hiking gear is pretty simple until you get into fancy clothes...but then it might be worth it to buy the $40 waterproof breathable rainsuit from Walmart that weighs a whopping few ounces more than the $150 one from GoLite.

You can spend $25 for a silnylon stuff sack, or get the silnylon from Walmart for $1/yd on a lucky day and make all the stuff sacks you can use for $25. Or you can use garbage bags. People on this board have used compactor bags for waterproof pack liners...one bag can easily last 1500 miles. Cost: ~$4 for a roll of 20. A silnylon bag that size would be ~$30.

If you don't make your own, then spend your money on a good bag, pack and shelter. That's where you'll notice the difference. For everything else, you can spend $1000 or $150...up to you.

[TakeABreak]

dperry;

You state you and your girl friend have no real backpacking experience, so,

First I would not go out and buy a lot really expensive gear and / or a lot of gear right off. Not until after you go and do some day hikes and such, if you have any friends near by that you can borrow some gear from and a couple of weekenders, even if it just setting up camp somewhere and hiking trails and returning to your campsite at night, to see how you like it.

A lot of people invest a ton of money into equipment and bail off the A.T. within a couple of weeks, it best to get into something that new slowly. That way the mistakes will not be so costly, mentally or financially.

[squirrel bait]

I agree, borrow some gear, get the rest at garage sales/thrift stores and simply go hiking. You will quickly learn what is what is not for you. You'll also get to see the other types of gears in use. There are numerous threads here on WB that pertain to doing all of this cheaply. All of mine has been obtained this way and it works just fine. Depending on when you hike, the rain suit would be the last thing I would buy. As stated here, a trash compactor bag works for me and my sleeping bag and of course a large trash bag will make an acceptable emergency rain suit. If you want to go even more cheaply, get used to hiking while wet. It's quite fun and exhilirating. I quess the thing I am trying to say is read here on WB all you can about doing everything cheaply. There is all the information you need in these articles. Good luck on your hikes.

[Sly]

dperry;
A lot of people invest a ton of money into equipment and bail off the A.T. within a couple of weeks, it best to get into something that new slowly. That way the mistakes will not be so costly, mentally or financially.

Yeah, they could probably hang out at Woody Gap in March with a $100 bill and an offer for a ride back to Atlanta and pick up all the gear they need!

[The Solemates]

Yeah, they could probably hang out at Woody Gap in March with a $100 bill and an offer for a ride back to Atlanta and pick up all the gear they need!

over the years I have picked up probably 10 Nalgenes and various other useless items this way...caribiners, compasses, books, sealed freeze-dried meals, etc... i use all the stuff car camping and for general goofing off, but not really that much while backpacking. free stuff rocks!

[verber]

So the question is, has anyone had experience with getting really cheap equipment from the Wal-Marts and Dick's Sporting Goods of the world?

There are a number of items I would consider from wal-mart or dick's but not the "big three": sleep bag, pack, or tent. I have a small page I wrote up for a friend with pointers about get into backpacking at a reasonable cost http://www.verber.com/mark/outdoors/gear/cheap.html

cheers,
mark

[kncats]

So the question is, has anyone had experience with getting really cheap equipment from the Wal-Marts and Dick's Sporting Goods of the world, and how has it been? If I have to replace things once every five years, that's one thing, but if I have to replace them every year, or things fail catastrophically while we're on the trail, that's another. What's your thoughts?

Since you don't have prior experience to fall back on, I would recommend staying away from REALLY cheap items that, if they fail, may ruin your experience and make you not want to go back out again. For me this would include backpack, shelter, sleeping bag and hiking footwear.

You don't necessarily need to pick up a $300 down sleeping bag, but don't expect a fun time if you buy the $25 Wally World special at 10 pounds with Kapok insulation. You won't enjoy carrying it and you really won't enjoy sleeping in it if it gets colder than the bag is good for or if it gets even a little wet.

My daughter went camping with a youth group one time and had to sleep in a cheap, leaky tent. She's never been out again and probably never will. When I first started getting my wife to go out hiking with me we picked up decent, but not the highest quality or lightest gear for her. As she hasn't quit on me yet we are gradually replacing with better stuff.

[minnesotasmith]

about "How Cheap Is Too Cheap?", I thought it was referring to women I've dated.

[soulrebel]

http://bikerdave.murioi.com/shelter.html

has a nice overview to get you started in the stats game...

FYI, you can buy a heavy summer victorinix bag @ costco for $28 but it's huge and bulky, They have tents too, but huge and heavy. Overall, if you want high end gear--you'll need to make it yourself, shell out to a known manufacturer, buy used...

as others suggested choose wisely on the BIG 3, b/c most backpackers upgrade only once every 10 years or even longer....

_how good are you with equipment, do you like the best and maintain it? or prefer what will get you by-cheap enough to replace if you mess it?